regardless of location or inherited DNA.
In This Article
How Do the Blue Zones Compare to the Typical American Lifestyle? What Are the Blue Zones?
Six healthy practices that will prolong your life
While the Mediterranean diet receives the majority of the attention in the health landscape—as the greatest diet of 2023, a way of life that is ideal for supporting heart health and a fantastic option for people with type 2 diabetes—it is not the only lifestyle that can help enhance lifespan.
According to Dan Buettner, a Miami-based National Geographic scholar and the author of The Blue Zones American Kitchen, there are people from a small number of locations around the world who live just as long. He brought together anthropologists, demographers, epidemiologists, and medical specialists to help compile data from the world's longest-living people to learn their secrets as the project's founder in 2000, according to Buettner. Building on previous findings, the Blue Zones team has identified several lifestyle factors that have affected longevity during the past 20 years using data supported by evidence.
In addition to genetics, Buettner cited research from the Danish Twin Study, which was published in Human Genetics in 1996 and found that only 20% of a person's lifespan is determined by genetics.
Thus, lifestyle and the environment were responsible for the remaining 80% of the population. Therefore, even though genetics can have an impact, people must concentrate on what they can influence, such as creating a routine and environment.
How Do the Blue Zones Compare to the Typical American Lifestyle? What Are the Blue Zones?
Only two of the world's five recognized Blue Zones are said to be located in the Mediterranean region:
- Okinawa, Japan
- Nicoya, Costa Rica
- Ikaria, Greece
- Loma Linda, California
- Sardinia, Italy
The majority of people in these five areas live over 100 years old. Furthermore, ''the majority of people in these five regions will live over 100 years old. Furthermore, ''the majority of people in these five locations will live to be 100 years old or older. Additionally, I work with women in Warrenton, Virginia, who are dieting to quit and have a healthy relationship with food as registered dietitians. According to Carolyn Thomasson, a registered dietitian at the CDCES, these people are not simply living longer lives; they are also leading healthier lives; Americans are now living a lot longer than earlier generations. This does not necessarily imply that you will live a long and healthy life, but can be found early with the aid of preventive measures such as cancer screenings, for lung cancer using a CT scan, mammograms, pap smears, and colonoscopies. Treating medical problems, diseases, or illnesses when they arise can reduce physical, financial, and emotional burdens, instead of delaying treatment. Fruhbauer also asserted that mental health counseling may be beneficial.
What then do these wise people in the Blue Zones do daily to live longer and healthier lives that are full of vitality?
6 Healthy Habits to Increase Your Lifespan
As the saying goes, "You become what you do," and daily habits do build up to tilt the needle in favor of (or against) well-being. However, Margaret Fruhbauer, D.O., a board-certified internal medicine physician of Northwest Community Healthcare in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, cautions against taking matters into your own hands and forgoing professional advice and routine exams.
The disease can be found early with the aid of preventive measures like cancer screenings like colonoscopies, mammograms, pap smears, and CT lung cancer screenings. Treating medical problems, diseases, or illnesses when they arise can reduce physical, financial, and emotional burdens instead of delaying treatment. Fruhbauer also asserts that getting mental health counseling might be very beneficial.
1. Don't "Diet"—rather, eat till you're mostly satisfied.
Instead of doing a detox or cleanse, strive to adhere to "hara hachi bu" while maintaining a wide variety of wholesome, local, if at all possible, foods in your diet. This way of thinking is crucial in Okinawa, where the 2,500-year-old Confucian maxim encourages residents to savor their meals and snacks until they are 80% satisfied rather than calculating calories or going on a crash diet.
In the Blue Zones, "almost all of the foods consumed by centenarians grow within a 10-mile radius of their homes," according to Buettner, but any whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, fruits, and vegetables are beneficial to your health.
According to a meta-analysis published in the February 2022 issue of the journal PLOS Medicine, people who "adopt a diet that includes whole grains, legumes, fish, fruits, vegetables, and a handful of nuts, and reduce red and processed meats, sugary drinks, and refined grains" at the age of 20 may be able to add more than 10 years to their life expectancy. The results show that even if someone started taking these measures at age 60, they may expect to live an additional 8 years. We can't control every element of health, and healthy eating isn't a cure-all.
If your favorite fresh foods aren't available, think about frozen, canned, or fermented meals. And if you don't know where to begin, Fruhbauer advises outsourcing, getting assistance, and using resources that make healthy eating simpler, including regional food access organizations or a dietician connected to your doctor's office.
"Many meal delivery services promote healthy eating. Using a slow cooker, Instant Pot, or air fryer can simplify meal preparation, according to many of my patients, she says. Make it a group effort by including the family in decision-making around meal planning and food preparation.
2. Restrict Added Sugars
Eating less ultra-processed food will almost certainly result in you consuming fewer grams of added sugars. Buettner confirms that people in the Blue Zones consume sugar on purpose, rather than by habit or accident.
They take in about the same quantity of naturally occurring sugars as North Americans, but only about a fifth as much added sugar—no more than 7 teaspoons per day—he says.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average American adult consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day, which is more than two to three times the recommended amount. Much of this additional sugar can be found in unexpected places, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, yogurt, morning cereal, and plant-based milk, to mention a few.
3. Prepare More Meals at Home
According to the CDC, over 60% of Americans eat out at least once per week, while a 2019 survey by the research organization Fourth discovered that 10% dine out four to six times each week.
While residents of the Blue Zones eat out on occasion, they are known to take pride in making cooking an event. For example, in some houses, meals frequently include many courses of family dishes created with affection.
Cooking at home gives you more control over the products you use, allows you to consume a lesser portion naturally, and provides the stress-relieving benefits of producing something from scratch. Individuals who frequently eat meals made away from home, two or more meals per day, may have a higher risk of all-cause death, according to a 2021 study published in the esteemed pages of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
4. Share Food With Others
Now that you've made your dinner, you may reap even more health benefits by sharing it with others.
The longest-living people in the world "choose—or were born into—social circles that supported healthy behaviors," according to Buettner. "Okinawans formed ' moais,' or groups of five companions who vowed to be close forever. Smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are all contagious, according to research from the Framingham Studies.
Long-lived individuals' social networks have positively influenced their health-related habits. Families that share meals tend to eat more fruits, vegetables, and other nutrients that are good for their health, according to a meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in February 2021. A March 2017 study published in the journal Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology found that eating with friends or family is associated with feelings of happiness, community engagement, life satisfaction, increased trust in others, and increased laughter. The quality of the food isn't the only advantage.
5. Include exercise in your daily life.
"The longest-living folks on this planet don't hit the gym for grueling workouts or strive for marathon medals. They dwell in settings that effortlessly encourage them to stay active, almost without a second thought," as Buettner uncovers. Engaging in everyday activities such as caring for their gardens and maintaining their homes, devoid of fancy gadgets, contributes substantially to their daily physical activity.
Whether you enjoy hiking while listening to your favorite podcast, tending your vegetable garden, or simply walking around the neighborhood to unwind after a long day, moving more has been shown to improve mood by increasing levels of natural "feel-good" neurotransmitters called endorphins. According to Fruhbauer, cardio, resistance training, yoga, tai chi, Pilates, or any activity can improve balance, boost strength, burn calories, and lower the risk of depression, heart disease, and other conditions. You may attend entertainment classes at your local community center.
People frequently claim they don’t have time to exercise, but you don’t have to commit to 60 or even 30 minutes, she explains. In her patients, "I encourage my patients to go for a walk on their lunch breaks or try light weight lifting while watching your favorite TV show in the morning or evening."
6. Give sleep and stress relief a priority.
According to Fruhbauer, chronic sleep deprivation can increase everything from migraine and fibromyalgia discomfort to the risk of heart disease and cancer.
A steady or regular assault of stressors (cough, continual phone pings, and frightening or tension-filled news updates) can promote chronic inflammation, which is linked to every major age-related disease, according to Buettner.
According to Buettner, many people in the long-lived Blue Zone communities share common stress-relieving habits, such as remembering their ancestors, praying, napping, and gathering for joyful hours. Many of these entail some form of social community, which can enhance the advantages.
Fruhbauer recommends scheduling time for self-care in the same way that you would schedule an oil change or haircut. She feels that even committing to three days a week for 15 minutes might have a long-term influence.
Walking, meditation, and breathing are all free and scientifically proven strategies to relieve stress and promote better sleep. Taking a break from electronic devices 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime, eating more sleep-promoting foods, and following bedroom design suggestions will all help you sleep better.
The Verdict
The Blue Zones are five areas throughout the world with the highest number of centenarians or persons who live to be 100 or older. Those who live the longest and strongest typically live in circumstances that encourage them to walk daily, eat nutritious foods (mainly plants), and prioritize sleep and stress management.
While the Blue Zones environment frequently makes the healthy choice the easier one, Buettner adds that you don't have to rely on pure willpower to make these good choices for longevity. Instead, strive to incorporate a variety of tiny modifications into your daily routine and environment to encourage well-being, and surround yourself with like-minded individuals who value joyful movement. Seek out self-care practices that are simple to include in your daily routine, and experiment with changes for better sleep in one week.
You can create an atmosphere that supports your health and well-being as long as you keep making these little adjustments, says Buettner.
