Healthy and Slim

Perfect Body

Tag: plant based

By Margaret R. McLean

Can Blue Zone Diet keep a person alive for 100 years, what is the reality?

The Blue Zone Diet has gained significant attention in recent years for its purported ability to promote longevity and overall well-being. But what exactly is it? The concept of Blue Zones originated from the work of National Geographic fellow and journalist, Dan Buettner. Buettner identified five regions around the world where people tend to live the longest and healthiest lives.

Exploring the Origins of the Blue Zones

The term “Blue Zones” was coined by Buettner to describe these regions where individuals commonly surpass the age of 100. The five Blue Zones include Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece; and the Seventh-day Adventist community in Loma Linda, California. Buettner and his team conducted extensive research in these areas to uncover the lifestyle and dietary habits that contribute to their remarkable longevity.

The Power of Longevity in Blue Zones

In these Blue Zones, individuals not only live longer but also enjoy better health and vitality in their later years. Researchers have found that residents of Blue Zones have lower rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes compared to other populations. This has led to a growing interest in understanding the factors that contribute to their exceptional longevity.

The Dietary Components of the Blue Zone Diet

One of the key aspects of the Blue Zone lifestyle is diet. The Blue Zone Diet primarily consists of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts. These foods are rich in essential nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, which play a crucial role in reducing the risk of chronic diseases and promoting overall health.

Plant-Based Focus: The Heart of the Blue Zone Diet

The Blue Zone Diet emphasizes a plant-based approach to eating, with the majority of calories coming from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Plant-based foods

… Read the rest
By Margaret R. McLean

What to know about the Mediterranean diet

For the seventh straight year, the Mediterranean diet has won the title of best overall diet in U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of best diets.

The diet is endorsed by the American Heart Association for its cardiovascular benefits. The diet was shown to reduce the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth and stillbirth when followed in pregnancy, according to one study.

A study published in February in the journal JAMA Neurology found the popular diet may be one aspect in protecting the brain from signs of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil and flavorful herbs and spices; fish and seafood at least twice a week; and poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt in moderation, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“Any plan that cuts out an entire food group or fruit or dairy for non-medical reasons is a red flag and it’s the reason the Mediterranean diet is always such a big winner,” Gretel Schueller, managing editor of U.S. News and World Report, previously told ABC News. “The Mediterranean diet is healthy, it’s sustainable, it’s a flavorful way to eat and it’s adaptable.”

If you’re looking to start the Mediterranean diet, here is what you need to know.

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is not one way of eating but a broad term used to describe the eating habits popularized in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Greece, Morocco, Spain and Lebanon.

The way of eating focuses on the quality of foods consumed rather than focusing on a single nutrient or food group, according to U.S. News and World Report.

PHOTO: Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, whole grains, fish and <a href=olive oil make up the majority of
… Read the rest
By Margaret R. McLean

Best plant-based foods for optimal gut health | Health

Gut health is a crucial determinant of our overall health where a healthy gut is formed by the presence of a diverse microbiome and a plant-based balanced diet that consists of whole grains, legumes, nuts, leafy vegetables, fruits, fiber-rich foods, fermented probiotics etc helps to support our healthy bacteria and lay a foundation for a healthy gut. Vegetarian meals containing these ingredients are also nutritious and work against preventing inflammation or even treating such gut inflammation since the gut microbiome plays a critical role in our overall health and immunity.

gut health (Photo by Sweet Life on Unsplash)” title=”Best plant-based foods for optimal gut health (Photo by Sweet Life on Unsplash)”/
Best plant-based foods for optimal gut health (Photo by Sweet Life on Unsplash)
Best plant-based foods for optimal gut health (Photo by Sweet Life on Unsplash)

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Manoj Kutteri, Medical Director and CEO of Atmantan Wellness Centre, suggested, “When you are focusing on a pure vegetarian plant-based diet, you need to know that all those diet preparations are not equal. While a freshly prepared meal is highly beneficial to us, a vegetarian diet which is loaded with sugar and made with processed food ingredients, refined grains, and carbs may not work beneficial to our gut and the body. A balanced meal should also focus on a variety of vegetarian options such as wholesome multi-grains, differently colored fruits and so on.”

Emphasising that one of the major arguments for non-vegetarianism is the protein content of animal foods, he said, “There are abundant vegetarian sources of protein as well that one can plan a meal with. If you are not careful about these proportions of a vegetarian meal, it can adversely affect your gut. Besides the nutritional quotient of the food, it is important to look at the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Organically grown or

… Read the rest
By Margaret R. McLean

Aiming for weight loss? Ditch fad diet trends! Adopt these 5 mindful eating tips | Health

A balanced diet includes a variety of foods from different food groups to ensure the intake of all essential nutrients and it typically consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, dairy or dairy alternatives and healthy fats. The proportions and specific requirements may vary depending on factors such as age, gender, activity level and specific dietary needs.

fad diet trends! Adopt these 5 ways to practice mindful eating (Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash)”/
Aiming for weight loss? Ditch fad diet trends! Adopt these 5 ways to practice mindful eating (Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash)
Aiming for weight loss? Ditch fad diet trends! Adopt these 5 ways to practice mindful eating (Photo by Spencer Davis on Unsplash)

A healthy diet is a long-term commitment and a lifestyle choice and it is about making sustainable changes to your eating habits rather than relying on short-term or restrictive diets. Adopting a balanced and nutritious diet, combined with regular physical activity, forms the foundation for a healthy lifestyle while practicing moderation in consuming foods and beverages high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats or being mindful of portion sizes also helps to avoid overeating and maintain a healthy weight.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Avanti Deshpande, PCOS and Gut Health Nutritionist, advised that instead of aiming to lose weight alone by following some fad diet, aim to change your relationship with food, so that mindful eating becomes a lifestyle.

What are fad diets and why are they called so?

Avanti Deshpand explained, “A fad diet, like any other upcoming trend, is based on diets ensuring faster results without following conventional nutritional advice. Due to their quick and promising results in a short span of time, fad diets are becoming increasingly popular among many of us, but the question of whether they work or not still remains.”

She elaborated, “Yes, fad diets work, but only for a certain period. And eventually, this

… Read the rest
By Margaret R. McLean

Can a diet help you live 10 years longer?

Spare a thought for the billionaires of Silicon Valley. While the rest of us have been coming to terms with a weekly food shop that’s inflating quicker than the ego of an Apprentice contestant, they’ve been engaged in a cost-of-living crisis of their own.

From shelling out £7000 to have the contents of their brains uploaded to the cloud after they die (CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman) to parting with up to £170,000 to have bodies cryogenically frozen in liquid nitrogen (Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal) it seems the race to live forever is alive and well – if only you can afford to compete.

But while they were re-writing cheques and logic (anyone know how to defrost a body?) researchers were cooking up a more accessible solution.

In a paper published in the journal Cell, biologist Valter Longo examined a century of research on the influence of nutrition on ageing. As director of the Longevity Institute in California and professor of gerontology (the study of ageing), Longo has spent his career unpicking the mechanics of what was once deemed pot luck – your endpoint.

Now, he’s built a blueprint. Dubbed the longevity diet, he claims that by making subtle tweaks to both what and when you eat, you can increase your lifespan by up to 13 years. But will you be ordering from his menu?

PLATE EXPECTATIONS

Adjusting your nutrition to optimise your health: ground-breaking, it isn’t. And it’s true that much of the longevity research confirms what we already know about diets that are rich in fruit, vegetables, nuts, cereals, fish and unsaturated fats.

‘Diets which contain antioxidants, potassium and omega-3 support a reduction in cardiovascular disease and obesity risk, as well as protecting the brain from ageing,’ says Charlotte May, nutritional therapist and lead health coach

… Read the rest