Perusing the library shelves one day, I stumbled across a cookbook entitled The Blue Zones Kitchen.

Upon reading the preface to the cookbook, I was intrigued to keep diving into the information, especially as it related to nutrition. Familiar but yet fuzzy, the concept of the Blue Zones required a bit more study on my end.

Although nutrition can be flat-out confusing, it cannot be overlooked if we want to reach our personal best.  So many voices reach our ears clamoring about which foods are optimal.  How are we to sort through it all?

Why not explore the healthiest communities around the world for insight?

What are the Blue Zones?

Researcher Dan Buettner became intrigued about longevity and set about studying societies flourishing with older individuals in communities “largely free of afflictions like heart disease, obesity, cancer, and diabetes”.

As I have stated in previous posts, it’s not just about living long but living those years in a joy-filled healthy, active state.

Buettner describes the project:

“Life expectancy of an American born today averages 78.2 years. But this year, over 70,000 Americans have reached their 100^th birthday. What are they doing that the average American isn’t?

To answer the question, we teamed up with National Geographic to find the world’s longest-lived people and study them.  We knew most of the answers lied within their lifestyle and environment (The Danish Twin Study established that only about 20% of how long the average person lives is determined by genes). Then we worked with a team of demographers to find pockets of people around the world with the highest life expectancy, or with the highest proportions of people who reach age 100.”

He found those pockets in various places around the globe:

• Barbagia region of Sardinia
• Ikaria, Greece
• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
• Loma Linda, California
• Okinawa, Japan

There is so much to delve into with this research as Buettner found 9 similar lifestyle habits that all of these clusters emulate.

However, sticking to nutrition, he discovered dietary commonalities among each group.

9 Nutrition Tips

1. Go Wholly Whole. Choose foods that are recognizable and not processed.
2. Daily Dose of Beans. “Beans reign supreme in blue zones and the cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world with fiber, 21 % protein, and 77% COMPLEX carbohydrates that deliver a slow and steady energy”.  Half cup to one cup/day.
3. Drink Mostly Water. ‘With very few exceptions, people in blue zones drank coffee, tea, water, and wine (in moderation).  Soft drinks which account for about half of Americans’ sugar intake were unknown to most blue zone centenarians”.
4. Snack on Nuts. About 1-2 handfuls a day.
5. Go Easy on Fish. “People ate fish but less than you would think”.  Fewer than 3 oz, up to three times weekly.
6. Go Easy on Eggs. “No more than three per week. Blue zone eggs come from chickens that range freely, eat a wide variety of natural foods, and don’t receive hormones or antibiotics”.
7. Slash Sugar. No more than 7 added teaspoons or 28 grams daily.  Blue Zone individuals “consume about the same amount of naturally occurring sugars (as in fruits, vegetables, etc…) as North Americans but that’s not the problem”.  The problem is added sugar.  Their advice is to “save sweets, cookies, candy, and bakery items for special occasions.  Skip any product that lists sugar among its first five ingredients.
8. Reduce Dairy. “Milk from cows does not figure significantly in any blue zones diet except that of some”.
9. Retreat from Meat. Blue Zones centenarians ate 2 ounces or less, 5 times a month.  “They use it as a celebratory food, a small side, or a way to flavor dishes”.   A whole foods/plant-based eating lifestyle reigns supreme.

   Click here for a summary chart.

This list above might seem intimidating to even attempt!  However, tackling one area at a time will inevitably lead to better health.  For example, start to wean off any kind of sodas or sugary drinks and replace those with water.

Here’s to better health for all of us over 50!

Cheering you on.