Can Dogs benefit From Blue Zones Diet?
It is unfortunate that our dog’s lives are far shorter than our own, but there are steps we can take to give them the best chance of living their longest lives, and lives with improved quality.
It is a question of prevention rather than cure, of taking a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing rather than a reactive one. While cost it is not the priority for most of us when considering our dog’s health, adopting a preventative approach to our dog’s health will in most cases prove to be cost-saving – both financially and emotionally.
They Are What They Eat.
As we feed our dogs the same food for lengthy periods of time without much, if any, change, the most important aspect of what we feed them is the balance and completeness of their food.
Their food should at the very least meet, and preferably exceed, the minimum nutritional requirements outlined by FEDIAF (European Pet Food) and AAFCO (The Association of American Feed Control Officials).
By selecting a food for your dogs that does this you are at least ensuring that your dog should survive as it should be getting the minimum nutrients they require to sustain life.
But as with us, nutrition can go a lot further than simply sustaining life. The best diets can help to support your dog against disease and other long term health issues that affect their quality of life and longevity, effectively slowing aging in our dogs through nutrition.
One has to look no further than Dan Buettner’s ‘Blue Zones’ research to understand the importance of diet on not just long life, but also the quality of life enjoyed by those long-lived communities.
These “Blue Zone” regions are incredible because besides having a large percentage of people that live to 100, the aging population also remains active well into their 80 and 90s, and typically do not suffer the degenerative diseases common in most of the industrialised world.
10 years of research into the reasons for these age-defying communities is crystallised into what is called the ‘Power 9’. All of these are relevant to our dogs and can act as a guide on how we can help them enjoy their healthiest, and longest, lives.
1. Move Naturally. Moving naturally throughout the day — walking, gardening, doing housework — is a core part of the Blue Zones lifestyle.
Our dogs benefit greatly from getting the correct amount of exercise and mental stimulation in their daily lives
2. Purpose. The Okinawans call it ikigai and the Nicoyans call it plan de vida. Knowing why you wake up in the morning makes you healthier, happier, and adds up to seven years of extra life expectancy.
Dogs also thrive on their daily routines – their feeding times, daily walks, play time, cuddle times
3. Down Shift. Stress is part of life, but Blue Zones centenarians have stress-relieving rituals built into their daily routines. Adventists pray, Ikarians nap, and Sardinians do happy hour.
Many dogs suffer stress, even if we are unaware of it – separation anxiety, loud noises, unexpected activities – can all contribute to your dog’s stress and anxiety levels
4. 80% Rule. People in Blue Zones areas stop eating when their stomachs are 80% full and eat their smallest meal in the early evening.
It is perhaps harder to draw a comparison with this but feeding your dog a nutrient dense dog food, one that is lower in calories and high in nutrients will help ensure they feel full longer
5. Plant Slant. Beans are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains round out the rest of the diet and meat is eaten in small amounts.
This is one of the main reasons for developing Bonza – the unique ability of plants to heal! Our Superfoods and Ancient Grains formula is packed with legumes and beans including Fava (Broad) beans, Chickpeas and Peas as well Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Seaweed, Spinach, Kale, Pumpkin, Cranberries, Papaya, Pineapple, Baobab and Mushrooms.
6. Wine @ 5. Moderate but regular consumption of wine (with friends and/or food) is part of the Blue Zones lifestyle.
While we would not recommend giving your dog wine, the phytonutrient that makes wine so good for our health is resveratrol – found in grapes, wine, grape juice, peanuts, cocoa, and berries of Vaccinium species, including blueberries, bilberries, and cranberries (NOTE: Dogs should not be fed wine, cocoa, grapes or grape juice)
7. Belong. Being part of a faith-based community adds four to 14 years to life expectancy.
The only faith our dogs need to belong is the conviction of our love and attention, something they so freely they give to us. The reverse has also been shown to be true – our dogs make us longer-lived and happier. We belong together!
8. Loved Ones First. Having close and strong family connections (with spouses, parents, grandparents, and grandchildren) is common with Blue Zones centenarians. Making our dogs part of our family as opposed to ‘possessions’ provides them with the necessary bonds that provides relief from stress and a general sense of wellbeing and contentment.
9. Right Tribe. The world’s longest lived people have close friends and strong social networks.
Our dogs are social creatures – some more motivated by human interaction, others interaction with their own kind. Providing them with the opportunity for either, or both, is key to their overall happiness.
The important aspect of this is diet. As the famous Ayurvedic saying goes, “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use; When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.”
Diet refers as much to the amount we eat, as to what we eat and the same is true for our dogs. Obesity is the number one enemy of both our health and our dogs. It is responsible for the majority of chronic diseases we both face – diabetes, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular conditions and cancers – all of which are on the rise for our dogs too.
It is important to eat low calorie, nutrient dense foods. Food that provides us with nutrients above and beyond the basic nutrients required to sustain life, nutrients that can actually contribute to our health and that are preventative of the causes of ill health. Plants are the only foods capable of contributing all of these additional nutrients.
In conclusion, integrating the principles of the Blue Zones diet into our dogs’ nutritional regimen presents a promising avenue towards enhancing their longevity and vitality. Just as humans in Blue Zones benefit from a lifestyle that incorporates wholesome diets, regular physical activity, and strong social bonds, our canine companions can similarly thrive on balanced, nutrient-rich diets, appropriate exercise, and emotional support.
Embracing these guidelines not only aligns with a preventive approach to canine health care, effectively reducing potential health-related costs and emotional distress, but it also deepens the bond between pets and their owners. By adopting these holistic dietary and lifestyle practices, we offer our dogs the best possible chance to live longer, healthier lives, filled with joy and companionship.
This journey towards wellness underscores a shared commitment to well-being, reinforcing the belief that when diet and lifestyle are right, the need for medicine diminishes—a testament to the power of prevention and the profound bond between humans and their beloved pets.
Bonza, a vegan dog food is 100% plant-based and includes the majority of ingredients eaten by those living in Blue Zones whose lives are so healthily and long-lived.
You may be interested in reading the article, Best Vegan Dog Food for Health – The Analysis, which covers the most likely health issues dogs are likely to face in their life and the ingredients, nutrients and supplements that can help to prevent and support them with these issues.
