Italy’s Lunch Time Rx For Longevity!
If you want to make it to age 90 or above, you may want to copy
the lunchtime routine of your brothers and sisters from Sardinia.
Sardinia?
Yes, it’s a beautiful Italian island that boasts the most people over
the age of 100. And something even more impressive:
Many of these people live to 100, without the wide array
of infirmities that disrupt and end the lives of many Americans.
So, are you willing to make a change to your lunchtime
(or dinnertime) routine for a longer life?
If so, then start eating more soup.
Not chicken noodle or cream of mushroom, but Minestrone.
Families in Sardinia still eat it every day for lunch, and it’s
an easy and delicious habit you can follow as well.
And to get you started on your path towards longevity,
here’s a list of some of the foods in minestrone, and
how they help contribute to a longer life.
a) Tomatoes-
In Italy, tomatoes are as commonplace as hotdogs and burgers
are in the U.S. and if you want to make it to 100 with a strong
and vibrant heart, start adding more tomatoes to your soups, salads,
sauces and stir-fries.
Packed with lycopene, an antioxidant that opens up blood vessels,
reduces plaque in arteries and lowers high cholesterol and blood
pressure. Another bonus: tomatoes lower risk of having a stroke by
60%.
b) Onions and Garlic-
Prevent colds and flu.
Another staple in Italian cooking, both are loaded with allicin,
an antibiotic-like compound shown to destroy a slew of different
bacteria and viruses. Plus, garlic stimulates activity of natural killer
cells, immune-system ninjas that specifically target flu and cold viruses,
and the onion-it reduces symptoms like sneezing and congestion.
c) Potatoes-
Potatoes and pasta are foods that get a bad rap in the U.S. but
not in Sardinia, and if you want a delicious way to lower blood pressure,
eat more (not fewer) potatoes. Potatoes (especially the skins)
are loaded with blood pressure-lowering potassium, and there’s more-
they also contain kukomines, an anti-hypertensive compound,
that works like prescription ACE inhibitors–these compounds are
so rare, they’ve never been found in any other food.
d) Herbs-
Salt and pepper in the U.S. herbs and spices in European countries.
Herbs like parsley, basil, oregano and the veggie fennel, not only add
flavor to certain dishes, they also keep your risks of getting certain cancers
down to a minimum. Herbs, contain chlorophyll, which provide plants their
green color, attaches to heavy metals (like mercury) and trapped toxins
(like nicotine and sulfites), then ushers them out of your body.
Herbs are especially beneficial for those who want to prevent intestinal
and liver cancer.
e) Beans-
Another win for the inexpensive “superfood” and if blue moods and
sadness are constant companions in your life, kick them to the curb
by eating more beans. This may explain the low crime rates in Sardinia,
people don’t fret over the small stuff, like people in other countries,
and beans may play a big part in it.
The beans that are most enjoyed in Sardinia are fava and chickpeas,
both of which are loaded with B vitamins, fiber, zinc, copper and selenium,
nutrients that raise your levels of feel-happy dopamine.
Plus, they’re also high in naturally calming tryptophan, an amino acid.
That’s it, your daily lunch (or dinner) recipe for a longer, more vibrant life.
You can head to your local grocery store and buy minestrone
in the can (make sure to read the labels) or you can make your
own homemade version.
Need a recipe? You’re in luck, just head to our second site–
over at Etsy.com and type groceryhealthmats.com in the search bar
and go to the dashboard and download–Italy’s Soup Rx For A Longer Life.
Sources:
* Dan Buettner, Author of Blue Zones and Blue Zones Kitchen
* Oregon State University, Research Dept.
* Journal Nutrition and Cancer