Many people think that the so-called minestrone soup is a first course served in Italian restaurants, or a light meal for children during the holidays. What if we told you that eating this soup regularly could help you live up to 100 years?
In Sardinia's "Blue Zones" (regions of the world where the most centenarians live) a family of nine siblings whose total age was 851 (the oldest was 109) told the author of the dedicated book for these areas, Dan Buettner that they ate the same meal every day of their lives. What was that meal, you ask? Minestrone soup, a slice of sourdough bread and a glass of red wine.
Yes, yes, you read that right! Regularly eating this delicious combination of foods for lunch or dinner is linked to longevity.
Why Can Minestrone Soup Help You Live So Long?
To put it simply, this type of soup consists of a variety of vegetables and several types of pasta that are good for the body and organism. Minestrone is packed with vegetables that have a lot of nutritional value, such as fiber, protein, potassium, vitamin A and iron. Eating such food reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, some forms of cancer, type II diabetes, mortality, etc.
In other words, a diet that regularly includes minestrone soup is great for fighting and preventing disease.
Minestrone soup may be the best choice, but sourdough bread and red wine should not be overlooked. Sourdough has a lower glycemic index than other forms of bread due to the acid in the yeast. This means it usually does not raise blood sugar. Sourdough is also lower in gluten because some of the gluten is dissolved during the fermentation process.
As for red wine, doctors are still unclear as to whether alcohol is good, while the World Health Organization's official stance is that no amount of alcohol is safe for your health.
How to prepare minestrone soup:
Ingredients:
250 grams of beef
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup pumpkin, diced
1 cup potatoes, diced
1 cup carrots, sliced
½ cup celery, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
Chopped tomatoes
1 and a half liters of water
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 spoons of salt
Pepper to taste
¼ cup brown rice, uncooked, or small pasta
½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Preparation:
Boil the beef in a large pot and drain the fat. Add the vegetables, water, spices and let them all boil together. Add the rice or pasta to the soup, cover and simmer for at least an hour. Remove the bay leaf and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with black bread
What are Blue Zones?
The Blue Zone is a non-scientific term given to the geographic regions where some of the world's oldest people live. The term was first used by Dan Buettner, who was studying different countries around the world to see in which areas people live the longest. They are called the Blue Zone because when Buettner and his colleagues were searching for these areas, they were drawn in blue on the map.
Why do people in Blue Zones live longer?
Genetics somewhat determines our life expectancy and adaptation to chronic diseases common in old age, on the other hand lifestyle also matters. People in the Blue Zones have fewer chronic diseases in late life thanks to a rich diet and lifestyle.
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Source: Parade
