The daily diet of a ‘Blue Zone’ nutritionist 

Moneycontrol News May 25, 2024

Blue Zones

Blue Zones are areas of the world where residents live exceptionally long lives, typically crossing the age of 80

Eliza Cheng

Eliza Cheng, a dietician and nutritionist from Loma Linda -- USA’s only Blue Zone -- revealed to CNBC what she eats in a day. Here is a glimpse of her daily diet:

Wake up

Cheng begins her day at 6 am with 8 ounces (roughly 240 ml) of room-temperature water – sometimes with a slice of lemon.

Breakfast

Cereal with plant-based milk and fruit. Cheng usually takes almond milk with her cereal “because it contains B vitamins and iron, which are essential for regulating muscle growth and strength.”

Mid-morning snack

Her 10 am snack is a granola bar with fruit, nuts and seeds to provide fat, proteins and good complex carbs. Sometimes she eats cheese and juice or yogurt with a handful of granola. 

Lunch

A sample of her lunch menu would include “steamed rice with roasted broccoli and cauliflower with honey-glazed stir-fried firm tofu.”

Afternoon snack

Around 1.45, Cheng eats something sweet to boost her blood sugar – like a a single serve chocolate, a banana with nut butter or some strawberries and Nutella.

Dinner

Dinner for Cheng is white or brown rice with veggies and protein. For vegetables, she usually likes bok choy, stir fried with garlic, olive oil and vegetarian oyster sauce

Dinner

For her dinner protein, she usually likes tofu, which is air fried or pan fried with onions and garlic powder and mushroom seasoning.

Evening treat

Cheng finally ends her day with a healthy treat around 8 pm. Of late, this evening treat has been honey-flavoured yogurt, sometimes with nuts added to it.