Why residents of ‘Blue Zones’ live longer and healthier lives

We’ve all heard about places where living well beyond 100 is the norm.

And it’s true. In some locales people just seem to live longer — and I’m not talking about remote tribes in the Amazon rainforest!

Researchers have dubbed these longevity capitals “Blue Zones” — places around the world where celebrating your 100th birthday in good health isn’t such a big deal.

But these people all have something in common.

Something you can do as well, no matter what your age — starting right now!

‘Live long and prosper’

Dr. David Katz has been studying what’s going on in these Blue Zones for some time.

“They live an enviable standard,” says Dr. Katz, who is president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and a founding director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center.

While this longevity mystery hasn’t been completely solved, one thing Dr. Katz has found is that these fortunate people share a way of eating that we all strive for, but few achieve.

And that’s a diet with plenty of whole grains, veggies, fiber and lots of fish. Oh, and no driving to that nearby fast-food place for lunch or dinner!

You may be wondering where in the world people have the time to eat like that every day. But Blue Zones are all over the globe, including one location right here in the U.S.

They’re places such as lkaria, Greece… Okinawa, Japan… Costa Rica… and Loma Linda, California.

And Blue Zone inhabitants don’t just live longer — they live healthier. A lot healthier. As Dr. Katz says, they are “active and full of life.”

So how can we take a leaf from their eating habits?

For starters, one kind of fare which fills the bill that we’re all very familiar with is the Mediterranean diet.

That consists of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and small amounts of meat and milk (and not too many sweets).

But you can also take some tips from other locales – for example:

• Beans and yams, which are favorites in Costa Rica
• Rice and fish, which residents of Okinawa, Japan enjoy every day. These Blue Zone inhabitants also cut up meat and mix it into a stir-fry to make sure they have a complete dish that’s not overwhelmed by the protein.
• Olive oil, which you can use liberally in your cooking, like they do in Greece.

Other common habits in some Blue Zones include using healthy spices such as turmeric and ginger, as well as the consumption of cashews.

But probably one of the most interesting findings is that in almost every single Blue Zone, people enjoy moderate amounts of wine – and they do so regularly!

Look, we don’t have to move to such locales to start taking advantage of these findings. And if eating this way seems hard, especially if you don’t have a lot of extra time to spend in the kitchen, remember this:

Blue Zone people on average will reach the age of 100 at a rate 10 times greater than the average American.

And as Dr. Katz said: “They live long, they prosper and check out peacefully, and that’s as good as it gets.”

“These cuisines could help you live longer” Meera Senthilingam, September 30, 2016, CNN, cnn.com