The Happiest Diet in the World

Giulia Crouch always knew there was something magical about the life of her Sardinian grandparents, so she was not surprised when Sardinia's Nuoro mountain region was identified by scientists as one of five 'blue zones' around the world. These are places where people exhibit remarkable longevity and experience little of the disease which plagues our modern society, such as obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes and dementia.

There is a host of reasons why the blue zoners are thought to live so long and so well - including supportive social networks, unintentional exercise, plenty of sunshine - but it is what they eat and how they eat that, in Giulia's view, is the most important. Her grandparents did not eat anything because it was 'healthy'. They ate for flavour and pleasure: simple, delicious food that was nourishing without even trying. Food for them was much more than bodily fuel ­- it was about family, creativity, love, culture, identity, mindfulness, expression and joy.

In The Happiest Diet in the World, Giulia takes us on a culinary journey to these long-lived communities, where instincts and taste buds rule. With the help of top experts in science and nutrition, she identifies what the different cuisines of these places have in common and why their diets may be keeping them so healthy and happy.

With fascinating insights into everything from fasting to meat eating, sugar to wine-drinking, gut health and the incredible power of beans, along with 50 recipes inspired by Giulia's grandparents' cooking, this book shows us how to incorporate the key aspects of the super-agers' diet into ours and how to reconnect with an instinctive ancient wisdom that, because of the powerful pull of the food industry, we are in danger of losing