There are 3 things I wanted to add to the Blue Zones crazy longevity secrets.

#1 Siesta

The humble siesta reduces risk of stroke. Improves memory and even mood state. We may even be programme to do this.

But you didn’t need me to tell you, if it makes you feel better – then just do it.

https://www.treehugger.com/health/7-surprising-benefits-afternoon-nap.html

#2 Variety

The other thing the blue zones and healthier people also tend to do is to keep variety in their diet. Some of this would be imposed through seasonal selection and availability of foods, some just cause eating a larger variety of foods tend to taste better and offer more opportunities to increase phytochemicals. There’s a direct effect of an increased variety of foods on the altered microbiome.

The microbiome keeps us healthy – try to eat 18 different foods minimum each day. There’s even a way to eat all of these in one meal listed below;

You can read more about this fascinating area here. Eating the  Rainbow….. is a cliché but perhaps one we need to adhere to on a more regular basis.

One of my favourite ways to keep up a diverse range of nutrients is through the use of spices and herbs. Thinking about making a base sauce for Bolognese you can swap out the meat for a vegetarian option. Start with the base garlic, onions, celery, leek, carrots, adding in tomatoes, all cooking slowly in light olive oil (which has a very high burn point). Then the tomatoes, herbs, basil, oregano, sage, thyme, a little rosemary, decent stock next, with additional spices, 2-3 types of chili, paprika, cumin, black pepper and sea salt. That’s over 18 different ingredients not including your protein choice. 

You can choose to serve with a gluten free pasta or courgette spaghetti.

#3 Fermentation

Ancient cultures also consumed lots of Fermented foods…. The same foods show up in longer lived populations today as well, kefir kimchi, pickles – there’s heaps to choose from and for good reasons these are on trend at the moment all over the place.  I make kefir with buffalo milk, it’s easy to purchase the cultures off amazon and start these up. Sour dough breads are another option to get more of these diverse cultures into the microbiome.

Summary

So sleep a bit more when you can, even if it’s only on the weekends.

Increase variety – if this is difficult through foods you can use supplements which contain powerful blends of herbs to help you along with this.

Tea is another great way to do this, black tea, green tea and other ginseng and herbal type teas. Check out the Amino Man blend of Matcha Tea 

Start some pickling and fermenting practice…. It’s doesn’t take long and may well improve your digestion and possibly longevity.