Most people consider a regular dish of animal products as the best nutrition for good health. Total heresy. The base of the food pyramid is made up of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. However, those who can afford it, prefer meat instead.
This unbalanced diet is partly responsible for the increase in chronic non-communicable diseases. These include hypertension, certain types of cancer, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
On the contrary, all epidemiological studies show that a diet without meat and fish is compatible with good health. It is a protective factor against these diseases. According to Albert Einstein, nothing can be more beneficial to human health and increase the chances of survival of life on earth than a shift to a vegetarian diet.
Report on the “Blue Zones” project
“Blue Zones” is a project by Dan Buettner’s studying regions of the world with a very high percentage of centenarians. These centenarians still lead very active lives.
As a first step Da Buettner’s and his team of scientists studied four “Blue Zones” where people have exceptional longevity and lead healthy, active lives. These zones are: an area of hills on an Italian island of Sardinia, inhabited mainly by shepherds. A pocket in Loma Linda, California, where a group of Seventh-Day Adventists live. An area in the mountains of Costa Rica, on the Nicoya Peninsula. And finally an area in Okinawa, Japan.
Residents of these communities are ten times more likely to reach the age of 100 than residents of other regions of the world. The incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer is significantly lower than in other regions.
Similarities in the diet
He and Buettner’s research group were surprised to find similarities in the diet and lifestyle of people living in these areas.
They consume unprocessed natural products. Lots of vegetables, fruit and little meat. They eat at every meal, at least two vegetables and fruit. In Okinawa, most centenarians are gardeners and therefore consume garden produce.
None of the centenarians in the “Blue Zones” is a large carnivore. At Loma Linda, Adventist centenarians are mostly vegetarians. In Okinawa, Sardinia and the Nicoya Peninsula, meat is reserved for special occasions. Buettner recommends eating small portions of meat once or twice a week.
Another common thread is of course physical activity. In Okinawa, centenarians continue to spend long hours cultivating their gardens. In Sardinia, they still spend long hours walking in the mountains. Adventists also walk several kilometres a day. In Costa Rica, centenarians in the Nicoya region work long hours on the land of local farms or in the woods.
Gérard Rugambwa
