People in traditional cultures all over the world drink their way to healthy, long lives. They do it because it?s tradition, and because it works
Traditional imbibing springs from ancestral lands that are thousands of years old. Modern culture is barely a century old, but we can relearn healthy ways of living and add longevity and disease-preventing super drinks into our daily diets
What can we learn from tradition? Will super food drinks benefit us too?
Learn From Blue Zones
According to Dan Buettner, the author of Blue Zones, there are five main places in the world where people are long-lived and healthier than average. These are:
Sardinia: The mountainous highlands of inner Sardinia have the world?s highest concentration of male centenarians
Greece: The Aegean Island of Ikaria has one of the world?s lowest rate of middle age mortality and the lowest rates of dementia
Costa Rica: World?s lowest rates of middle-age mortality and second highest concentration of male centenarians live in the Nicoya Peninsula
Loma Linda, Califirnia: The Seventh Day Adventists around Loma Linda, California live 10 years longer than their North American counterparts
Japan: Females over 70 on the island of Okinawa are the longest-lived in the world
There are other places where people live longer than most, such as the Caucasus Mountains, Hunza in Pakistan; the Andean peoples of Ecuador and Peru; and those in Bama, China where people still work in the fields over 100 years old
One of the main secrets to a long life is to live disease-free. Healthy drinks, taken in moderation every day of life, are part of disease-free living
Super Food Drinks
People in all Blue Zones (with the notable exception of Adventists who are prohibited from drinking alcohol) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Scientific studies show that in general, moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau red wine!), with friends and with food. And no, you can?t save up all weekend and have 14 drinks on Friday night!
Mediterranean cultures grow grapes and drink wine. Those in Asian countries drink tea. People in the Andes drink chica morada made from purple corn. Wine, tea, and purple corn all contain polyphenol nutrients
Resveratrol, an antioxidant nutrient, is the key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces so called ?bad? cholesterol, and prevents blood clots. Most research on resveratrol has been done on animals, however, not people. Research in mice given resveratrol suggests that the antioxidant might also help protect them from obesity and diabetes
Green, black, white, red, and oolong tea are all derived from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis bush. Green tea has been extensively studied in people, animals, and laboratory experiments. Results from these studies suggest that green tea may help prevent heart disease, cancer, irritable bowel inflammation, liver disease, and diabetes
Catechins, the major polyphenolic compounds in green tea, have vascular protective properties including antioxidative, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-thrombogenic, and lipid-lowering effects
Purple corn contains flavonoids, flavonols, flavanols, and anthocyanins?the most active disease-preventing compound. Purple corn, or blue corn, is botanically
the same species as regular table corn. By a twist of nature, this corn produces kernels rich in anthocyanins that produce one of the deepest shades of purple found anywhere in nature. Purple corn has anti-cancer, heart-protective, and anti-inflammatory properties. It also exerts an anti-obesity effect
Start Early
Whether it?s wine, tea, or corn juice, all traditional cultures start young. Infants are allowed diluted sips. By their teens, individuals in blue zone cultures are regular consumers of traditional healthy drinks. What?s their secret?
There really are no secrets. But, we can learn how they do it and incorporate healthy super food drinks into our daily routine
Remember, all blue zone cultures include their traditional drink as part of daily living. They start early and continue throughout life. They take small amounts at a time, and drink several times a day. The Chinese sip tea all day in tiny cups. The Sardinians drink wine with every meal, even breakfast. Andean people imbibe chica four times a day: morning, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening. These super food drinks are best taken with meals
These other cultures also venerate the plants that give them health and longevity. Being thankful for our food and respectful for what nourishes us, and holding what keeps us healthy as sacred, provides another longevity benefit: continuity of life and peace
Five Tips for Drinking Super Food Cocktails
1 Start early
2 Drink daily
3 Use in small, concentrated amounts multiple times daily
4 Hold health-giving super foods as sacred
5 Continue life long
And here?s another thing?
If you read the book, you?ll notice something else quite interesting
There was not one single food eaten that was similar across all the five cultures studied. Not goji berries, or kale, or maca, or cherries, or olives, or goat?s milk, or anything else
This strongly suggests that ? in terms of diet ? human longevity is not tied to a single exotic food, compound or nutrient profile, but more closely related to eating high quality food found close to where you live
The supplement and superfood companies don?t want to hear this, but regardless of what laboratory science they have, none of it can trump this real world study. These are real people, living documented long lives
So, in a more practical application, the next time you hear about the next, greatest, scientifically proven longevity solution, you can think twice about pulling out your wallet
Do as the Blue Zone people do. Down super food drinks with respect and gratitude, in tiny amounts. Every day
Cheers to your health!
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