Top 12 dishes that centenarians on the Greek island of longevity often eat: 11 of them are available at Vietnamese markets!

The Greek island of Ikaria is one of the few areas in the world with high life expectancy. The food people here eat may have played a role.

In 2009, Greek doctors and researchers found that 13% of Ikarians were over 80 years old, compared with about 1.5% of the global population and about 4% in North America and Europe. Islanders are 10 times more likely to live to 100 than Americans.

Here's what to eat Ikarian style to live a long life:

1. Beans

Beans are an important part of the Ikarian diet and adding them to your daily eating plan has been shown to prolong life and help you gradually reduce meat from your diet. me. Such as winged beans, green beans, giant beans (Gigantes), lentils and peas.

2. Garlic

Garlic is a natural ingredient that has a delicious taste and is good for health, and modern Ikaria people believe in it. They make preventive medicines from raw garlic, camellia or sage tea, ginger and honey for people to drink when the temperature drops or feels cold.

Garlic makes everything taste better and sweetens when cooked, giving an almost caramel-like flavor to many different foods.

3. Cereals

Whole grains are an integral part of Ikaria's diet.

These are the grains they eat: Bulgur, oatmeal, and pasta, especially whole-wheat pasta and high-protein, gluten-free legume-based pastas like chickpeas and lentil pasta.

4. Herbs

Countless herbs grow wild on the island of Ikaria and most people have a few pots of fresh herbs growing at home, even if it's just sitting on their windowsill. Herbs are widely used in many recipes.

Most families have a cupboard full of dried herbs whose medicinal properties are passed down from generation to generation. Basic dried herbs include: bay leaves, oregano leaves, herbs, thyme, mint.

5. Seeds

Nuts are an important ingredient in many plant-based recipes and have traditionally been an important ingredient in Greek cooking. They grow in abundance throughout this country. Here are some of the most popular and healthiest: Almonds, Pistachios, Sesame and Walnut Tahini.

6. Olives

Olives have been a staple in the Greek diet since prehistoric times.

7. Olive oil

Olive oil is an iconic food of the Mediterranean diet and a pantry staple, and unrefined extra virgin oil is especially good.

8. Sea salt

In Ikaria, many people use sea salt, which is collected in small natural salt basins formed over centuries along the island's rocky coast. It tastes better than regular table salt, is obtained from mines, and is rigorously processed.

9. Honey

Drinking honey every day is one of the secrets to longevity of the people of Ikaria Island. Honey is antibacterial, rich in antioxidants like flavonoids, and unlike white sugar or artificial sweeteners, it helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. Many people here eat a spoonful every morning.

10. Dried fruit

Dried figs and raisins are two popular dried fruits. Suitable with many savory dishes, especially salads and rice dishes.

11. Yogurt

Yogurt is a fermented food that has been part of Eastern Mediterranean cooking for thousands of years, and the traditional yogurt of the island of Ikaria is made from sheep's milk, which gives it a tart flavor and texture. cream.

If you're not a fan of goat's milk yogurt, you might prefer the Greek yogurt available in supermarkets, which is also rich in probiotics.

12. Feta cheese and similar cheeses

Almost all the cheeses that Ikarians make and eat are made from goat or sheep milk, such as feta. Most of it is naturally fermented.