For the last few months, I’ve been participating in ZOE, a science-backed personalised nutrition plan developed by the epidemiologist Professor Tim Spector.
It’s not always easy to stick to the programme, especially when I’m travelling, but it works wonders for my energy levels when I do.
If you’re interested in healthy living, I thoroughly recommend the ZOE podcast.
A recent episode on Blue Zones – regions where people live longer than average – piqued my interest because the first Blue Zone to be discovered was on the Italian island of Sardinia. Sardinia has nearly ten times more centenarians per capita than the US.
This is partly due to genetics, but the traditional Sardinian lifestyle is also crucial. Here’s what I learned:
- Sardinians prioritise family and friendship (like most Italians!), reducing the damaging effects of loneliness.
- They eat a healthy diet of wholegrain bread, beans, vegetables, fruit, and pecorino cheese high in omega-3 fatty acids—all washed down with a glass of flavonoid-rich Cannonau wine. Meat is reserved for special occasions.
- They get plenty of ‘incidental exercise’ from growing their own vegetables, hunting, and walking up and down the island’s mountainous terrain.
Personally, I’m doing pretty well with the first two, but I need to work on getting more incidental exercise – it doesn’t help that there are not very many mountains in London or Cambridge, where I split my time!
P.S. If you want to try ZOE, sign up here to get 10% off