Blue Zones are geographical areas of the world where people live longer, healthier lives: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, US; Nicoya, Costa Rica and Icaria, Greece.
One thing common to Blue Zones is eating a 95% plant-based diet—a diet full of whole plant foods. It’s not about cutting out meat, but cutting back and eating more vegetables, fruit, legumes and wholegrains.
Here’s a few ideas you might like to try:
- Have a meatless Monday and enjoy a legume-based dinner such as our chickpea and vegetable curry.
- Try a new vegetable recipe every week such as a soup or salad.
- Make use of canned legumes in the supermarket for a quick, easy meal.
- If you feel like something sweet after your main meal—make yourself a small fruit platter, cutting up a couple of pieces of fruit and leaving the skin on.
- Out and about walking, on the bowling green or golf course, make your snacks count with a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit with a pottle of yoghurt or some hummus and wholegrain crackers.
- Start the day with wholegrains—for winter time porridge is a great option. Add some stewed fruit, soaked prunes or grated apple.
- Fill your dinner plate with veges first— make it half the plate!