Have you ever heard of blue zones?
/Currently the average life expectancy for Americans is around 77 years old and dropping, according to the CDC. This is due to the so-called diseases of despair like alcoholism, depression and suicide.
In the Blue Zones of the world, however, humans consistently live the longest, reaching up to and over a healthy and active 100 years old.
So, What is a blue zone? And where did the theory originate from?
Author Dan Buettner was interested in areas of the world in which people live longer. He found at least 5 areas in the world. He and a few colleagues drew blue circles around the areas they were researching...hence the name blue zones. These blue circles marked
Icaria (Greece) - Mediterranean rich diet with olive oil and home grown vegetables, these people live on a beautiful island.
Ogliastra, Sardinia (Italy) - This region is known to some of the oldest men in the world. They farm in the mountains.
Okinawa (Japan) - Is home to the oldest woman most of these women eat soy based foods, and practice tai chi, a meditative form of exercise.
Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica) - The people of this area live by a plan of purpose called “Plan De Vida.” They regularly work until old age and their main dish is beans and corn tortillas.
Loma Linda (California) - The Seventh-Day Adventist is a religious community that eats a very strict vegetarian diet.
Although these are the only known areas that Buettner studied, there are many unidentified areas in the world that can possibly be blue zones too.
One common thing in all blue zones is that the main diet is 95% plant based. They mainly consume vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts. In addition to being 95% plant based some regions are known to be big on fasting. This helps with reducing calorie intake which then can be good for health like lower blood cholesterol and lower body mass index.
Exercise is built into daily life in all blue zones. For example gardening, walking, farming and other daily chores. Exercising can reduce cancer, heart disease and other health problems.
Blue zone people get enough sleep. They get all their sleep at night and they often take naps during the day too. Naps during the day of 30 min or shorter are beneficial to good health. A number of studies have found that not getting enough sleep can significantly increase the risk of death, including from heart disease and stroke.
Aside from diet exercise and rest, here are four other factors that are common in blue zone areas.
Being religious or spiritual
Having a life purpose
Older and younger people living together
A healthy social network
Blue zones are homes to some of the longest living and healthiest people. By incorporating some of these if not all of these lifestyles into your daily life, you too can live a long prosperous life.
-Dan Buettner’s book is called “The Blue Zones”
