The medical profession has been working hard to extend our lives for a long time now. Refining surgical procedures and developing medications to control life-threatening conditions like heart disease, stroke and diabetes has been a major focus of the industry.
And while these advancements have extended our lives, they sometimes come with side effects that diminish the quality of our lives when we're older.
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For Connie and me, our interest isn't in just living longer, but living well for as long as we live. The Blue Zones, regions in the world where people live significantly longer than the global average while maintaining good health, do just that.
Interestingly, the Blue Zones achieve this with very simple diets and lifestyle. 90-95% of the food they eat is whole plant foods. Their diet is high in beans and whole grains with very few refined carbs or processed foods in it.
That describes the diet we've been focused on for decades now and it's working for us too. Connie is 81 now and still going strong. Bill is 76 and is equally impressed with how well his strength, vitality and mental clarity are holding up.
Supporting the connection between a WFPB diet and longevity is a lot of evidence based research. Dr. Greger wrote a whole book on it How Not To Die. And Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Ornish and Dr. Fuhrman all have bestsellers on this diet and lifestyle that supports living long and well with WFPB diets as well.
And while it's good to listen to what the experts have to say, we feel the best thing to listen to is our own bodies. With so much contradictory information on the internet it's confusing and hard to know what to do. Fortunately, there's an intelligence within our bodies that is fine tuned to what is most beneficial.
What we have found is if we stay up with what's being said and try those things that resonate with us, our bodies give us feedback as to whether it's the right thing for us to do right now or not.
And we have to remember that we're always changing. We change as we age and our bodies' needs change with that. Seasons change and our bodies' needs change with the seasons as well. And we experience changes in our lives like pregnancy or a more demanding job or lifestyle that we need to adapt for as well.
By being open to changes in our diet and lifestyle, trying new things and listening to how our bodies respond, we can continue to adjust and refine what we eat and do to give us a marvellous experience in life.
One thing about making change that we've seen is that if we're looking to correct a health concern, making a 100% change brings far more benefit than making as much as an 80% change. The tipping point for maximum benefit is at 100%.
That the change to WFPB can make significant improvements in our health seems to stem back to the diet we ate as we evolved. We've been evolving for millions of year and for all but the last few hundred, all the body had to work with was food in it's whole form.
With the industrial age, our food began to be processed. That made it more convenient and added shelf life which is nice. But in the processing, the nature of the food is altered. Like a whole sweet potato refined into white sugar. And our bodies have not evolved to deal with these changes well.
Refined carbs like sugar are linked to many conditions like heart disease, diabetes, stroke and dementia. Whereas consuming sweet potatoes in their whole form has been linked to longer life in good health like we see in the Blue Zones. Our evolutionary past seems to be reflected in our present day through areas like the Blue Zones and substantiated with the research on whole foods and health.
So if you're looking to Live Long & Well, we suggest you explore the potential a WFPB diet and lifestyle offer... then put it to the test. And let us know if you'd like a free 30-minute consultation in the comment section below to discuss this further.
The recipe this week is a delicious Tangy Cabbage Salad. As spring time arrives here its wonderful to have some fresh salads as a meal again, and this one hits the spot. With lot of variety in veggies and a simple dressing of lime, mustard and garlic, it's a knockout.
To your Amazing Health,
Connie and Bill
Tangy Cabbage Salad (Serves 4)
- 4 cups cabbage, red and green, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 package fresh basil, remove stems and finely chop
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 avocado, diced for garnish
- Freshly ground black pepper
Dressing:
- ¼ cup lime juice (3 to 4 limes)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 medium garlic clove, pressed
Add all salad ingredients except avocado and black pepper to a large bowl and stir together.
Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk well.
Pour dressing into the bowl of salad and mix well.
Dish into serving plates and add diced avocado on each serving.
Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.