You might be looking at the title and thinking, “What in the world is a blue zone?” This term was created by Dan Buettner, who sought to “reverse-engineer a formula for longevity” (Buettner 2019, 19). He wanted to know how to live to100, so he did this by seeing what people who’ve lived to 100 ate. While seeking out which places around the world people have lived to or past that age, Buettner drew a line around each area with blue ink, hence the name blue zones.
What are the blue zones?
The five blue zones Buettner discovers are as listed: Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California. Buettner writes that the people in these zones don’t live longer because of supplements or antiaging serums. “They do so because their surroundings nudge them into the right behaviors” (Buettner2019, 19). Those that live in these zones move their bodies every 20 minutes or so, due to their environment. He writes that their streets are built for humans rather than cars, so every opportunity to leave the house is an opportunity to walk. They also do a lot of work by hand, such as grinding corn or kneading bread.
Not only do the people in these zones regularly move their bodies, but their lives have a sense of purpose. Buettner writes, “...their brand of purpose is not just hobbies or golf. It also includes a sense of responsibility: for their community, family, or the next generation” (2019, 20). These communities check in on each other, valuing face-to-face communication rather than virtual.
Something terrible happened, though, when the introduction of the Standard American diet made its way into these zones, introducing unhealthy but easier options. This pushed many of the traditional dishes out along with the lifestyles of the people, lowering the life expectancy of their younger generations.
Buettner’s goal in creating the Blue Zones Diet was to learn from the centenarians, to take their recipes and culinary wisdom, and to produce a guide that introduces the rest of the world to the secrets of longevity. Let's take a look at what some of the world’s longest-lived people ate.
Leafy Greens
People in these zones eat a large amount of garden vegetables and leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, beets, turnip tops, chard, and collards. Buettner writes that the surplus of these is pickled and dried to enjoy during the off-season. “Beans, greens, sweet potatoes, wholegrains, fruits, nuts, and seeds dominate blue zone meals all year long”(Buettner 2019, 24-25). Olive oil is also another staple, as it increases good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol.
Reduced Meat
Meat is limited in these zones. Buettner found that people only ate around two ounces or less of meat around five times per month. Meat is used largely as a celebratory food in these zones, as a side dish or for flavoring other dishes. The Adventist Health Study 2 found that out of 96,000 Americans, followed since 2002, the people who lived the longest were vegans or pesco-vegetarians who ate a small amount of fish (Buettner 2019, 25).A good meat substitute was found from the Okinawans, who often eat extra-firm tofu.
Limited Eggs and Dairy
In all of these blue zones, cow’s milk is an insignificant player. With the Ikarian and Sardinian communities, sheep and goat milk are prominent. Interestingly, though, goat milk is often consumed as yogurt, sour milk, or cheese, rather than a liquid. Buettner recommends eating eggs no more than three times per week. People in these zones typically eat eggs as a side, rather than the main dish.
Daily Beans
Buettner writes that beans are packed with more nutrients per gram than any other food on Earth (2019, 27). It is a staple of every blue zone diet, with black beans in Nicoya; lentils, garbanzos, and white beans in the Mediterranean; along with soybeans in Okinawa. “People in the blue zones eat at least four times as many beans as Americans do on average—at least a half cup per day” (Buettner 2019, 27). Since they are rich in fiber, beans can push less-healthy foods out of your diet.
Nuts
Nuts are also a staple of these diets. Buttner recommends eating two handfuls of nuts daily, each weighing about 2 ounces(2019, 27). The Adventist Health Study 2 found that nut eaters outlive non-nuteaters by an average of two to three years. Some options to choose from based on what the blue zone centenarians eat are almonds, pistachios, Brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts.
This diet is simple to follow, with hundreds of recipes made from a few simple ingredients. It’s also inexpensive. The people in these blue zones are not celebrities or wealthy surgeons but regular people cooking with what’s available.
