6 Diet Secrets for a Long, Delicious Life
By Zester Daily staff
You've read for years that the Mediterranean diet can offer a long life with less chronic illness. But just what exactly are Greeks and Italians doing to get those health benefits?
Tracey Lawson, author of "A Year in the Village of Eternity" explored the Italian village of Campodimele, to discover how people there live extraordinarily long, healthy lives. In Campodimele, 111 of the 671 people between 75 and 98 years old, and the average life expectancy of both men and women there is 95.
Similarly, the Greek island of Ikaria was studied by Dan Buettner, author of "The Blue Zone," a book on the areas in the world where longevity is off the charts. Ikarians are a third more likely than Americans to reach the age of 90; they have a 20 percent lower cancer rate, about half the rate of cardiovascular disease and almost no dementia.
Here are the six secrets to longevity diet:
1. Cook like the poor. Cucina povera -- the cooking of the poor -- means using everything that can be found in the woods (wild asparagus, mushrooms, chestnuts), grown in a garden (tomatoes, garlic, peppers, zucchini, herbs) or orchard (fruits and nuts), raised in the yard (chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats), or grown in fields (corn for polenta; wheat for bread, pizza, pasta). And it means using them in simple ways that result in fresh, flavorful, healthful, satisfying foods.
2. Stay active. Lawson begins by interviewing the village mayor, and quotes a number of studies by physicians, professors and researchers. But she soon sets aside the statistics and experts and considers a few simple things: Cars are not allowed in the old city, so people walk everywhere. Clean air rises up to the village from the Mediterranean Sea, only about 10 miles away. Everyone tends gardens, orchards, vineyards and fields.
3. Take it slow. This sounds contrary to the earlier point, but the trick is to know when to relax. Ikaria is known in Greece as the place where people sleep in the daytime and live all night. Forget punctual. Shops, in the height of summer, open at midday, close around 3 p.m., reopen again sometime after 9 p.m. and stay open almost all night. Life is S-L-O-W, a factor that surely accounts for the lack of stress, which, of course, affects the aging process.
4. Practice moderation. Ikarian beekeeper, Yiorgos Stenos, lithe and fit at almost 80, still works a 10-hour day as a successful merchant and is the best dancer on the island, the man you want to waltz you around -- tirelessly -- at every local festival. He says his secret is the spoonful of honey he consumes religiously every day and the natural physical exercise he gets tending his hives. That and a diet that has become second nature to him: Not too much of anything, he says, and lots of vegetables and greens from his garden.
5. Don't forget the wine. Lots of research has shown the Mediterranean diet has health benefits. But which foods, exactly, are the key ingredients to better health? Researchers from the University of Athens Medical School in Greece and the Harvard School of Public Health were determined to figure that out.
Their study followed more than 23,000 Greek adult men and women for more than eight years as they ate the classic Greek longevity diet that featured high intakes of fruits/nuts, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and fish/seafood; low intakes of meat and dairy; and moderate intake of alcohol. Researchers calculated the benefit of each component of the diet.
Related: Which component had the biggest impact in the Greek longevity diet?
6. Nurture your social ties and grow some of your own food. In Campodimele, Lawson discovered, everyone tends gardens, orchards, vineyards and fields; they keep chickens and goats; they hunt for game. They cook from scratch, and put up food for winter. They live near family and friends and visit them often. They drink wine, gather for festivals, and enjoy life. And cucina povera is often faster than fast food. It's sometimes as simple as Insalata Condita, a dressed salad of fresh greens, olive oil, vinegar, and salt, or Pinzimonio, raw vegetables dipped in olive oil, vinegar, sea salt and crushed hot pepper. Here's a classic, simple recipe from Lawson's book.
Sedano Fritto (Celery-Leaf Fritters)
Ingredients
100 grams (3.5 ounces) Italian '00' Doppio Zero flour, or plain white flour
200 ml light beer
Fine sea salt
One egg, beaten
Two large handfuls of celery leaves, roughly chopped, and two ribs of celery, cut into 2½-inch batons and squashed to break their fibrous spines
Three or four splashes of extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Mix the flour and beer in a bowl. Then beat in the egg, a splash of olive oil, and a few pinches of salt.
Add the celery leaves and batons, and coat well in the batter.
Heat the olive oil in the pan, then fry the celery batons for a couple of minutes on each side, until they are swollen and golden.
Next, drop spoonfuls of the celery-leaf fritters into the pan, flatten and fry for a minute or two on each side, until golden and cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Contributing: Terra Brockman, Diane Kochilas and Val Ulene.
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