Eat beans to live longer better

There are several spots in the world where people seem to live longer than others called Blue Zones. The zones pinpointed were Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, the Barbagia region of Sardinia, Loma Linda in California (which contains the highest concentration of Seventh Day Adventists in the US) and Nicoya in Costa Rica. The lifestyles in these areas vary. They have different diets and beliefs. One of the things they do have in common is beans. Yes, something as simple as beans.

From studying the blue zones, it is believed that beans are "the world's greatest longevity foods" and that eating beans - of every variety, including fava, black, soy and lentil - is fundamental to healthy living and the "cornerstone of every longevity diet". The blue-zone people are "eating a cup of beans a day on average".

Why are beans so special, though? We know they are high in fiber, vitamins and micronutrients but they also remove the need for animal protein, so are better for the gut. The Blue Zoners eat only 5 percent meat. The majority of their food is plant based.

When you eat a lot of meat, the gut bacteria (the flora) of your gut changes to digest it. So a certain type of bacteria thrives when you eat a lot of meat; that bacteria causes inflammation, which is at the root of every age-related disease.

When you eat beans, however, you switch to another type of flora (it is during this changeover that flatulence occurs, but it only lasts a couple of weeks), which lowers inflammation and obesity rates.

The goal isn't necessarily to live to be 100, but to LIVE until you die. It is amazing how something as simple as beans can increase your quality of life. So eat your beans (take a walk if they cause flatulence and let it rip - exercise is the bonus!) and enjoy a longer, healthier life.