In April I have put together a series of topics to help you get yourself – your brain, your mind and your body – in the right shape to succeed!
The four topics will be:
• Eat your way to success
• Move your way to success
• Rest your way to success
• Play your way to success
You can see a theme there – and each time we will look at different ways you can help your brain be in tip top condition to give you the best chance possible to succeed in life and in business.
The topic this time is EAT.
Do you want to live to 100?
You might say No because you don’t want to live that long whilst being infirm or having dementiaBut there are some locations in the world where people live much much longer – and they have been named the Blue Zones. And the people there have long and HEALTHY lives – physically and mentally.What do they have in common? – their diet (amongst other things – but today we are focusing on food and nutrition!)
Here are some of the tips they give:
Eat more plant based foods – if you want to go “full vegan” then of course you will do this naturally. HOWEVER – the people in the blue zone regions do NOT consume foodstuffs flown in from halfway round the world – they eat local (or even better, that they have grown themselves!). Even if you only have a balcony see what you can grow yourself – fresh salad leaves are now a must for me and can be grown in pots.Don’t make yourself eat stuff you don’t like! I am really not a fan of kale but I love spinach and I have grown swiss chard which is also good. Buy fruit that you will enjoy and eat (and not leave to rot in the fruit bowl)!
Olive oil (yes I know – we do have to import that!) But more local rapeseed oils are a good substitute.
Protein – you only need about 50g a day – and if you wish to eat meat or fish then make sure it is sustainable and local as far as possible. And have meat-free days – maybe only eat meat 2-3 times a week.
Dairy – my downfall – I adore cheese! Cow’s milk doesn’t really form part of the Blue Zone diet – so limit it and anything made from it. Cut down on eggs also.
Beans Are Good! Pulses are good and cheap and can be really tasty. I often have dal now instead of rice with a curry.
Sugar. Well – just no! Yes have occasional treats – (what’s the old saying – you won’t live longer it just feels like it). Don’t forget “hidden” sugar in processed foods (which you shouldn’t be eating anyway!)
Nuts and seeds – a great snack – keep them handy to grab instead of biscuits or bags of crisps.
Bread – as little as possible and unprocessed – preferably sourdough or wholewheat.Unprocessed is the key – processed foods really are to be avoided as much as possible.
And finally….WINE! Yay! But also lots of water and a little tea and coffee – all consumed by the Blue Zone people.
Where are these Blue Zones?:
• Ikaria (Greece)
• Loma Linda (California)
• Sardinia
• Okinawa
• Nicoya (Costa Rica)
You might also like to check out the Clever Guts Diet (Michael Mosley) – look after the microbiome or “gut flora” – your gut is closely linked to your nervous system and brain and can affect mood, behaviour, your immune system, cognition, stress and emotion.
As ever I never ever tell people to change all in one go – it’s too hard – but you can start to make small changes right away – and start to make different choices as you go shopping! Drink more water, eat less sugar, you can do that TODAY!
Get in touch if you would like to discuss further.