What Indians can learn from Blue Zone diet

We are surrounded by fad diets — people fasting for hours at a time or forsaking all forms of sugar or carbs altogether, as they insist on telling you all the benefits they’re reaping. No, really, it’s great, they tell you against your will at a dinner party where they can barely eat the food served. But a focus on longevity and quality of life has brought another kind of diet, or rather lifestyle, to the limelight. It’s named after Blue Zones, five pockets across the world that have the highest concentration of centenarians. A new docuseries, based on the travels and research of Dan Buettner who pioneered the diet, has made many Indians curious about how to live a 100. Sunday Times spoke to nutritionists on the right recipe for longevity
95% PLANT AND 80% FULL
Plant-based foods make up the vast majority of what those in Blue Zone areas eat. They tend to eat a lot of beans, whole grains, olive oil, nuts and alternate forms of dairy like sheep or goat’s milk and cheese. In terms of liquids, they prefer water and keep their caffeine and alcohol intake minimal. Delhi-based clinical nutritionist Ishi Khosla says that while Blue Zones don’t all share the same diet — it would be unusual for someone in Costa Rica to eat the same things as a person in Japan — there are commonalities that emerge. “They don’t eat foods which are processed, so they’re only having natural fats and oils. Plus, they do not have too much sugar, especially if it’s processed. The common denominator is they don’t use chemicals, pesticides, preservatives and additives,” Khosla says. Another principle of the diet is that you eat till you’re 80% full. “You don’t need to do calorie counting, protein counting and all that rubbish. Eat seasonal and locally grown produce, exercise moderately and eat at the right time,” she advises.
CUT INFLAMMATION
Nutritionist Shweta Rastogi says that while the diet has been around for about 20 years, it has recently become better known. The benefit of this way of eating comes down to inflammation, she says. “These foods do not cause inflammation, which keeps us healthy. If there is no injury at the cellular level, then diseases do not have precedence in the body. These diets contain good omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids which also reduce inflammation,” Rastogi adds. Khosla too refers to these diets to her patients as ‘anti-inflammatory diets’.
ABOUT THE MIND TOO
Incorporating sensible food habits is all well and good but true Blue Zone dwelling is not a one-trick pony. “People in Blue Zone lifestyles don’t count calories or track the number of steps they take. Fitness there is not about doing one hour of gymming. They prioritise family-time, indulge in self-care, have hobbies, enjoy gardening, they walk or cycle to work, do household chores, go out to buy groceries. It’s a lot about how they manage their time, emotions and sleep. It aims for a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual alignment,” says Neha Ranglani, an integrative nutritionist and health coach based in Mumbai.
DON’T COPY, EAT LOCAL
Given that these diets originate in contexts rather different from ours, it is important to note that it cannot simply be copy-and-pasted. Rastogi has had patients come in and say that they want to have sheep’s milk or goat’s milk because of Blue Zone diets, but she argues that it makes more sense to eat what is locally available. “It doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t enjoy meals,” she says. She adds that the people asking about this kind of diet are those who want to live a long life that is disease-free.
Others point out that it’s just indigenous wisdom packaged in western terms. Nutritionist Kavita Devgan says, “I feel there are some people in every country who are already following something akin to a ‘Blue Zone’ diet which is mostly based on whole foods and plant-based diets. There’s a little bit of meat thrown in, some seafood sometimes. People eat more home-cooked food, there are early dinners, one’s activity level is high, they are close to nature — to me it all sounds like a traditional Indian way of living. Or how our grandparents lived. In fact, I keep telling my clients, eat like your grandmother did.”
Eat like a 100-year-old