Experts researching how people in Earth’s ‘blue zones’ live longer and healthier lives have revealed one super food you must include in your diet if you want better chances of living to 100 years old.
With a very select few of these ‘blue zone’ regions dotted around the world, people have wondered for years why those residing in them have enjoyed longer and more fruitful lives when it comes to personal health and wellbeing.
One such zone is the Italian island of Sardinia, where in 2012, the Melis family from the town of Perdasdefogu were crowned the oldest family in the world by the Guinness World Record book.
With a combined age of 818, the nine siblings were old and then some.
And after appearing in Dan Buettner’s 2023 Netflix documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, Buettner said that there was a common trend in all the diets that the brothers and siblings ate.
The same can now be said for the Japanese island of Okinawa, which is another of the six so-called ‘blue zone’ regions where people live for longer.
Here, according to scientific research, locals are 10 times more likely to live to 100 than your ‘average’ American citizen.
Those living in Okinawa say part of the reason for their wellbeing is a focus on family, spending time outside gardening, and restricting calorie intake. But on top of that, one particular food might be key to their overall health.
As with Sardinia, Buettner has also researched Okinawa where he concluded that this food could be critical to the health and wellbeing journey local residents have had.
“The Okinawan diet is rich in foods made with soy, like tofu and miso soup,” he says.
“Flavonoids in tofu may help protect the hearts and guard against breast cancer. Fermented soy foods contribute to a healthy intestinal ecology and offer even better nutritional benefits.”
That’s right. Soy. And it comes in many forms such as tofu miso, and beans.
Helen Bell, a nutritionist at Help & Advice, told the Mirror that soy is rich in unsaturated fats.
This is a really good thing for your body and can be linked to slashing your risk of heart disease.
She said: “In my experience, soy products are indeed associated with heart health benefits.
“I’ve seen studies suggesting that soy may improve artery health, potentially lowering the risk of heart disease.
It’s worth noting that populations consuming high amounts of soy, like those in Okinawa, tend to have lower rates of heart issues.”
The key, Helen says, is preparing soy in a healthy way, with fermentation being a big way to boost its goodness.
“I always recommend trying a variety of soy products, such as tofu, edamame, and soy milk, to suit your taste and health goals. Experimenting with different cooking methods, like steaming or stir-frying, can keep meals interesting,” she said.
Ultimately, though, no single food can make everything okay for you when it comes to your health. It’s always about balance.
