Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain are responsible for coining the term ‘Blue Zone’. They marked the areas on the map with blue circles, where they discovered that the people live a longer life. They called the regions with in the circles as Blue zones. Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Icaria in Greece, Loma Linda in California, are the Blue zones of the world. Dan Buettner an explorer and writer from America did an extensive research and identified these Blue zones.
Biblical diet tips and inclusions inspired from Blue Zoners in America!
Even Dan Buettner must have been astonished to discover a Blue Zone in America. Oatmeal, nuts, beans, whole wheat bread, salmon fish, soymilk and avocados, are the favorite food items of the Blue zoners in Loma Linda, California.
Sugar is kind of forbidden here, people like to stick to the natural sources of sugar like fruits or dates. No sodas, smoking or drinking, in fact they prefer only water. They take meat or fish occasionally and have plenty of fruits and veggies.
Japanese diet tips to take from Okinawa food habits
Green tea, garlic, bitter melons, tofu, brown rice, and shitake mushrooms are the core of their diet. Dan Buettner found that this region had the highest number of people who reach 100. The secret is the concept ‘Hara hachi bu’ meaning “eat until you are 80 percent full.” They eat slowly, focusing on what they chew. The idea is to satisfy the hunger and “not eat until we are full”.
Live a longer life with the Ikaria Greek diet
The people of Greece are known to like lamb, but not the Ikarians. They might have it rarely, what they prefer is goat’s milk, feta cheese, black-eyed peas, honey, fresh fruits and little fish.
According to Buettner their secret is their tradition to cook the ‘right food’ the correct way. The people from Ikaria do take an afternoon nap. Research has shown that taking a nap in the afternoon reduces the risk of heart diseases.
The people living in the Blue Zones lay emphasis on physical activity. Doing their daily jobs, walking, gardening and common simple things is enough. They avoid smoking, a stressful lifestyle and sleep well to lead a healthy life. Buettner in his book –The Blue Zones, has mentioned a number of reasons apart from diet that promote the long life of the Blue Zoners.