What if there was a way to eat to ensure a long and happy life? Would you eat that way? There are communities around the globe who eat well and live long. They do not eat exactly the same way, but there are similarities that we can adopt ourselves to help live a long, nutritious and healthy life. These places are known as ‘The Blue Zones’ and the longest living humans live in those places.

What if we could find some meals around the Canberra food scene that are similar to a Blue Zone dietary inclusions? Would you eat there?

EAT MORE PLANTS: this doesn’t mean becoming a vegetarian per se, but eating more vegetarian style meals with legumes is something ‘Blue Zone’ residents consume in abundance. There are a range of restaurants in Canberra offering vegetarian style meals, but you cannot beat The Food Co-Op, on the ground floor of the Lena Karmel Unilodge building in Civic, for a vegan soup or curry for just $7.

EAT MORE TOFU: If you want to adopt a long life like the Okinawans, tofu is a regular on the menu. There’s plenty of Asian restaurants offering superb tofu dishes. Lemongrass Thai in Civic, Woden and Tuggeranong have a large range of tofu/bean curd dishes loaded up with vegetables. This restaurant’s longevity is also a good sign!

SAVOUR SOURDOUGH: In Sardinia, a sourdough bread is a staple. Eaten slowly and savoured with some olive oil, bread does not need to be off the menu. If you are after some quality homemade breads, Autolyse in Braddon and Silo Bakery in Kingston are hard to beat.

EAT WHOLEFOODS: I regularly talk about eating wholefoods for a variety of reasons – nothing beats a wholefoods approach for fibre and minimizing the salt, sugar and ‘fillers’ found in overly processed foods. These restaurants are my picks for some of the best wholefood menus in Canberra.
A. Baker, NewActon
Local Press Café, Kingston Foreshore
Pod Food, Pialligo
Eighty/Twenty Food, Braddon
Double Shot, Deakin
Spud Bar, Civic

Meal hopping from restaurant to restaurant won’t exactly guarantee you live to 100… but sharing good food with friends and consuming quality wine features heavily in many long-living communities. So go out, eat wholefoods, mostly plants (with a little lean protein/ legumes/tofu) and savour each bite…

Until next time, eat well, be well…

Lisa Donaldson APD
www.FEEDinc.net
INSTAGRAM @FEEDinc.