The Blue Zone Diet might not be the answer
I recently went to California to visit some friends and family and really wanted to take the opportunity to visit my Mamani’s grave (my grandma). My kids have only heard stories about her and have a funny curiosity about cemeteries.
As I was showing them her headstone, I remembered something interesting:
The birth date on my grandma’s headstone is literally made up, considering that in the rural town of Iran where she was born, they didn’t use birth certificates.
So (after escaping Iran due to religious persecution) when she was applying for refuge in the US no one actually knew when she was born!
To be honest, I truly think they estimated her age wrong though. To me, she looked at least 95 years old when she died.
But we’ll never really know how old she was when she died and what does it really matter anyway? It’s not like I’m not making any major conclusions based on this faulty data.
But here’s the thing- others are using faulty data to make major conclusions. Especially in the blue zones.
Do you know who else has the highest frequency of not using birth certificates?
Perhaps the title gave it away: the blue zones.
You may have seen the sensationalized blue zone diet book series and the more recent film on Netflix- both use the argument that since the people who live in the blue zones have the greatest longevity, and that they allegedly follow a plant-based diet, that we should also be following that style of eating.
But here’s my issue with that deduction:
If everyone is just reporting the wrong dates when they track their age- (either because of no birth certificates or purely pension fraud) and the dates that are reported are completely false- do we really want to be putting everything they do on a pedestal?
You may have noticed how I said above that people in the blue zones "allegedly follow a plant-based diet".
That's because...they don't.
If you're curious to see what kinds of animal foods they eat in blue zones, like
🇮🇹 Sardinia, Italy
🇯🇵 Okinawa, Japan
🇺🇸 Loma Linda, California, USA
🇨🇷 Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
🇬🇷 Ikaria, Greece
Then check out this article from Heart and Soil Supplements.
Let me be clear though- I think there are a lot of important things we can learn from people in the blue zones.
Some of the positive lifestyle habits blue zones have in common include:
Heavy reliance on community life
Prioritizing whole, minimally-processed foods
Eating regionally appropriate foods
Following a movement-rich lifestyle
Experiencing low-stress volume
And abstinence from tobacco and alcohol (for some)
What we're seeing reported in the blue zone theory is something that occurs OFTEN in nutrition research- the "healthy user bias"- when there are confounding variables at play that make it seem like one factor is a causal factor for certain positive health outcomes when in reality, there are a collection of contributors and it would be poor science to attribute certain outcomes while there are so many confounding variables at play.
So what does this mean for you?
Should you be aiming for less meat or more meat?
Well, when we look at all the benefits of eating animal protein for:
Reproductive longevity
Hormone balance+Fertility
Pregnancy health
Overall longevity
Body composition
Cardiovascular risk
Diabetes risk
Quality of life/Long-term mobility
Energy
and SO much more,
The answer to me is more meat.
And a lot more than most people are getting on a daily basis.
This is why my recipes and meal plans (and my newly released Fall Favorites Recipe Collection) that I use and create and use in my hormone support, preconception/fertility, and pregnancy/postpartum private coaching work and all of my digital offerings use an animal-based foundation- relying heavily on a healthy balance of muscle meats, connective tissue and organ meats from beef, lamb, pork, poultry; as well as eggs and dairy along with seasonal produce.
Are you interested in learning how to include more protein on YOUR journey to achieving hormone vitality and optimal fertility?
I have some GREAT offerings coming up for you in my upcoming Black Friday Deal Week if you're looking for more easy ways to get more protein so you too can experience those benefits above. Get on my Black Friday earlybird list here and get a FREE surprise gift with purchase!
