So far what I've learned...

I am writing my research paper on health issues, comparing Blue Zones' diet and the American diet. The Blue Zones are the scientifically known places in the world where people have been living more than 100 years. There are four zones in the world: Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy.
These places have shown that there are secrets to living longer and healthier that many people don't do. America, in the other hand, seems to be going the opposite way. I want to compare the diets on the Blue Zones with the American diet so that we can see what exactly is minimizing the life expectancy in many Americans,in particular.

I became interested in this topic because i recently started a diet where i eat "healthy". I know that's a broad word, since everyone has different meanings to it. For me, eating healthy is eating the right portions of fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and milk, while exercising every day.

My family has been found to have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. I don't want to go through this in my life, therefore i want to live longer and better.

Diseases may come genetically, but there's other ways to minimize the chances of living with diseases.There are nine recommendations that can help you live longer called the "Power 9":

1.)Move [mindlessly, making moving unavoidable]...
2.)Plan de Vida [have a life plan, or a purpose in life]...
3.)Down Shift [working less]...
4.)80% Rule [stop eating when you are 80% full]...
5.)Plant Power [more veggies, less protein]...
6.)Red Wine [consistency & moderation]...
7.)Belonging [a helathy social network]...
8.)Beliefs [spiritual & religious participation]
9.)Your Tribe [family = priority] :)

< www.bluezones.com >

Seems easy, doesn't it? well apparently, Americans are tempted everyday and somehow cant achieve everything in this list!

Well as part of my research, i took the "vitality Test" in that same website. There are 35 questions about how you live your life. The results tell you how long you will live, how much can you improve, and how long you will be disease-free with your current way of life.

According to my results, I am living as if i was 17.2 years old [im 17.6 yrs old], i will live till the age 65 disease-free, and my life expectancy is 80.2 years.

I think i can improve it much better, though, but we'll see about that!

Want to take the Vitality Test? go to this link to find out how long your way of life expects you to live:

http://www.bluezones.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=26&Itemid=6


- ana