If you’re a fan of films, then you may remember one from 2003, called “Under the Tuscan
Sun” and if you’re interested in longevity, you may want to follow the diet many
Tuscans follow.

The people of Tuscany are among the healthiest in the world-and it’s not just
because they live high atop the sun-soaked Italian countryside, it’s also
because they follow a special kind of a diet.

The Diet:
The Mediterranean diet.
The diet has been in the news for the past 15 years and it’s proven
to extend longevity, by helping you avoid most illnesses and diseases,
and if you’re not able to travel to Tuscany like the actress Diane Lane, but
want to eat like them (the Tuscans) look below for the foods that’ll help you
get that longevity.

The Life-Extending Foods From Tuscany:
a) Oil Up-
You may know about the health benefits of olive oil, and people in Tuscany
use the healthiest oil of all: Extra-virgin olive oil. EVOO contains oleic acid,
a compound that blocks a key gene linked to cancer. The oil also has the
greatest amount of nutrients and healthy fatty acids.
And if you’re a woman-consume more olive oil and you’ll have lower rates
of cell damage, more so than women who avoid or eat very little olive oil.

b) Wild Greens-
In the U.S. our greens of choice are kale, Swiss chard, spinach, and Romaine lettuce,
in Tuscany-it’s Erbe. They’re wild greens that the people collect every few days
for soups and salads. They even use the greens for desserts. Many wild greens
contain up to 10 times the nutrients of other fruits and vegetables. Plus, they’re
rich in chlorophyll, which help clean out the liver.
Want to emulate the Tuscans, then head to your local or International market,
or Whole Foods and pick up some dandelion greens, mustard greens and dillweed.
Need some recipes? Head to youtube.com and type in recipes for mustard
or dandelion greens.

c) Drink Up-
You may have guessed that the people of Italy drink wine, but do you know
what type of wine? They drink Chianti, named for the hilly grape-growing
region nestled between Florence and Siena. And according to some researchers,
grapes that get the most sun exposure are the healthiest, as they have an
unusually high amount of resveratrol and polyphenols, potent compounds
shown to prevent heart disease and even stave off many signs of aging.

d) Eat Your Beans-
Like a lot of European and South American countries, the people of Tuscan
eat tons of beans. They eat meat, but in small amounts and on rare occasions,
but prefer the economical beans as their favorite protein.
They use the beans to make Bean soup, pasta fagioli, and white
bean salad. Beans are packed with fiber that flushes out fats,
which explains why you don’t see many overweight people and they’re
low glycemic, which means you get a steady dose of energy throughout the day.
Have high cholesterol or aches and pains? Eat about a cup a day for
4 to 8 weeks and see if it makes a difference.

e) Cook Less-
Simply put, the people of Tuscany cook their pasta just until it’s “al-dente”
about 5 to 7 mins. Pasta cooked al-dente contains less starch and sugar
and holds onto more of the protein and vitamins. So, stop cooking it for 8
or more minutes and you too, can be healthy like the people of Tuscany.
Another secret: to make pasta (or rice or potatoes) even more slimming,
cook them, let them cool, refrigerate them and reheat (and eat) the next day.

f) Eat Cheese-
The cheese from Tuscany isn’t like the cheese you get in the U.S.
Tuscans are world-famous for its cheese–especially caprino, made from goat’s
milk and pecorino, made from sheep’s milk. And if you get cheese made from
goat and sheep’s milk, you’ll get less fat, more calcium and anti-inflammatory
compounds that make them easier to digest.

g) Reread It-
Go back and look for an article we wrote at the beginning of our blogging journey,
the post is similar to this one, it’s all about soup, longevity soup, made and eaten
by another of group of Italians. Type Minestrone soup in the search bar and it
should pop up.

That’s it- 6 food tips from the Italian countryside known as Tuscany,
tips that’ll help you live a longer and healthier life.

Sources:
* Jonny Bowden, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth
* Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones and Blue Zones Cookbook
* Life Extension, magazine
* The Longevity Code, magazine
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