Blue Zone Diet & Heart Health
Unlocking the longevity secrets of Italy’s Blue Zone has never been easier. The biggest benefactor?
Your heart.
There’s a reason the buzz around the Mediterranean diet won’t die down. Thanks to its focus on fresh produce, whole grains, and lean proteins, the diet offers outrageous longevity and heart benefits, which is why health experts worldwide consistently endorse it.
In Italy, it’s not just a diet; it’s a state of mind. Italians have prized this way of eating as a cornerstone of their “Dolce Vita” lifestyle for centuries, and the proof is in the panna cotta. Experts believe this healthy, active way of living could be why one of the five Blue Zones worldwide, areas where people regularly live to be over 100 years old, can be found in the Mediterranean.
Blue zones, like the one in Sardinia, Italy, offer clues to maintaining heart health and longevity. These secrets are more important now than ever as worldwide cases of heart-related diseases are at an all-time high. One of the most dramatic contrasts between western and Mediterranean diets is regional food knowledge and availability of ingredients.
Italy’s Heart Health
In Italy, regional food knowledge informs daily dietary decisions and emphasizes eating only fresh ingredients purchased that day at the market. Italians avoid cooking with artificial oils, seasonings, or ingredients, preferring to enjoy the natural flavors in the meat or vegetables they prepare. Secondly, a Mediterranean diet prioritizes eating in season rather than importing foods from other growing seasons or using frozen ingredients. Eat what Nature provides nearby, at its peak nutritional value and freshness.
The good news is we can all adopt simple habit changes to bring the heart-supporting ingredients of Blue Zones into our own kitchens, no passport required. Fresh ingredients like Bergamot, grown in the Calabria region of southern Italy, are proven to support LDL, HDL Cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in the healthy range to ensure a healthier, better functioning heart.
Natural Ingredients for Heart Health
Bergamot is also clinically proven to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and LDL oxidation, as well as fat accumulation in the liver cells, and even support healthy blood vessel function. Other ingredients, obtained through supplementation, are also heart-helpful.
Try adding ingredients like Natural Vitamin E and Coenzyme to your supplementation regime. COQ10 is a powerful antioxidant that supports a healthy inflammatory response in the body and is clinically proven to increase CoQ10 plasma concentration levels by 116% over baseline.
Lifelong heart health begins with bringing Italy’s simple Blue Zone habits into your kitchen. Eat local, in season, and you’ll already be living a Blue Zone lifestyle-no matter where on Earth you are. Now that’s un miracolo.
References:
RELATED POST
Blue Zone Diets: Okinawa, Costa Rica, Sardinia & Ikaria
Blue Zones are regions with the highest percentage of individuals over 100. Although Blue Zones have little in common geographically, they share many similarities in terms of diet. These similarities have become known as Blue Zone diets. What is a Blue Zone Diet? Blue Zone diets are heavy on vegetables, nuts, grains, legumes, and beans […]
What are Blue Zones?
The Blue Zones of the world are small, geographically defined populations with the highest percentage of centenarians worldwide. Blue Zones of the World There are five Blue Zone locations and all of them share similar dietary and lifestyle habits, encourage daily physical exercise and labor, and hold strong family and communal bonds. Extensive research has […]
The Fisherwoman of Procida
Interviewed By: DARIUS ARYA Procida is one of the lesser-known islands off the Amalfi coast. A secret gem of quiet beaches, hidden coves, and sleepy villages lost in a maze of razor-thin, walled streets. Corricella is one of these villages, a 17th-century port surrounded by a tiny but colorful community perched over the Mediterranean with […]
