Health & Fitness
Plant Slant: The Fifth Habit for a Blue Zone Lifestyle: Health and Wellness Blog
Do you have a "plant slant": most people in Blue Zones® areas only consume small amounts of meat while eating a rich array of fresh fruits and vegetables, packed with disease-fighting nutrients.
Did you stop eating when you felt 80 percent full last week? I took the first step – I noticed when I felt 80 percent full; step #2 – stop eating when I feel 80 percent full :).
This week I want to focus on the fifth healthy habit from the Power 9™: move naturally, know your purpose, down shift, 80% rule, plant slant, wine at 5, family first, belong, right tribe.
According to Blue Zones Project, most people in the Blue Zones® areas only consume small amounts of meat on rare occasions while eating a rich array of fresh fruits and vegetables, packed with disease-fighting nutrients.
Find out what's happening in Cedar Fallsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The cornerstone of most centenarian diets includes beans, favorites including fava, black, soy and lentils. Try considering meat as a condiment and buy the leanest, finest meat you can afford. Limit portions to the size of a deck of cards and don't exceed serving it more than twice a week. This complies with the USDA's MyPlate recommendations to make fruits, vegetables and grains the majority of your intake. You can also focus on eating nuts—a handful a day can give you an extra two to three years of life expectancy!
Food for thought: our produce has much different growing conditions and transportation than the produce in Blue Zones® areas. Despite organic and/or local produce from farmers’ markets, we do not know what happens to the produce from soil to market. Therefore, I have sometimes talked with the farmers to help me make a healthier choice.
Find out what's happening in Cedar Fallsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Since I want as many disease-fighting nutrients as possible, I also take antioxidant supplements from a company I have researched and trust. I love nuts and have also started including beans in my eating, especially in my veggie dip (1 jar salsa, 1 jar hummus, 1 jar black soy beans). Now my weak spot: meat! I buy lean meats and keep my portion close to the size of a deck of cards, yet I exceed eating it twice a week (probably every day). I have started to enlarge the other parts of MyPlate, and I now commit to replacing meat with another form of protein one day each week – anyone have good recipes?
For your FREE consultation (in person, over the phone, via email), speaking and training needs, tips, or gift certificates, please contact Jessica Crouch: www.ChooseToImprove.com, Jessica@OrganizeAnywhere.com, 319-504-6689. Remember, reaching a goal with help is better than not reaching it at all: creating healthier lives, empowering others to live their purpose and dreams.