The Recipe for Eternal Youth? Here’s What Blue Zones Can Teach Us About Human and Planetary Health!

This post introduces our 5-week Blue Zone Diet series on Instagram! For the next 5 weeks we will be posting about a different Blue Zone every Tuesday followed by a recipe inspired by that particular zone’s diet. But what is a Blue Zone?

Popularized by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow, “Blue Zone” refers to areas in the world where people statistically tend to live the longest, often living to over 100 years old without significant disease or health conditions. There are 5 main Blue Zones: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California, USA.

The Blue Zone Diet incorporates commonalities from all 5 of these zones, including typical foods, traditions, and lifestyle habits. These commonalities can be divided into 4 general areas: movement, outlook, diet, and connection.

Movement: In these zones, moderate, regular physical activity is a part of daily life. This typically isn’t a product of going to the gym or consciously choosing to work out, but is rather a natural result of the environment of these zones. People living in these zones are often growing their own food, tending livestock, or performing other physical chores which keeps them active.

Outlook: The communities in these zones generally share a strong sense of purpose and secure social networks which can come from shared faith, close family culture, or simple neighborly conviviality. Their daily routines allow them to rest and relax, with time naturally carved out for prayer, siestas, or just spending time with friends and family.

Diet: In all of these zones, moderate calorie intake is a common thread. In Okinawa, for example, there is the principle of “hara hachi bu”, or eating until you are 80% full. The diets in all of these zones are also primarily plant-based, with meat, and fish being eaten very moderately. The vast majority of their diet is made up of beans, pulses, roots, and leafy greens. While wine is a staple feature of 4 out of 5 of these zones, it is drunk moderately and always in company.

A strong social network is a key aspect of life in all 5 Blue Zones

Connection: Most of the communities in these zones follow a shared faith. But beyond that, there is a strong sense of commitment to family and loved ones, whether that is a life partner, children, or parents. This sense of community also helps support the healthy behaviors mentioned above - these behaviors are just part of the areas’ traditions and practices, which makes it easier for the community as a whole to follow them.

The Blue Zone Diet, which is actually more of a lifestyle, follows a lot of the current recommendations for diet, lifestyle, and mental health, which helps explain why the people living in Blue Zones tend to enjoy longer, healthier, happier lives. But further than just personal health, the Diet’s emphasis on local, fresh produce also aligns with recommendations for environmental health, reducing the reliance on hyper-processed foods and industrial production and shipping. This food aspect of a typical Blue Zone lifestyle is especially relevant to us at RFS, as it illustrates the link between human and planetary health by considering a “systems perspective,” with humans living in harmony with their environment.

To learn more about Blue Zones, check out their website!