Did you begin the new year resolving to improve how you eat and wanting to exercise more? I’ve just watched the documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones on Netflix. Although the ages of some of the people interviewed in the series have since been questioned, the film shows evidently older people living well within their communities and always in their own homes, generally surrounded by family members.
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The factors resulting in healthy, engaged older people had several common attributes. In every area studied, everyday living involved a lot of walking, and other activities like chopping wood, tending to gardens and preparing food from scratch. Most areas involved steep steps to get around. The only community investigated in this series where people created opportunities to exercise was in Lomas Linda, where a large group of Seventh Day Adventists live. Several of the communities studied identified devout and regular church attendees.
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Social connections seem to be important in getting to old age with few health challenges. Most people interviewed lived with their families or very close to families and were involved in daily social activities. There were examples of morning chats, eating, singing and dancing together. Everyday contact with family, friends and neighbours was a common factor. Times to rest from work were well defined.
The diets of each community differed depending on the region being studied, but all the Blue Zones studied ate mostly plant based diets with everything made from scratch and often grown nearby. Seasonal produce was grown near to home and tended to, harvested and prepared by family groups including the older members in the studies.
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One of the interesting comments by the researcher was that none of the people in the study showed signs of dementia.
Investigating the latest research into healthy eating led me to Dr Tim Spector, a British epidemiologist, medical doctor and science writer who researches and writes about the relationship between nutrition, the gut biome and health.
He backs all his dietary advice with a lot of research. One of his strong beliefs is eating 30 different fruit, vegetables, fermented products and nuts and seeds every week. I quite like a challenge stareted recording the fruit, vegetables, fermented food (yoghurt, cheese, some pickles) and nuts and spices I ate in a week and fell short. It was easy to begin with, but I really had to focus on adding to the list towards the end of the week. I’m trying again this week.
His recommendations
1. Commit to a ten hour window when you eat, then fast for 14 hours.
2. Reduce or avoid UPF, ultra processed foods.
3. Adopt mindful drinking, minimal tea, coffee and alcohol, lots of water.
4. Forget counting calories, just eat healthy food.
5. Eat more plants, but eat meat, too, in modest amounts. Meat eaters have better gut flora. Aim for 30 different vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, spices and fermented foods each week.
6. Don’t obsess about protein and learn to estimate the amount you should eat at each meal. (Spector suggest 1.6gm meat/kg)
7. Seek quality snacks, such as nuts, fruits, wholegrains, all good for insulin sensitivity and improved gut flora.
Image Pixabay
Reading
At the beginning of the year I was impressed by a reviewer whose New Year resolution was to read 100 books. She wrote that she’d tried before and failed, so this year she is aiming to read 85 books. Inspired by her goal, I thought I’d try to read 100 books this year, too. Two and a half weeks into the year I’ve read eight books. We’ve spent time sitting around, waiting for appointments and also keeping cool. I hope I can maintain the momentum.
Have you set yourself a similar goal? I’d love to know!
