Sunday, October 9, 2011

Getting Healthy: Foods that the Sardinian consume to prolong their lifespan: Cheese, bread and Red Wine


Foods that the Sardinian consume to prolong their lifespan: Cheese, bread and Red Wine

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The author Dan Buettner goes across the globe to examine the secrets of longevity; could a diet of bread, cheese and wine be the secret to long life? For the Sardinian population this might be just the case, says Dan Buettner, writer of the National Geographic magazine and an Emmy award-winning documentarian.
The famous author of “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest” , Buettner says that some specific aspects of the Sardinian diet do seem to have an effect on the life expectancy of the people, increasing their lifespan by approximately six years.

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One thing is sure; the people in Sardinia – an Italian island found in the Mediterranean – consume very dark red wine. Buettner reported to “Good Morning America” that the wine that they drink is so dark that the Italians name their wine “vino nero”, that is “black wine”. Buettner says that he learned about a new fact about the importance of having wine while eating. He advances that the combination of the Mediterranean diet with the dark wine helps in the creation antioxidants that scrub the arteries.
It is therefore not surprising that Buettner promotes the consumption of plenty of fruits, nuts and vegetables and discourages eating a lot of meat.
Buettner is of view that meat is a once-per-week party, not something that you should consume numerous times a day.
A diet comprised of less fish and more of Special Cheese
Diet Stresses Less Fish, and Special Cheese
However, Buettner does not lay much emphasis on the importance of fish consumption. He says that it is so because in the so-called Blue Zones – the areas of the world that he has studied where the people live the most – consuming fish has not overemphasized.
Buettner says that the longest-lived regimes do not consist of much fish. If one needs to include protein in his diet, he suggests that including special cheese that Sardinians eat is best for that.
This cheese, known as pecorino sardo, is made grass-fed sheep’s’ milk that results in a product which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Sardinia is famous for producing another type of cheese too, one that is in fact infested with live maggots. This cheese may contain bacteria that are beneficial for the gut.
Buettner acknowledges that nothing can be said for sure. The statements that have only been made are based on the way the longest-lived men in the world eat. These persons consumed these foods as a sign of toughness.
Below there are some things that Buettner affirms are present on the Sardinian table:
• Carta de musica – this is a thin, whole wheat bread that is high in vitamin D
• Leavened Bread – the bacteria that is used to rise the bread also creates a mixture of substances with positive effects, comprising of vitamins and lactic acid that may counter attack probable harmful bacteria found in the digestive tract.
• Fava beans – this bean is high in fiber as well as folate
• Cannonau – this dark red wine contains the world’s highest levels of antioxidants as far as wine is concerned
• Pecorino Sard – this is obtained from grass-fed sheep and is very rich in Omega 3
• Hazelnuts and Almonds

Foods that the Sardinian consume to prolong their lifespan: Cheese, bread and Red Wine

1 comment:

  1. Good for you! Now I did think about doing the same thing, although I'm not sure if I know what is good wine, and what I try first. I subscribed to Wine Spectator magazine, is not sure if it is the right direction to get good information about the wines.

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