The Blue Zones
The Blue Zones
The Blue Zones are five places throughout the world where
individuals live the longest and are the healthiest. These five geographical
places include: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria,
Greece, and Loma Linda, California. For example, females over 70 years of age in Okinawa are
the longest-lived population in the world. And the group in Loma Linda, California,
known as the Seventh Day Adventists, live about 10 years longer than the rest
of the North American population. These groups were discovered by Dan Buettner,
a National Geographic Fellow.
So why is this important? There are many lessons that we can
learn from the lifestyle of these five areas, and nutrition is a key aspect. A
team of professionals including anthropologists, medical researchers, demographers,
and epidemiologists were used to find the common denominators among these
places. One important denominator is the consumption of plants, and low
consumption of meat. Beans, soy, and lentils are the cornerstone of many of the
diets, and meats (mostly pork) are only eaten about five times a month. Another
nutrition-related denominator is the “80% rule”. This practice is when you stop
eating when you are only about 80% full. This is a good method to prevent
overconsumption. Also, the smallest meal is consumed in the evening, when physical
activity is at its lowest.
Along with lessons related to nutrition, people in the blue
zones also have lifestyle practices that improve quality of life. A down shift
during the day, whether that be meditation, prayer, nap, or happy hour, is crucial
to unwind and reduce stress. Also, physical activity that comes naturally from activities
such as house or yard work has shaped the health of many of these groups. They move throughout the entire day instead of a one-hour gym session. Last, knowing
your sense of purpose in the world is important and can add years to life expectancy.
The practices from these groups in the Blue Zones are simple
yet impactful. Although we have been taught many of these simple changes, the
people in these Blue Zones are proof that a healthy lifestyle results in a long,
fulfilling life.
I'm glad that research was actually done on these populations that live longer, because there are so many news clips on tv that interview a person who is at an extreme old age and ask what their secret is. Often times they say something like "a shot of whiskey every day" or "a daily dose of bacon" was key to their longevity. While they may have consumed that shot a day or eaten bacon daily, I think their longevity was in spite of those unhealthy behaviors and not because of them. I'm glad research is showing that plant based diets are a common factor for those that tend to live longer, healthier lives. '
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