Key Takeaways
\nCentenarians thrive on whole foods and primarily plant-based diets, avoiding refined grains and processed meats common in modern diets.Balance is key: they indulge in sweets sparingly, following the 80\/20 rule for a vibrant, long life.By choosing nutrient-dense, traditional foods, centenarians sidestep chronic diseases tied to packaged and sugary foods.<\/p>\n
Americans can\u2019t seem to get enough information about\u00a0centenarians<\/a>, or people who live to 100 years of age. \u201cThey are commonly studied to understand what\u00a0lifestyle factors may lead to longevity<\/a>\u00a0and healthy aging,\u201d says Amy Davis, RDN.<\/p>\n In fact, researchers have identified areas around the world where centenarians are most concentrated, better known as\u00a0blue zones<\/a>. \u201cIn my research, I originally identified five regions around the world where people live longer and healthier lives than anywhere else\u2014these are known as blue zones. The original blue zones include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California,\u201d says Dan Buettner, producer of the Emmy Award winning Netflix docuseries\u00a0Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, and founder of Blue Zones and Blue Zones Kitchen. Since that time, some of these locations have lost their esteemed designation due to modernization and Western eating patterns, while others have made their way onto the list, like\u00a0Singapore<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n Amy Davis<\/a>, RDN, centenarian enthusiast, and registered dietitian at Amy Davis Nutrition Experts have found a handful of lifestyle similarities across these groups that likely contributes to their impressive longevity, like balance and moderation. \u201cThey often follow the 80\/20 rule, choosing nutrient-rich foods<\/a> most of the time, and enjoying less-nutritious foods in moderation, all while maintaining daily movement<\/a>, cultivating a strong community, and believing in their personal purpose,\u201d says Davis<\/p>\n And when it comes to food, there are even more common ties between centenarians globally. \u201cPeople in blue zones traditionally eat diets that are mostly whole food and plant-based<\/a>,\u201d Buettner explains. Tubers, like purple sweet potatoes, fruits<\/a>, vegetables, nuts<\/a>, seeds, herbs, spices, olive oil<\/a>, legumes, whole grains like oats, and moderate amounts of wine are frequently enjoyed throughout these regions.\n<\/p>\n Foods Centenarians Rarely Ever Eat <\/p>\n But it\u2019s not just what foods centenarians frequently enjoy that we should be paying attention to, the foods they\u2019re\u00a0excluding\u00a0from their everyday diets are equally as important to take note of. \u201cAvoiding these foods contributes to lower levels of chronic diseases associated with modern diets,\u201d says Buettner. Here are some of the top foods you\u2019ll rarely find centenarians eating.<\/p>\n Refined Grains <\/p>\n \u201cWhite flour and highly processed bread are rare, whereas\u00a0whole grains<\/a>\u00a0are favored [by centenarians],\u201d says Buettner. And interestingly enough, this practice is encouraged by healthcare professionals in the West as well. Refined, \u201cwhite\u201d grain products, like\u00a0white pasta<\/a>, rice, bread, and cereal, are pervasive throughout the American food system and, while tasty, contain very little nutrition. They\u2019re also often highly processed and frequently contain a variety of additives and preservatives. When whole grains are stripped of their brain and germ grain layers to produce endosperm-rich white grains, the majority of their nutrition is removed as well. These nutrients include\u00a0fiber<\/a>, unsaturated fats, B vitamins,\u00a0vitamin E<\/a>, copper, iron,\u00a0zinc<\/a>, magnesium, and plant compounds, which combine to support gut, heart, metabolic, and immune health (just to name a few), illustrating why whole grains are a better choice.\n<\/p>\n Red Meat <\/p>\n Another food you won\u2019t frequently find in a centenarian\u2019s diet is red meat. \u201cCertain foods are avoided by centenarians, for both availability and health reasons. For example,\u00a0fish<\/a>\u00a0may be easier and cheaper to consume in coastal areas than red meat,\u201d says Davis. Buettner agrees: \u201cRed meat is eaten infrequently, if at all,\u201d he declares.\u201d Aside from red meat production being environmentally taxing and resource intensive to produce, research has found intake of this protein choice to be associated with increased risk for\u00a0colon cancer<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0heart disease<\/a>, making limited red meat consumption a good move for all of us.\n<\/p>\n Packaged Foods <\/p>\n You\u2019re also very unlikely to find a pantry full of packaged foods in the home of a centenarian. \u201cThese foods are not part of traditional centenarian diets and contain preservatives, artificial flavors, and excessive sugar,\u201d Buettner explains. Plus, there are a number of concerning health implications associated with the ultra-processed foods often found in that enticing packaging. These include increased risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), depression, and cancer, according to a\u00a02020\u00a0Nutrients\u00a0review<\/a>. Additionally, a\u00a02022 prospect cohort study<\/a>\u00a0discovered these foods to be associated with elevated risk for\u00a0cognitive decline<\/a>\u00a0and dementia in older adults. This might be why centenarians who avoid processed, packaged options age so gracefully and vibrantly.<\/p>\n Dairy <\/p>\n Buettner also mentions that cow\u2019s milk products are rarely found in the diets of those living in blue zones. While dairy products can offer\u00a0protein<\/a>,\u00a0calcium<\/a>, phosphorus, and sometimes vitamin D and\u00a0probiotics<\/a>\u00a0(depending on the source), they can also be rich in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. These fats are controversial, however, as some research has found them to be associated with\u00a0increased risk<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0heart disease<\/a>, whereas\u00a0others<\/a>\u00a0have not<\/a>. Despite this conundrum, the fact that centenarians tend to consume minimal amounts of dairy is quite telling.\n<\/p>\n Sugary Treats <\/p>\n While all foods can fit in a centenarian diet, including sugar-rich treats, moderation is really the name of the game. \u201cAside from occasional desserts on special occasions, sugary drinks and snacks are not a regular part of their diets,\u201d says Buettner. Davis agrees, adding, \u201cSodas, energy drinks, and sweetened juices are usually avoided, as they offer little nutritional value and lots of added sugar.\u201d Added sugar is a well known\u00a0pro-inflammatory agent<\/a>\u00a0that we can all benefit from minimizing in our everyday lives. This is especially true when we acknowledge the ties between prolonged excessive sugar intake and\u00a0increased risk for chronic diseases<\/a>\u00a0like cancer, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and certain liver diseases.\n<\/p>\n Processed Meats <\/p>\n And finally, it\u2019s very rare to witness those living in blue zones eating large amounts of processed meats. \u201cHighly processed meats, like sausages,\u00a0bacon<\/a>, and\u00a0hot dogs<\/a>, are rarely part of their diet, likely due in part to their links to heart disease and cancer,\u201d says Davis. These options are not only very high in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, but they are also laden with preservatives and additives, the most concerning of which is\u00a0disease-promoting<\/a>\u00a0nitrates. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) deemed these processed meat products as\u00a0Group 1 carcinogenic foods<\/a>\u00a0back in 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Key Takeaways Centenarians thrive on whole foods and primarily plant-based diets, avoiding refined grains and processed meats common…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,269],"class_list":{"0":"post-353818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nDan Buettner<\/a>, National Geographic Explorer, multiple\u00a0New York Times-bestselling author, producer of the Emmy Award winning Netflix docuseries\u00a0Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, and founder of Blue Zones and Blue Zones Kitchen<\/p>\n