Make veg tasty with 3 ingredients used by world’s longest living people

Vegetables are an essential part of any meal, with their stunning versatility and major health benefits. Packed with vital vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre, they support overall wellbeing and can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

It comes as no surprise that vegetables form the foundation of the diets consumed by the world’s longest-living people in the five ‘Blue Zones’ found across the globe. These zones, a term coined by journalist Dan Buettner, are places where inhabitants regularly live past 100 years of age. The original blue zones comprise Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.

As Surrey Live reports, demographers have questioned the reliability of Blue Zones, pointing to concerns including questionable birth certificate records, but one aspect remains evident in these areas, according to Buettner.

As detailed in multiple books he has authored on Blue Zones, Buettner maintains that the world’s oldest individuals attribute their longevity to a diet abundant in vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds.

Despite the recognised advantages of beans and vegetables, many struggle to prepare them in an appetising and attractive manner.

He identified several common threads amongst the world’s oldest communities when it comes to preparing vegetables. Drawing from his observations of their culinary techniques, he contends the secret lies in the seasoning.

“The secret to making any vegetable taste good is a little salt, the right spices and oil–especially olive oil,” he shared on the Blue Zone website.

As he shared, beans, which are rich in fibre and protein, can be effortlessly elevated simply by adding onions.

Buettner explained: “You can make beans taste better by not just boiling them but by browning them in the oven with onions, a process that caramelises the finish.”

He further advised: “Rather than frying food in olive oil, a process that destroys the healthy fats, it’s better to finish the foods by sprinkling olive oil on at in end.”

Steer clear of pre-mixed seasoning blends, which frequently contain preservatives and unwanted additives. Opt for whole foods instead, using fresh garlic, chilli, lemon, and lime juice to bring out natural flavours — these are often far more budget-friendly than purchasing numerous jars of seasoning.

Blue Zone diets are also guided by the seasons, which plays a significant role in producing better-tasting ingredients. These communities consume an “impressive variety of garden vegetables when they are in season,” says Buettner — and nothing goes to waste when there is an abundance.

It is common practice among people in these communities to pickle or dry any surplus produce, preserving it to enjoy throughout the off-season.

Best Blue Zone vegetables

According to the Blue Zone expert, the following are the “best-of-the-best” food for longevity:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Beetroot
• Turnip tops
• Chard
• Collards

These are combined with seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans to create complete longevity meals.

This follows as Dan shared a “superfood” we should all be consuming daily to extend our lives. Also drawing inspiration from the diets of those living in Blue Zones, he encouraged people to eat at least half a cup of this food each day.

He described beans as the “cornerstone” of every Blue Zones diet across the globe. In Nicoya, black beans are widely consumed, while across the Mediterranean, lentils, chickpeas, and white beans are firm favourites, and in Okinawa, Japan, soybeans are a staple ingredient.

Buettner said: “The long-lived populations in these blue zones eat at least four times as many beans as we do, on average. One five-country study, financed by the World Health Organisation, found that eating 20 grams of beans daily reduced a person’s risk of dying in any given year by about eight per cent.”