Top 10 meal ideas to live 100 years

By the Authors of The Mediterranean Diet eBook
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    Hamburger and chips

    (Thanks to avlxyz)

     

    Last day i read an article on he Guardian about a couple of 84 years old that since 17 years eat at the Mc Donald’s. This give me an idea to build a list of top 10 foods to buy for Mediterranean diet to start build the basis of our over 100 year old life.

     

    I’ll try to give you a real example of meal ideas for Mediterranean diet used by my granny “Nonna Rosa” that has 93 years and lives an healthy life.

     

    The article I’ve read talks about a british couple of 84 years old (Mary e Lee Humphrey) that since 17 years eat at the Mc Donald’s fast food in Leeds (U.K.) They eat every day a double hamburger and chips.

     

    This is a strange case, in fact in the interview they are surprised that people who go to McDonald’s all put on weight, because they are very slim.

     

    Generally i don’t suggest to every over 60 people to do as they do…

     

    During the years our diet needs and behaviors change, here what happen to our body while we become more old:

     

    The geriatric population often suffer from conditions that can be directly linked to the nutritional status of that individual.

     

    These include problems such as:

    • Digestive disorders
    • Cardiovascular disorders
    • Suppressed immune systems
    • Cancer

     

    Each of these conditions has been shown to have a direct correlation to the nutritional status of the patient.

     

    The most common problem is the lack of mineral and vitamins.

    This is due to:

    • Malnutrition due to low caloric and protein intakes.
    • During old age the requirement of energy reduces at the rate of about 5% to 20%.
    • A decreasing of the production of gastric hydrochloric acid (HCl) and digestive enzymes.

     

    So it’s advised to increase the consumption of foods rich in minerals and vitamins especially calcium, iron, B complex vitamins, sodium and potassium.

     

    1° To combat the gastrointestinal complaints (gastritis, heartburn, ulcers, and constipation), the best thing you can do is

    • Reduce fiber intake
    • Limit “sugar-free” foods that contain sorbitol
    • Drink extra water to maintain hydration and eliminate the waste products
    • Intake of easily digestible and soft food.

     

    2° Obesity is the typical problem due to our western culture tha typically supports a high fat, high carbohydrate, low fiber diet. So we should eat low fat foods like:

    • Olive oil
    • Fish tuna, salmon, anchovies and sardines
    • Vegetables and Fruit
    • Tomatoes
    • Legumes and Grains
    • Pasta

    Limit caloric intake to 1500 calories per day

    Exercise for at least 20 minutes, four times a week.

     

    3° Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the Western world. Many cardiovascular disorders are reversible by nutritional changes. So you should avoid unhealthy foods like:

    • Butter
    • Lard
    • Bacon
    • Hydrogenated margarine and shortening
    • Cocoa butter, found in chocolate
    • Coconut, palm and palm-kernel oils
    • Full-fat milk and other dairy products
    • Organ meats, such as liver
    • Egg yolks
    • Fried or breaded vegetables
    • Canned fruit packed in heavy syrup
    • Muffins
    • Biscuits
    • Cakes
    • Pies
    • High-fat snack crackers
    • Chips

     

    After we have understand what are the main diseases of growing in age, now let’s go list the top 10 Mediterranean diet foods you should eat to live longer:

     

    1. TOMATOES – Rich of antioxidant “Lycopene”
    2. OLIVE OIL
    3. RED GRAPES (juice and wine)
    4. NUTS – Full of monounsaturated and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
    5. WHOLE GRAINS
    6. FISH
    7. BERRIES
    8. GARLIC
    9. SPINACH
    10. ORANGES (Especially Sicilian red oranges)

     

    How my granny has 93 years and feels like a child :-)

    Me and My Granny

     

    My granny “Nonna Rosa” has 93 years. She was born in Sicily in a little village called Capizzi in the province of Messina.

     

    If you tell her questions about the Mediterranean diet, she’ll answer you “What is it?”

     

    Because my granny come from a generation where healthy eating behaviors are well known.

     

    As she lived in a farm, her eating behaviors are part of the peasant culture:

    • Wine every meal
    • Vegetables and legumes (spinach, broccoli, fave, peas, beans)
    • A lof of water (no other type of sugar added drinks)
    • Natural milk
    • Home made Pasta with fresh tomato
    • Fruit (fichi, grape, pears)
    • Bit of red meat (especially lamb and beef)
    • Fresh cheese ( Ricotta and Provola)

     

    She never followed a diet in her all life.

     

    She never had health problems.

     

    I know she’ll live over 100 years…

     

    And you: Want to become the next “Nonna Rosa”?

     

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