What do a Japanese from the island of Okinawa, a Scandinavian and an inhabitant of the Vilcabamba Valley in South America have in common? All have an exemplary lifestyle. The result: they are in Olympic form, are practically not overweight and live longer than the rest of the world. Their secret? A healthy and balanced diet, based on ancestral culinary habits.

Summary
1-The Okinawa diet: a zen diet
2-The Cretan diet: a flavor of the Mediterranean
3-The Nordic diet: eat like a Viking
4-The Ecuadorian diet: from the valley of the centenarians
5-The Caucasian Diet: Mountain People, Old and Happy

Let your food be your only medicine”, already advocated Hippocrates more than 2,000 years ago. Today more than ever, we are aware that our diet is one of the keys to our well-being, both physical and mental. But how many of us still believe that the word diet necessarily means restriction? In reality, the term “diet” simply defines the way humans eat, whether it is right or not. Here we have listed five proven diets that are now among the best diets in the world. Their common point? All are based on traditional and ancestral cooking habits. Their main virtue? Provide those who follow it with the bare necessities, both nutritionally and in terms of pleasure. Ultimately, those who practice them are healthy, lean and live longer. What if a simple return to basics was enough to eat better and healthier?

1- The Okinawa diet: a zen diet
Who has never heard of Okinawa, this island of Japan, nicknamed “the land of happy immortals”, where the largest proportion of centenarians in the world live? But who says long life, says good health, good hygiene of life and therefore, little overweight. Thus, in general, the Japanese suffer much less from cancers and cardiovascular diseases than Westerners. Also, they have good bone density (no or no osteoporosis).

Food in Okinawa: it consists mainly of fish, shellfish, seaweed, vegetables, spices, herbs, cereals and fruits. Meat is consumed twice as much as in the rest of Japan, as well as legumes and green vegetables.

2- The Cretan diet: a flavor of the Mediterranean
Olive oil, tomato, feta, honey yogurt… Everyone has a vague idea of ​​what the Cretan diet is, one of the most famous “long life” diets. It is based on the best principles of the Mediterranean diet. Many studies confirm that the Cretan diet, even when adapted to French eating habits, reduces recurrences of heart attacks, and prevents heart disease and cancer.

Food in Crete: it is a diet rich in foods of cereal origin, olive oil, fish, fruits and vegetables, but low in meat, eggs, potatoes and sweets. Wheat, flax, sesame, barley, olive, pork, goat and lamb are processed into breads, oils, cheeses, kebabs and stews. Fish have a privileged place on the menu as well as wild herbs.

Flagship products: olive oil, sheep’s or goat’s milk, hummus (chickpea purée), vine leaves stuffed with rice, bread (in the form of cereal pancakes flavored with poppy seeds, cumin, olives, etc.).

3- The Nordic diet: eat like a Viking
The Icelanders, but also the other Scandinavians (Danes, Swedes, Norwegians and Finns) are on the way to take the lead of the populations whose diet allows them to live the longest and in good health. Quality of food, sensitivity to the seasons and organic, resistance to foreign trends (and fast food in particular), the Nordics have it all!

Food in the Nordic countries: it consists mainly of fish (fatty and lean), whole cereals (barley, rye, oats), potatoes, game, berries, cabbage, roots (carrot, parsnips…), dairy products and fresh herbs.

Flagship products: salmon and herring, fish oil, black bread, blueberries (cranberries, cranberries, blackcurrants…), lean beef, rapeseed oil and fermented foods (sauerkraut type) .

4- The Ecuadorian diet: from the valley of the centenarians
The inhabitants of the Vilcabamba valley in Ecuador form, as in Okinawa, a sort of exception and many scientists have sought to unlock their secret. Anxious to preserve their discretion, its inhabitants have even taken to erasing the dates of death inscribed on the tombstones of their centenarian parents. Also famous in South America under the names “sacred valley” or “paradise of eternal youth”, this valley has 11% of people in their sixties (compared to 4% in the rest of the country).

Food in Vilcabamba: it is rich in fresh vegetables (peas, avocados, tomatoes, carrots, peppers), pulses (beans, broad beans), potatoes, cassava or cereals (rice, quinoa, corn) and fruit (exotic fruits, bananas, plums, chestnuts, etc.). Many types of meat are eaten but sparingly (chicken, pork, turkey, wild boar, monkey, snake…).

Flagship products: yuca (cassava with yellow and red tubers used to make tapioca), Cuy (guinea pig served grilled or smoked), parrilladas (grilled meats), empanadas (doughnuts), dried fish and chocolate (especially in the form of cocoa drinks).

5- The Caucasian Diet: Mountain People, Old and Happy
The fascination for this region of the world dates back to the end of the 19th century. Many were then travelers (writers, botanists, archaeologists…) to go there on holiday or for spa treatment on the shores of the Black Sea. All testified to the beauty of the Circassians. Abkhazia, located between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, was at the time given as the country of centenarians.

The Caucasian diet: it consists of many vegetables (onions, dandelions, kidney beans, spinach, cabbage…), herbs and spices, fruits, nuts (in sauces and oils), yoghurts, honey, cured cheese or corn flour bread stuffed with cheese. Meat remains a luxury reserved for festive meals. The fish is absent, except in people who live near a lake.