What do Blue Zone Sardinians eat?
The classic Sardinian diet consists of whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil. Sardinians also traditionally eat pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, whose cheese is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Meat is largely reserved for Sundays and special occasions.
Why are Sardinians so healthy?
The genes of Sardinians, for the most part, have remained undiluted. Researchers discovered a genetic marker, called M26, as one found in many of the centenarians on the island and is now associated with longevity. Although not much else is known about it, having M26 does help to predict how long you could live.
What is the Sardinian Blue Zone?
A “Blue Zone” is a geographical area of variable extension, inside of which the population lives a considerably longer, healthier, and happier life. Sardinia is one of the five Blue Zones recognized around the globe and is the one with the largest male population exceeding 100 years of life.
What do Blue Zones eat?
The diet is mostly plant-based. The daily food intake of people living in Blue Zones is about 95% vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. They do not eat much meat, dairy, sugary foods or drinks, and processed food.
What do Sardinians eat for breakfast?
Breakfast is not very important in Sardinia and for that matter, Italy. In fact, many Italians don’t eat anything for breakfast, only needing coffee to make it through the morning. Today, an espresso and a sweet (biscuits or pastries) usually suffice.
What kind of meat do Sardinians eat?
What’s interesting about food here is that although Sardinia is an island, most of the traditional food in Sardinia is based on meat products – with a strong focus on pork and lamb dishes, and some of the best pecorino cheese you’ll ever taste.
What is a typical Sardinian diet?
Is Sardinian DNA rare?
“Contemporary Sardinians represent a reservoir for some variants that are currently very rare in continental Europe,” Cucca said. “These genetic variants are tools we can use to dissect the function of genes and the mechanisms that are at the basis of genetic diseases.”
Do blue zones eat eggs?
Eggs are consumed in all five Blue Zones diets, where people eat them an average of two to four times per week. As with meat protein, the egg is a side dish, eaten alongside a larger portion of a whole-grain or other plant-based feature.
What do Blue Zone people eat for breakfast?
Breakfasts. Centenarians from the blue zones typically eat a mainly plant-based diet. They favor beans, greens, yams and sweet potatoes, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and seeds. This recipe combines a few centenarians staples.
Do Blue Zones eat eggs?
What race are Sardinian people?
Sardinians, while being part of the European gene pool, are well-known outliers in the European genetic landscape (together with the Basques, the Chuvash, the Sami, the Finns and the Icelanders).
What is the Sardinian diet?
Do Blue Zones drink coffee?
Coffee is a daily ritual in blue zones areas, as well. Sardinians, Ikarians, and Nicoyans start their days with a cup, lightly sweetened without cream. In addition to a daily cup of coffee, blue zones centenarians drink water, tea and wine.
Do Blue Zone eat eggs?
Do blue zones drink coffee?
Do Blue Zones eat rice?
Rice. Several varieties of rice—from white and brown to red or black rice—are staples in all five Blue Zones, but especially Nicoya, Okinawa, and Loma Linda.