The Secret to Longevity, Blue Zones

When we go a few centuries ago, 60 years was considered too long for a human lifespan. Today, we see that there are people who have turned over a century and continue their lives in a healthy way. Of course, considering the cancer, heart diseases and viral infections, which we call the plague of time, it may seem impossible for some to live that long, but surprisingly, the number of people with a life expectancy of more than 100 years is quite high and the regions where these people are clustered: Blue Zones.

I came across the program “Down to Earth with Zac Efron” at a time when I was tired of watching TV series on Netflix. We can simply summarize the program as: 'The adventures of two people who travel the world and conduct research to raise awareness in various fields'. I highly recommend this program because they touch on interesting details about many topics, from renewable energy to the water we use in some way every day. Anyway, I'll tell you right away without saying what it has to do with our topic.

In the part of the program that takes place in the town of Sardinia, they seek answers from the blue zones and how people live long, and spend a day with the people who do the research themselves. After watching this episode, “What effect does nutrition have on longevity? What do people who live longer do differently?” I started researching to find answers to your questions and I wanted to share what I found with you, I hope it will be useful.

WHAT IS THE BLUE ZONE!

Blue Zones, just as we mentioned, are the regions where people who live much longer than the average human lifespan live together. People in these regions not only live long, but come to almost 95 years of age without any health problems. The term 'Blue Zones' was first used in an article by Dan Buettner, who specializes in healthy living, for National Geographic, in which he collaborated with various demographers to research and describe places he had visited, which was about 14 years ago.

When asked why he named the Blue Zones, the only answer was: “While doing our research, I only used a blue felt-tip pen to mark the places on the map where people have lived for over 100 years. So, the areas I marked turned blue. In other words, if I had a red pen with me, we would refer to it as red zones today”.

Author Dan Buettner doesn't just dedicate his research to people who live longer than 100 years. At the same time, he tried to find clusters of people who age without health problems such as heart disease, obesity, cancer or diabetes, and wrote the findings of his research in his book called The Blue Zones Solution (It can also be found in bookstores in our country under the name Blue Zones).

Why Do They Live So Long?

In this article, we will focus more on how the people of the Blue Zone eat, but healthy nutrition is only a part of the network of basic points that make up a healthy life, such as exercise, good relationships, and social life. In this direction, let's take a look at what these centuries-old people do in common, even though they live in different countries and different cultures, before moving on to nutrition:

• There is a point that has started to disappear in our culture, but that we are not strangers to, which they also attach great importance to: FAMILY.
• Family ties are very strong. Everyone in the family, from the oldest to the youngest, is almost always in touch and is constantly gathering together. Don't forget that eating together definitely has a soul-healing side.
• No matter how old they are, they have a physically active lifestyle. Almost all of them go to their destination either by bicycle or on foot, even if they do not go anywhere, they all have a garden to deal with every day.
• They are smiling. They don't have a problem with looking 'cool'. They realize that smile is the best medicine.
• It doesn't matter how old they are, some take care of their grandchildren, some take care of those in need in non-governmental organizations. They certainly share their love. as well as unrequited
• They do not have the tempo of cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, London, New York. They have a relatively calm and slow flow of life.
• Prophet Muhammad says in one of his hadiths: 'Sit down at the table hungry, get up hungry'. Blue Zone people do just that. They follow the 80 percent rule. They leave the table before they are full.
• The number of smokers is very low. Although they consume wine, they do not have a crazy addiction to alcohol. They are not very close to drinks such as beer.
• They care about their friends and social life.
• You will be surprised, but in TV shows Dr. There is no one like Mehmet Öz, Maranki, Canan Karatay who tells them how to lose weight and the vegetable cures they will prepare for their diseases.
• Again, you'd be surprised, they don't spend their days in gyms building up. They're just mobile. They do not sit scruffy at home. We don't even go to gyms where we spend crazy money to get active. Even to buy bread, we almost go by car.

IKARIA, GREECE

Located in the Aegean Sea, about 8 miles off the Turkish coast, this island is a Blue Zone with the world's lowest midlife mortality and dementia rates. The Ikarians have embedded the recipe for longevity into their culture and lifestyle. According to research, the longest-lived Ikarians tended to be poor people living in the mountainous regions of the island. They exercised unconsciously simply by gardening, walking to their neighbor's house, or doing their own gardening. Let it be a lesson to us too: Let's bring more unconscious movements into our lives.

The Mediterranean Diet culture, which also originates from being a Mediterranean country, has a very strong place in the people of this Blue Zone. They consume plenty of cultivars such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, potatoes, olive oil.

They are fed naturally. They consume vegetables and fruits in abundance, and most importantly, they grow them in their own gardens. They know both the seed, the water and their labor and consume them safely.

They often include herbal teas in their daily routines. The most commonly consumed teas are wild rosemary, sage and thyme. When we look at the effects of these teas, it is possible to see that they keep blood pressure under control by getting rid of excess sodium and water in the body, as they are diuretic.

Ikarians are traditionally conservative Greek Orthodox Christians. Their religious calendar requires fasting almost half the year. Calorie restriction—a type of fasting that removes about 30 percent of calories from the normal diet—is the only proven way to slow the aging process in mammals.

These Blue Zone people consume goat's milk instead of cow's milk. Goat milk provides plenty of potassium and tryptophan, the stress-relieving hormone. It is also hypoallergenic and can generally be tolerated by people who are lactose intolerant.

Finally, let's talk about sleep patterns that are different from other blue zone people. People wake up late. They usually do not open their businesses before 11 am. They take an afternoon break. People who take regular naps have up to 35 percent less chance of dying from heart disease. This may be because napping lowers stress hormones or calms the heart.

Oh, it's also worth mentioning: No one on this island has a clock. It seems that there is no problem in the arrival of the person they had agreed to meet at 6 am instead of at 12.

OKINAWA, JAPAN

Okinawa, the largest island in a subtropical archipelago under the control of Japan, is home to the world's longest-lived women. Compared to the United States, Blue Zone Okinawa residents were three times more likely to reach the age of 100, women were about half as likely to develop breast cancer, and both sexes were one-third to one-fourth more likely to be affected by heart disease. Older people's death rate from Alzheimer's dementia is one-tenth to one-twelfth lower than in other developed countries.

As is known in Asian countries, a plate is prepared with foods of at least five different colors. The situation is no different in Okinawa. When we examine these plates, we see that dietitians consume foods that are dense in volume but low in calories, as we always say in weight control, which they provide mostly with vegetables.

They often consumed seaweed. A compound in seaweed, when activated, clears waste from cells and reduces the inflammation that is at the root of many age-related diseases.

Just like other Asian countries, they frequently consume Soybeans and their derivatives. They even get the protein they would get from meat and chicken from the tofu they make in their own way, which they call Okinawan Tofu. While tofu is lower in protein than meat and chicken, soy is rich in vitamins A and C, folate, and powerful antioxidant compounds that can help protect your cells from damage.

In addition, soy, which they frequently consume, is anticarcinogenic, and contains a large amount of the precursor of estrogen, a protective hormone against breast cancer. In addition, it protects the liver and cell membranes, is a free radical scavenger, inhibits bacteria such as E. Coli and lowers blood sugar. Although people generally do not like its taste, soybean is a source of healing.

Regardless of whether they cook sea vegetables or black vegetables, they definitely use turmeric as a spice. But not only that, they also frequently consumed turmeric tea. Even by looking at the love of turmeric in the town of Okinawa, we may have solved the mystery of why it is one of the blue zones, because curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric, effectively fights most negative situations by strengthening our immune system, while protecting against cancer in the first place.

They consume a lot of seafood, which we can easily understand from the fact that they are an island blue zone. They take proteins such as vegetables and fish from the sea, and thus offer many beneficial compounds, especially w-3 fats, to their body's use.

Loma Linda, California

Talking about it on Nat Geo, they started by saying: 'Adventurers on a vegetarian diet tend to live longer than meat eaters.'

“And God said, Behold, I am giving you every seed-bearing grass on earth, every fruit tree whose seed is in its fruit. These will be your food.”

Genesis 1:29

This blue zone has a lifestyle that takes into account the passage above in the Bible. The people living here mostly have a vegetarian diet. In an interview with a 90-year-old woman living in this area, the Nat Geo researcher also hears:

“I have never eaten meat.” (The impossibility of hearing this from someone living in Turkey made me think a lot while writing these lines)

Whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and nuts are a big part of their daily diet. The people of the region, who have been away from sugar for a long time, are less likely to encounter problems such as cancer, diabetes and heart diseases compared to other blue regions. In addition, the dishes they cook and wait with oil, spices and salt also improve intestinal health because they are fermented.

According to one study, vegetarians of a certain age are about 12 percent less likely to die than non-vegetarians who eat only small amounts of meat. In contrast, among teenagers, those who ate the most meat had a 46 percent higher rate of premature death than those who ate their protein from nuts, seeds and legumes. One of the researchers, Dr. Fraser says following a plant-based diet is the wisest method.

SARDINIA, ITALY

This Blue Zone is located in the mountainous highlands of the Italian island, and this island has the world's highest concentration of centenarians. Its population is notable for lower rates of diabetes, cancer, and death for people under the age of 65 compared to other European countries.

When we examine what the long-living people we mentioned at the beginning of the article do differently for the town of Sardinia, we see that the key to the long life of the people here is mostly their diet.

When you take a look at the recently popular diets, the first thing you will notice is the following: There are no or very few carbohydrates in diets.

It is true that such diets work in the short term for weight control, but carbohydrates are a big part of people's diets in this blue zone, and most of them arrive healthy until the age of 100, and the causes of death are rarely cancer, heart or diabetes. Pasta, pizza, bread… Whatever you look for, you can find it.

We can see that Sardinian people generally follow a balanced diet. They are not completely loaded with protein, but when you look, you can see that they consume more vegetable protein. Likewise, oils such as olive oil, which fall into the category of more healthy fats in oils.

Carrots, onions, kohlrabi, fennel, garlic are usually included in every dish as a condiment.

They frequently include legumes and beans and prefer whole grains over processed grains.

I'm sure we all have an opinion about Italy's rich cheese culture. The town of Sardinia does not lag behind them either. They used to consume goat cheese frequently.

Although it is not in accordance with our religious principles, the protective effect of a glass of red wine against heart diseases is a fact. Although they are not aware of this information, the people of Sardinia town consume wine every day, but almost all of them have a negative opinion about cigarettes.

We see that women are stronger and more rulers in the people of this blue zone, which is a matriarchal society. Women always gather their families together and lead large, crowded family tables. It is a fact that they satisfy themselves in terms of emotional nutrition with the respect shown to the elderly and the love of the younger ones.

NICOYA, COSTA RICA

In this part of Central America, residents have the world's lowest midlife death rate and the second highest density of male centenarians. The secrets of longevity partly lie in strong belief communities, deep social networks, and regular, low-intensity physical activity habits.

When we look at the diets of these Blue Zone people, I saw that the water they consume is very important, unlike other regions. That's because Nicoya juice also has the country's highest calcium content, which perhaps explains stronger bones and fewer hip fractures, as well as lower rates of heart disease.

Eating fewer calories seems to be one of the surest ways to add years to your life, as I mentioned above. The Nicolaitans were having a light dinner in the early hours of the evening.

The centenarians of Nicholas spent most of their lives consuming a traditional Mesoamerican diet known as the 'three sisters' of agriculture: squash, corn, and beans.

Although it may seem non-diet, a factor underlying nutrition is Vitamin D. Nicolas know this, too, and they get regular sunlight, which helps their bodies produce vitamin D for strong bones and healthy bodily functions. Let's not forget that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a number of problems such as osteoporosis and heart disease.

Traditional fortified corn and bean diets may be the best combination of nutrients for longevity the world has ever known. Let me give you a Costa Rican recipe that embraces it.

Materials

• 1 cup black beans
• 1 cup of brown rice
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 avocado
• 4 L olive oil
• Hot sauce of your choice
• Pinch of salt

How to make it?

• Soak the beans overnight, rinse well and boil for 50 minutes (add bay leaf or garlic if desired).
• Peel and seed the avocado, cut it into small cubes and toss lightly in olive oil.
• Put the zucchini on a greaseproof paper and bake at 180 ° C for 50 minutes.
• Serve all hot ingredients together. Top with sliced ​​avocado and a pinch of hot sauce.

Enjoy your meal…

Here it is: The vast majority of calories consumed in traditional diets in the blue zones come from plant-based foods. Grains, greens, nuts, and beans make up the four pillars of every longevity diet in the world.

We see that centuries-old people in the blue regions are far from fast food habits and adhere strictly to their traditional diets. They are fed clean and natural. But a healthy diet is only part of a network of factors that promote longevity, including having a lifelong circle of friends, a sense of purpose, an environment that is constantly stimulating, and daily rituals that reduce stress.

I think we can understand a little bit why people living in the Blue Zones have a long lifespan. I hope we can be one of the Blue Zone people who are healthy when they change their lifestyle and get old, breathe easily and have no difficulty in moving, happy, and have a wide circle of friends.