Thoughts on the "blue zone area" diet- places where people around the world live longest/healthiest?

Hausisse1
Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys! I saw this BigThink video recently.

http://bigthink.com/videos/blue-zones-and-diet

It's interesting! This researcher spent ten years observing five different areas of the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest, and he's sharing his findings. They eat 65% carbs (mostly in whole grains and beans- he recommends eating a cup of beans a day), 20% fat and 15% protein. All they pretty much drink is water, coffee, tea and some wine, and they eat meat about five times a month.

I'm constantly trying to find the best ratio for my own health, so I just thought I would share this. Anybody else found success (muscle-building, health, or otherwise) on a diet similar to this one? Or in general, what do you think of it?

Replies

  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    edited May 2015
    The main factor for their longevity, in my opinion, is the low stress lifestyle and sense of community that these people have.

    I'm well acquainted with the truly special people of Ikaria Greece and I can tell you it's virtually impossible to emulate their lifestyle while living in the "modern" world.

    Take a nice vacation and live with them for a couple of weeks and your "noise level" will drop by 60 decibels.
    It's truly astounding.

    You'll also be eating organic, minimally processed foods, because, let's face it, they neither have money nor use for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides or need to import potato chips and Cheetos. Everything is hand made, fresh and delicious. There you'll truly appreciate the flavor of a tomato like you never had in your life.

    They use a holistic approach of taking care of their land/plant/animal sphere because that's what they've been doing for hundreds of years.

    You'll also engage in night-long summer parties with lots of dancing and food/drink sharing in the village squares.

    If you knock on anyone's door, you'll be cordially invited to their home and force fed everything that they have in their house.

    Diet is just a part of it, but just being there is most of it.


  • jddnw
    jddnw Posts: 319 Member
    Hausisse1 wrote: »
    Hey guys! I saw this BigThink video recently.

    http://bigthink.com/videos/blue-zones-and-diet

    It's interesting! This researcher spent ten years observing five different areas of the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest, and he's sharing his findings. They eat 65% carbs (mostly in whole grains and beans- he recommends eating a cup of beans a day), 20% fat and 15% protein. All they pretty much drink is water, coffee, tea and some wine, and they eat meat about five times a month.

    I'm constantly trying to find the best ratio for my own health, so I just thought I would share this. Anybody else found success (muscle-building, health, or otherwise) on a diet similar to this one? Or in general, what do you think of it?

    I'm skeptical about the claim that all these people's eating patterns fit neatly into 65% carbs (mostly in whole grains and beans- he recommends eating a cup of beans a day), 20% fat and 15% protein. Typically the researchers ask a small sampling of people to fill out a food questionnaires for 1 day, and then they aggregate all that data and start consolidating it into specific claims, but I would bet a truer picture of what these people eat is more far more complex, varied, and nuanced. I bet fish plays a role in their diet and it isn't even mentioned.

    andrikosDE also makes a good point. There is more to this story than what people eat.


  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
    jddnw wrote: »
    Hausisse1 wrote: »
    Hey guys! I saw this BigThink video recently.

    http://bigthink.com/videos/blue-zones-and-diet

    It's interesting! This researcher spent ten years observing five different areas of the world where people live the longest and are the healthiest, and he's sharing his findings. They eat 65% carbs (mostly in whole grains and beans- he recommends eating a cup of beans a day), 20% fat and 15% protein. All they pretty much drink is water, coffee, tea and some wine, and they eat meat about five times a month.

    I'm constantly trying to find the best ratio for my own health, so I just thought I would share this. Anybody else found success (muscle-building, health, or otherwise) on a diet similar to this one? Or in general, what do you think of it?

    I'm skeptical about the claim that all these people's eating patterns fit neatly into 65% carbs (mostly in whole grains and beans- he recommends eating a cup of beans a day), 20% fat and 15% protein. Typically the researchers ask a small sampling of people to fill out a food questionnaires for 1 day, and then they aggregate all that data and start consolidating it into specific claims, but I would bet a truer picture of what these people eat is more far more complex, varied, and nuanced. I bet fish plays a role in their diet and it isn't even mentioned.

    andrikosDE also makes a good point. There is more to this story than what people eat.


    That's possible. And yeah, I agree with him as well. The chronic adrenal fatigue some folks are probably dealing with and don't even know it can really wreck havoc on your body. I wish more people acknowledged how closely connected your mental and physical health are, haha.
  • heis4u2004
    heis4u2004 Posts: 176 Member
    The protein/carb amounts are my question. Most macronutrient calculators plus myfitnesspal has my protein set for 131 grams per day without exercise but the blue zone way of eating says that is much too high.
    As for me: i strive for around 100 grams protein and 150 grams carbs. Eating some form of protein every few hours keeps me feeling more energized and not so hungry. My protein sources include tuna, eggs and yogurt plus some protein powder.
    How to determine which is right and better, high carb or high protein?
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    There's an extensive article in the Jan 2020 National Geographic magazine about the Blue Zone and it mentions a cookbook called "Blue Zone Kitchen" -- definitely worth the read. Disclosure: I am a "you are what you eat" convert, 20+ year vegetarian, and for the last 12 years have maintained a 90% whole-foods plant-based diet. I have proved to my satisfaction that a WFPB diet is in my best interest. My body is much, much happier eating this way.

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