"There's no DoorDash in the blue zones," Buettner jokes. "A cup of beans a day is associated with an extra four years of life expectancy," Buettner says of his analysis. The top five pillars of the blue zones' diets are whole grains, vegetables, greens, beans and tubers, such as sweet potatoes. "People in the blue zones are eating the cheapest peasant foods," Buettner says.Īnd while the blue zones he visits are distinct geographically, their diets are similar. The Sardinians also eat a lot of whole-grain sourdough. Their daily staple was a traditional Sardinian minestrone soup made from leftover garden vegetables, beans, a little barley, some tomatoes and a bit of olive oil. Swap 2: Ditch DoorDash and eat like a peasantīuettner describes meeting the oldest family in the world, whose collective age of nine siblings was 860 years (about a 95-year average). Falls are the leading cause of injury and injury death in people over 65 in the U.S., and these strategies could help prevent one. "It makes for better balance and flexibility and probably healthier backs and fewer falls," Buettner says. That equates to 30 squats and helps maintain strength in the legs and core. "I sat for two days with a 104-year-old woman who got up and down off the floor 30 times," he recalls. Swap 1: Trade the La-Z-Boy for a mat and a garden So after watching the documentary, reading the book and interviewing Buettner, here's my take on ways to swap old habits for new ones, based on the blue zone revelations. He says they have unwittingly created an environment - through their habits, rituals and cultural norms - that promote health and longevity. They are living longer without intentionally setting out to do so. They're not doing anything except living their lives," Buettner says. "People in blue zones, they're not thinking about their health or a diet or an exercise program. But we can learn from their simple habits and customs. There are equally beautiful scenes from other long-lived communities, which Buettner calls "blue zones," including Ikaria, an island off the coast of Greece in the Aegean Sea, and the mountain villages of Sardinia, off the coast of Italy.Īs a viewer and reader - The Blue Zones: Secrets for Living Longer is the companion book that Buettner has just published - I felt myself pining for their way of life.įor most of us, it's not feasible to swap places with these island dwellers, many of whom maintain a centuries-old, eat-from-the-land existence in remote corners of the globe. Their weathered skin and slow gaits don't stop them from living fully, albeit simply. He introduces us to centenarians who garden, cook, sing, laugh and play. In it, there's an evocative scene, set against the backdrop of the turquoise waters and sugar-sand beaches of Okinawa, a subtropical archipelago about 1,000 miles south of Tokyo.Ĭompared with Americans, people in Okinawa are about three times more likely to reach their 100th birthday, according to Buettner's research. His new Netflix documentary, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, is trending as a top streaming pick. has dipped and diet-related disease is a leading cause of death, it's no wonder that Dan Buettner's decades-long exploration of centenarians who thrive in the longest-lived communities on Earth is attracting lots of attention. Seaweed is part of the plant-based, low-calorie diet that makes Okinawans some of the longest-lived people in the world.Īt a time when life expectancy in the U.S. Kame Ogito, 89, gathers seaweed at low tide in Motobu, Okinawa, Japan.
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