A few years ago, I started researching the best types of food for longevity and health. Almost immediately you learn about the Blue Zones people. These are geographic zones on the planet where the people enjoy long, healthy lives. In fact, many people in these communities consistently live over 100 years. When this research began, there were five “blue zones” identified: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California, United States. The Blue Zones project started as a National Geographic expedition to discover the commonalities of longevity. What the researchers found was evidence-based common denominators of the lifestyles of Blue Zones people. Today, Blue Zones Project Communities have been able to increase life expectancy, reduce obesity for millions more people.
Read more: Plant Based JANuary – Time for a Reset!But my genes?!
Thankfully, you have much more control over disease than we’ve been led to believe. The Danish Twin Study demonstrated that 80% of good health and longevity is determined by lifestyle choices, not fate.
(Herskind AM, McGue M, Holm NV, Sorensen TIA, Harvlad B, Vaupel JW. The heritability of human longevity: a population-based study of 2,872 Danish twin pairs born 1870-1900. Hum Genet. 1996;96:319-323. [PubMed] [Google Scholar])
Did you know the average person will eat about 35 tons of food in their lifetime? Neither did I until I had more free time a few years ago and really started diving into nutrition. If you look at the research from the CDC and other entities you discover that 75% of the (US) population struggles with chronic lifestyle diseases and complications from obesity. Now, think about 35 tons of food and reconcile it with this quote from T. Colin Campbell, author of the groundbreaking published study and book, , The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-term Health
“Everything in food works together to create health or disease. ”
― T. Colin Campbell