The Mediterranean diet has long been hailed as the healthiest way to eat.

Emphasizing lean fish, leafy green vegetables and healthy fats like avocado and olive oil, the diet has roots dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, which are now dubbed Blue Zones. 

Blue Zones are places lauded as longevity hotspots with low rates of chronic disease and significant amounts of people living well into their 90s and beyond.

Though the Mediterranean diet has earned the title of healthiest fare year after year, the foodways of a nation in Africa could soon take its place.  

Dutch researchers earlier this month found people in Tanzania, which sits on the southeastern edge of Africa bordering Kenya, are far healthier than western nations due to a focus on unprocessed, traditional foods. 

The Tanzanian Kilimanjaro diet, named after the volcano Mount Kilimanjaro, focuses on foods like okra, plantains and beans, and drinks like mbege, made with fermented banana and the grain millet. 

The researchers found men who followed the Kilimanjaro diet had significantly lower levels of inflammation and stronger immune systems. 

Experts behind the study believe it’s the diet’s lack of processed food that keeps inflammation at bay, lowering the risk of chronic diseases and possibly extending lifespan. 

Tanzania’s traditional diet focuses on unprocessed, natural foods like vegetables, legumes and grains. Pictured above is a woman in Tanzania preparing a meal

‘Our study highlights the benefits of these traditional food products for inflammation and metabolic processes in the body,’ said Dr. Quirijn de Mast, lead study author and infectious disease specialist at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands.

‘At the same time, we show how harmful an unhealthy Western diet can be.’ 

The researchers recruited 77 healthy Tanzanian men with an average age of 25.  

Of those, 23 men who normally followed the Kilimanjaro diet were asked to switch to a typical western diet for two weeks, which included foods like processed sausages, white bread and fries.

Meanwhile, 22 who typically ate western meals followed the Kilimanjaro plan for two weeks. This included eating corn, okra, plantains, kidney beans and avocados. 

Another 22 on the western diet also were asked to drink one serving of mbege every day for a week. 

Five men who maintained their normal diets were used as controls. 

The researchers found people who switched from the Kilimanjaro to the western diet had higher levels of inflammatory proteins in their blood. Their immune cells were also less effective in warding off pathogens. 

The authors said the western diet showed ‘systemic inflammation and metabolic dysregulation.’

‘Blue Zones’ are places lauded as longevity hotspots with low rates of chronic diseases and significant amounts of people living well into their 90s and beyond.

Dietitians recommend snacking on fruit to take advantage of the Kilimanjaro diet

Those who switched to the Kilimanjaro eating plan, however, saw the opposite effect.

The changes to inflammation levels were still detectable via blood samples for four weeks after the study ended, suggesting the Tanzanian diet had long-lasting benefits. 

‘Inflammation is at the root of many chronic conditions, which makes this study highly relevant for Western countries as well,’ Dr. de Mast said.

However, while this diet seems to have similar effects as the one that came out of the Mediterranean, Tanzania itself is not considered a Blue Zone. The average life expectancy is 67 – in the US, it is 77. 

Greece and Italy – two countries that adhere to the Mediterranean diet – have an average life expectancy of 82 and 84 years old, respectively. They are each home to one of the world’s five Blue Zones. 

According to the latest data, Tanzania had a cancer rate of 140 cases per 100,000 people in 2022, significantly lower than 445 per 100,000 in the US.

Tanzania records about 44,000 cancer cases per year compared to roughly 2 million in the US, though Tanzania has a significantly smaller population – there are roughly 66 million people in Tanzania compared to 330 million in the US.

Both countries have roughly equal diabetes rates, with one in 10 adults being diagnosed with the condition.

Sapna Peruvemba, a dietitian at Health by Sapna, told VegNews those who want to follow the Tanzanian diet should focus on building meals around vegetables, fruits and legumes.

The diet plan also includes fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, which have probiotics that have been shown to promote the production of disease-fighting antibodies and anti-inflammatory compounds. 

As Peruvemba says, ‘Don’t underestimate the power of returning to the basics.’