In the book, The Blue Zones, Dan Buettner reveals how to transform your health based on his research on the dietary habits and lifestyle practices of the communities that live in areas he’s identified as “Blue Zones”— places where the world’s healthiest people live based on their longevity. If you’d like to live to be a healthy 100, keep reading.
The 5 blue zones identified by Dan Buettner are:
- Ikaria, Greece
- Okinawa, Japan
- Ogliastra Region, Sardinia
- Loma Linda, California
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Buttoner also identifies the “top longevity foods” from each Blue Zone, take a look at the list below. Seems wholesome! Many of you reading this may turn your nose up as there’s no steak on the list:).
Ikaria, Greece: goat’s milk, honey, potatoes, legumes (garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, and lentils), wild greens, lemons, feta cheese, fruit, and some fish.
Okinawa, Japan: tofu, bitter melons, garlic, brown rice, green tea, and shitake mushrooms
Sardinia, Italy: flatbread, goat’s milk, sheep’s cheese, sourdough bread, barley, fennel, fava beans, chickpeas, wine, tomatoes, almonds, milk thistle tea.
Loma Linda, California: tofu, avocados, whole-wheat bread, salmon, nuts, beans, oatmeal and soy milk.
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: peach palms, eggs, rice, beans, corn, squash, papayas, yams, bananas, and peach palms.
What do you notice that’s common to the dietary habits of all the 5 Blue Zones? There are no processed foods, no sugary foods and no meats (other than fish in one of the zones). The book also recommends eating in moderation, having a small meal in the evenings, eating mostly plants and consuming minimal amount of meat products, restricted to once a week, and drinking in moderation. And of course you need to exercise too! So, here’s to a new healthier tomorrow and taking a proactive step towards being healthy senior citizens, even if we don’t all live to be 100.