The longest living people on earth eat all of this
You know them well: those people from the so-called blue zones who live the longest on this planet. Those Italian grandmothers who still walk whistling, Japanese centenarians who still tend to their vegetable gardens every day, and Greek grandfathers who still press their own olive oil as if it’s nothing. They haven’t found an elixir of immortality, no, certainly not. Their secret to a long life? Their food. And I’m not talking about crazy superfoods and expensive protein powders, but just food. Something that really everyone can eat. There is one thing that all these long-lived people eat: beans. And this is why.
Why beans are basically the secret to a long life
Beans are not exactly the sexiest food. Whether you go to Okinawa or Sardinia: beans form the basis of the daily menu in these blue zones. Chickpeas? They are a hit. Brown beans? Those too. Lentils? Yes, I could go on about which beans score well everywhere, but you want to know why such a legume is the recipe for immortality. That’s precisely because beans are very healthy.
They contain a whole lot of good substances. Those people in the blue zones are really not stupid; they have known for hundreds of years that beans are exactly what you need. They are packed with magnesium and folate to keep your bones strong. Iron and potassium should not be missing either, because those are also hidden in a bean. What are they good for? Oh, nothing really. Just for growing a healthy body and maintaining it. A bean also contains plant-based proteins and fibers, which is already good. But there’s something else in it that secretly makes this a superfood: complex carbohydrates. These provide your body with energy slowly, so you never have to deal with sugar dips again. So those beans are perfect for any moment. They are also low in fat, so a meal with beans nourishes you much more than a whole Big Mac meal. So those beans are good for everything: they make your heart happy, because your cholesterol goes down, your blood sugar is stable, and it helps against heart and vascular diseases. I understand why people who live long in the blue zones eat this.
Where are which beans eaten?
The black bean: on the Costa Rican Nicoya Peninsula, they mainly eat black beans. This turtle bean, as it is also called, is in almost every meal they eat here. For example, in the traditional dish casado. This is a lunch with black beans, rice, plantains, and seasonal vegetables.
Lentils: these legumes are so popular on the Greek island of Ikaria that they grow wild there. Just like in Nicoya, you see this type of bean everywhere. In spicy carrot-lentil soup and a salad with fennel, onions, and all sorts of fresh herbs.
Soybeans: if there’s something I personally like on this list, it’s soybeans. You mainly see these in Europe at sushi restaurants, but in Okinawa? They are eaten every day in the tastiest meals.
Chickpeas: although chickpeas are now eaten in every country, they are most popular in Sardinia. Besides fava beans, you’ll be surprised how much of that is eaten there. Not necessarily in a stew, but in all kinds of dishes. Like in farinata, a flatbread made from chickpeas. Or risottata with mussels and chickpeas. Of course, you also have the more traditional chickpea soup or, as you might know them: chickpeas in tomato sauce. Well, now that I’ve already said chickpeas a hundred times, you understand that these are eaten a lot here.
How to easily eat more beans
If there’s one thing you can easily learn from those old folks in the blue zones, it’s to eat more beans. And no, you really don’t have to move to Japan tomorrow or suddenly spend hours every day growing beans in a vegetable garden. Just try to add them to your current diet, it’s really not difficult.
Beans are quite cheap, available everywhere, and versatile. Try adding them to your pasta or curry, or go for hummus on bread instead of American filet. Because yes: that counts too. Choose chili con carne or make your own Taco Bell-inspired burritos. Throw a can of beans into your salad, like kidney beans that always do well. Put more beans in the soup, blend them into the pasta sauce, or try roasting chickpeas in the oven. Then they become nice and crunchy and you can eat them as a snack. Or you try a full English breakfast with beans in tomato sauce and all. Really: you can combine these in so many ways.
Looking for inspiration? Then here are some of our favorite recipes:
@bytheforkful Marry Me Beans💍 every time I make this recipe I question why I haven’t been eating it every single day for the past year! So so good – full recipe is on by the forkful! #marrymebeans #comfortfood #onepotmeals #beanstiktok
@boldbeanco One of our most popular recipes stars our least-known beans. CARLIN PEAS – a sweet, nutty pulse hardly anyone had heard of…until thousands of you started cooking them every week How did we do it? We paired the unfamiliar with the familiar. Halloumi = the cheese that really gets the crowd going Carlin peas = the quiet hero that snuck onto your weekly menu So we did it again. Took a cult classic – a rich, comforting paneer-style curry Add an underdog pulse – BLACK CHICKPEAS And suddenly you’ve got a new dish for your repertoire that’s familiar, exciting + utterly DELICIOUS Recipe on our website! 🙌 #curry #panner #chickpeas #beans #weeknightdinner
@natsnourishments 10 minute high protein spinach gnocchi! #foodfyp #veganfyp #foodtok #vegantok #10minutemeals #spinachgnocchi
@bytheforkful Spicy, creamy, and packed with flavour – you can’t go wrong with bold butter beans cooked in a fiery harissa sauce. #comfortfood #onepotmeals
@munchinwithmaddie_ 10 DAYS OF $10 MEALS: part 9 🌮 crispy black bean + cheese tacos with cilantro lime crema!! pretty dang life changing and fully vegetarian 👏 yet each taco packs in 13g of protein + 8g of fiber! total cost = $9.74 (or just $0.81 per taco) 💸full recipe is up on my blog ! #tacos #tacotuesday #bakedtacos #crispytacos #vegetarianrecipe #glutenfreerecipes #healthydinnerideas #highfiber #blackbeans #lentils #cheese #mexicanrecipes #budgetmeals #budgetrecipe #nospendjanuary #10dollarmeals #10daysof10dollarmeals
So. Next time you think: what should I eat tonight, you can look a little further than your nose is long. Just go for those beans and who knows, this might be your first step towards 100.
Image: Adam Rose/Netflix
