Blue Zones Dietary Guidelines
30 days of building a convenient and sustainable lifestyle for your plate and soul!
Healthy glow inside and out!
Follow the Four Always and Four to Avoid and the positive changes in your body, hair, skin, energy and attitude are inevitable!
Before I get into more detail, these are the NON-NEGOTIABLES
I’ll begin with the four groups to ALWAYS ADD into your diet. This concept is much like the term I use personally and with clients…Crowding Out. It’s more important to focus on filling ourselves up with the healthy choices first because we are making less room for things far less superior for our bodies.
100% Whole Grains- brown rice, faro, quinoa, bulgar, oatmeal, cornmeal. Quality is important! Opt for organic and non-gmo. https://www.bobsredmill.com/ You can’t go wrong with Bob! Places like Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Erewhon have great selections as well as https://thrivemarket.com/how-it-works I became very familar with Thrive throughout the pandemic and love them! Very affordable!
Nuts- a handful a day. Unsalted! Let’s focus on adding salt in ourselves.
Beans- Learn how to cook dry beans if you don’t know how or do it already. Studies show that soaking dry beans for a moderate amount of time ( around 12 hours is good ) increases their overall nutritional value.
Why Beans?
Potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc. A very important protein source because they are the only plant food that provide significant amounts of the amino acid lysine ( making it complete protein comparable to animal protein). Beans are full of soluble fiber which makes them low on the glycemic index…in other words they keep our blood sugar stable!
Fruits and Vegetables - 5 to 10 servings a day!
FOUR TO AVOID
Sugar sweetened beverages. -Empty worthless calories
Salty snacks. -Too much added salt and preservatives.
Packaged sweets. -Don’t panic! You’ll feel a positive worthwhile effect from this fast
Processed meats- linked to cancer, heart disease, horrible for the environment …the list goes on
But 30 days no “treats?”
During the next month, I’d like you to be open minded to baking your own desserts, prepping your own healthy snacks and incorporating more fruit into your diet.
Bonus!!!!! For recipes curated more to your taste download link or app. https://www.bluezones.com/meal-planner/ I have been in this wellness game for quite awhile and pretty confident in knowing what to cook BUT I downloaded this meal planner and it’s a game changer! Very user friendly!!! It even categorises recipes by the amount of cooking time you want to put in!
photo recognition https://www.instagram.com/danbuettner/?hl=en
Here are the “meat and potatoes of the challenge”. Dan and his team distilled more than 150 dietary surveys of the world’s longest-lived people to discover the secrets of the longevity diet. These guidelines reflect how they live and eat for most of their lives. pg. 103 The Blue Zones Challenge
The 11 Blue Zones Guidelines
Many of you are probably following a lot of these already! Remember that the object is sustainability. It might be possible to lose weight ( if that’s your goal) faster following a more intense and rigid plan but it’s unlikely you’ll keep it off. We want more energy, decreased GI issues, glowing skin, a strong lean body and overall optimal health and wellness.
Aim for 95 to 100 percent plant based diet! People in 4 of the 5 blue zones consume meat but do so sparingly. This is a great way to increase your variety of vegetables. I will share as many recipes as I can without being annoying.
Retreat from Meat- Try 30 days…enough said.
Go easy on Fish- According to the book, if you must eat fish, eat fewer than 3 ounces, up to 3 times weekly. Select fish that are not threatened by overfishing. For ethical reasons, I am choosing to go 30 days without! https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/overfishing
Reduce dairy- Almost everyone reports better digestion, clearer skin and stronger immune systems ( most likely due to decreased inflammation ) when cutting back on dairy.
Eliminate eggs- 30 days and see how you feel!
Get a daily dose of Beans. - The Blue Zones consider beans the ultimate superfood. They are made up of 21 percent protein, 77 percent complex carbohydrates ( think slow and steady energy not the spikes from refined carbs) And an excellent source of fiber!
Slash Sugar!!! People in the blue zones eat sugar intentionally….which means they add it where they want it and very sparingly. I have so many tips , swaps and recipes to share. Make sure you are following my instagram.
Snack on Nuts- Eat two handfuls of nuts per day. I suggest buying a few of your favorites unslated then make your own little ziplock snack packs. SAKARA also has individual seasoned nut and seed packs that are delicious! https://www.sakara.com/collections/snacks/category-superseed-nut-blends use code XOJENL for 20 percent off
Sour on Bread!- This one really makes me happy! I quit eating bread all together due to being gluten sensitive. It just wasn’t worth the bloating and discomfort. I find gluten free breads less than fabulous and can often be full of junk….Then I learned more about SOURDOUGH. the fermentation process makes it easiest to digest, naturally low in gluten ( next to none) , lower on the glycemic list than all the other breads and can actually help to reduce the glycemic load of your whole meal.
Go wholly whole- People in the blue zones traditionally eat the whole food. A good definition of a “whole food” is one that is made of a single ingredient. Almost all the foods they eat are grown within a ten mile radius of their homes. This a good time to hit your local farmers market.
Drink Mostly Water- People in the blue zones drink mostly JUST water and small amounts of coffee, tea and wine…( if you don’t drink alcohol then don’t start and I think it’s better to refrain during this challenge even if you do)
So now you have your basic dietary guidelines
Follow along with me on instagram as I take the 30 day challenge! Reach out with any questions! I will share with you daily information that I think will be useful as well as make this challenge more fun and appetizing!!
In my next blog, I’ll write more about daily movement and workout plans!
Good Luck, Jennifer
