What do people who live to be 100 years old eat, and
what can we learn from them to improve the quality of our lives? This has
become a hot topic and researchers are answering this important question.
Some findings of longevity researchers, including Dan
Buettner, National Geographic researcher and author of The Blue Zones Solution:
Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People and SeAnne Safaii-Waite,
PhD, RDN, of the University of Idaho and Nutrition and Wellness Associates,
LLC, and Sue Linga, RDN, LD, highlight
the top foods associated with long and
healthy lives.
I had the pleasure of hearing Dan Buettner speak
about his Blue Zones research several years ago and this fall I attended a conference
sponsored by our local Institute on Medicine and Religion about Blue Zones
living, with members of the Blue Zones team sharing about how they are putting
the research into practice. Last week, I had the pleasure of hearing SeAnne
Safaii and Sue Linga report on their research into the diets of centenarians
around the world.
Some of the foods related with longevity include:
· Fresh vegetables, such as greens,
squash and potatoes
· Beans, such as garbanzo beans,
black-eyed peas, fava beans and lentils
· Soy milk and tofu
· Goat’s milk cheese, such as feta
· Garlic, lemons, sage and marjoram
· Nuts, including almonds
· Tea
· Brown rice and oatmeal
· Fermented foods, including yogurt,
sauerkraut, Miso, kefir, sour dough and pickled
· Fish
Make these foods part of your healthy meals. Other
healthy habits of centenarians include daily movement, eating meals together
and eating until satisfied not full.
This summer, July 12 – August 16, the WMHS Food for
Thought Book Club will be reading the Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living
Like the World’s Healthiest People by Dan Buettner. For more information,
contact WMHS Outpatient Community Dietitian, Theresa Stahl, RDN, LDN, FAND at tstahl@wmhs.com or 240-964-8416.
