From sweet potatoes to cheese – 5 cheap foods the oldest living people in the world swear by

THE BLUE Zones are five regions across the world where people regularly live to the ripe old age of 100.

You might think genetics have something to do with it, but longevity experts recon diet also plays a major role in their long lives.

The Blue Zones include Okinawa in Japan, the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, Sardinia in Italy and Loma Linda, California.

In his latest book How Not to Age, American longevity guru Dr Michael Greger was the latest expert to jump onto the Blue Zone bandwagon.

His advice for readers to live a long and healthy life was to eat like someone from a Blue Zone, the Telegraph reported.

Though there are similarities between how inhabitants across the five Blue Zones eat, each region has particular secrets to share.

From sweet potatoes and squash to Pecorino cheese, here are five ingredients that people in each of the world’s five longest living regions add to their meals.

1. Sweet potatoes

Our journey into Blue Zoners’ diets begins in Okinawa, Japan, which has 68 centenarians for every 100,000 inhabitants, about three times that of the UK

Residents diets are rich in starchy carbohydrates, such as purple sweet potatoes.

This starchy veg called beni imo is loaded with antioxidants and local to the region, though Brits might be able to track it down in some organic shops.

But your regular orange sweet potato will do just fine too, as rich in complex carbs, fibre and nutrients such as beta-carotene.

Get a large one at Tesco for just 38p, or a bad of five wonky ones for 59p at Morrisons.

Chop, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for a tasty addition to your meal.

2. Squash

From Japan, we travel to the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, where squash reigns supreme in locals’ diets.

Squash is a good source of complex carbohydrates as well as vitamin A, magnesium and potassium.

Longevity guru Dan Beuttner – who coined the term Blue Zones – previously waxed lyrical about squash, a cornerstone of Costa Ricans’ diets.

“Their diet is composed of three foods that I would argue are the best diet human beings have ever invented,” Dan claimed.

“Because of these foods, the people living on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica are two and half times more likely to reach the age of 92 than people living in the United States or Europe,” he went on.

Along with a helping of bright orange squash, Dan said centenarians living in the Nicoya Peninsula regularly add up to five different varieties of beans to their meals, and corn in the form of “delicious whole grain tortillas”.

These three foods are often referred to as the ‘the three sisters’, as they’re such a key part of local cuisine.

Have you squash with a side of beans, rice and avocado, or mix into a soup or chilli.

3. Pecorino cheese

None of need convincing to eat cheese, but you might want to take a page of Sardinians’ books in choosing Pecorino cheese.

It’s similar to Parmesan but made from sheep’s milk rather than cow’s.

Nab a block for £3.80 at Sainsbury’s.

You could sprinkle a handful on top of minestrone soup, which the world’s longest living family from the remote Sardinian village of Perdasdefogu eats daily.

4. Black eyed peas

On to Ikaria in Greece, black eyed peas are a diet staple, packed with protein and micro-nutrients.

You can buy a can of them at Sainsbury’s for 59p, or a bag of dried beans for £1.20.

Why not try making the Ikarian Longevity Stew with black eyed peas from the Blue Zones website.

Chop up onion, garlic and fennel, cook until soft with olive oil and add your beans, tomatoes and tomato paste, simmering until the beans have softened.

5. Almonds

For a healthy snack, you need look no further than the eating habits of centenarians in Loma Linda, California.

Inhabitants love snacking on almonds, a Blue Zone staple  high in antioxidants, vitamin E, protein and fibre.

Make sure they’re raw and unsalted, though you can add your own seasonings and spices to flavour them.

The nuts can sometimes be expensive to buy, but you can grab a bag at Asda for £1.75.