Happy Thursday! It’s your girl LA from Black Girls Eat checking in to see how you are doing. Feeling good about those healthier food choices you are making? Feeling like you wanna stretch a little more next week?
As a self-proclaimed plant-based advocate, I hear you. Just waking up every day looking for more ways to put more plants on your plate is already a step in the right direction. Sneak them in. Add brown rice to your soup. Add chopped spinach to your eggs. Black beans make an excellent topping to a salad. Just get sneaky!
And before we get started….I gotta scream Thank You!!!! I woke up this week to more paid subscribers. So grateful. Truly truly grateful. Thank you for your support!
What Exactly is a Blue Zone?
I loved taking plant-based nutrition courses with The Center for Nutrition Studies. The coursework was engaging and memorable. Which leads me to the Blue Zone.
The Blue Zones were founded by Dan Buettner. He is a National Geographic Fellow and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He brilliantly identified five places around the world where people lived the longest. Learning about the Blue Zones got me thinking about how foods can help my body thrive.
Need some inspiration for leaning into a plant-based lifestyle? Take a look at the five cities below.
Okinawa, Japan
In Okinawa, the focus in not on retirement. Instead, the focus is on “Ikigai.” Translated, it means “ the reason you wake up in the morning.” Yes, having something to do keeps the mind and body moving. They also do a lot of gardening. Gardening is a good example of low impact exercise and helpful as the body is aging. Finally, the Okinawan diet is approximately 90% plant-based with a focus on fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains.
Sardinia, Italy
Sardinians are also moving their body. The land is steep and mountainous. As a result, they are getting low and medium intensity exercise daily. They also have access to a wine called Cannonau. Made from the Grenache grape, this wine is high in cancer fighting antioxidants. Okay…they had me at Grenach! Lol. I even found it online here: https://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/cannonau/c/000236
And as you might have guessed, they do consume bread and cheese but a lot of the meals are made with food from their own gardens, beans, whole grains and greens.
Nicoya, Costa Rica
Many in Nicoya are very active and work outdoors in the sunshine. Can we get a high-five for a busy life filled with vitamin D? Also, the water in the Nicoya Peninsula has more calcium in it than the rest of Costa Rica. Calcium is key to strong and healthy bones for the elders. Traditional foods like papaya, squash, bananas and black beans offer tons of antioxidants, fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C. And we know, those foods help fight inflammation and help keep the immune system strong.
Ikaria, Greece
Ikarians live on average ten years longer than those in the US and Europe. They are also almost dementia free and you won’t find many of the chronic diseases found in the USA. There are also more than 150 kinds of wild greens that can be found all over the island. Thanks to a mediterranean diet that is mostly plant-focused, a relaxed lifestyle, sunshine and fresh air, elderly Ikarians are beating the odds.
Loma Linda, California
The official website says it’s a “city focused on health and prosperity.” Now what does your city website say about where you live? lol. My Bronx website just says there are 1,472,654 living here.
Loma Linda citizens are mostly Seventh-Day Adventists. The community follows a strict diet closely related to their faith. They live almost ten years longer than the rest of the country. Loma Linda residents choose to eat mostly plants and exercise regularly. Gotta love all of that California sunshine and healthy outdoor living. And guess what? They don’t smoke or drink alcohol, caffeinated sodas or coffee.
So where are you moving to?
The Recipe: Mini Peach Cobblers
This is an old school recipe done with plant-based ingredients but you can certainly use traditional if that’s what you prefer. You can make them now and freeze them too. Make them for Mom or your fave human being.
The Random: Visit a Bronx Urban Garden
I never thought I would do it but 2 years ago I started a garden in my backyard. I have zero green thumb skills. But I partnered with the team at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and they hooked me up. I created 8 garden beds and had a good old time running down the driveway to cut basil and grab tomatoes.
The team will be in the Bronx on Sunday, April 23rd. If you are in the area and looking for something cool to do, check out the Bruckner Mott Haven Community Garden located at 678 East 136th Street. There will be food demonstrations, guest speakers and distribution of plants and seedlings so folks can get their own garden started. (2pm-5pm)
Thanks so much for hanging out with me. I hope you enjoyed learning about the Blue Zones! For more, be sure to check out the Blue Zones Kitchen Cookbook. Have an awesome weekend!
Well I’ve already started the process for becoming a resident of Costa Rica not in Nicoya but in the southern zone on the Pacific. I still travel back and forth to the US and notice subtle changes in my health when I’m back in the states. Stuffy nose, slowed elimination and more irritability. I have been vegan for about 4 years and have had positive changes in my health and well being. However I find it much harder and a lot more expensive to eat clean here in the states. When I’m in CR I shop Weds, Friday, Sat and Tuesday at the farmer’s market and spend less than $100 for all the produce, kombucha and grains I need for the week. One stop at a Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or even the farmer’s market here is a lot more than that and will probably only pay for two meals! And I don’t know about TJ‘s, but I’ve read that whole foods organic produce mostly comes from China and that is not certifiably organic. Anyway I do the best I can when here and I imagine in NYC it’s even harder! I’m about to go to the EU for a month and trying to decide if I should stick with strictly vegan or “ when in Rome do as the Romans do!” What do you think?