The secret to eating like you live in a longevity hotspot is more in reach than you may have thought.
Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow, the founder of Blue Zones LLC, and the author of The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100, has studied the daily habits of those who live in blue zones where people live about a decade longer than the average (think Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Ikaria, Greece).
After collecting his research and distilling some of the lessons of the blue zones to his book, Buettner says the advice can be applied to your weekly grocery run—and it's easier than you may think.
Bottom line: “Put your whole-food, plant-based glasses on and walk through your grocery store,” Buettner tells Fortune.
With this basic principle in mind, focus on ingredients you find tasty.
“Find the ingredients you love, and if you can learn how to combine them to make something delicious, you're on your way to eating to 100,” he says.
Here are the five foods Buettner says represent the blue zone way of life—starting with his favorite: Beans.
Beans
The superfood is cheap, nutritious, and filling—and may help you live longer.
Beans uniquely offer a mix of protein and fiber, beneficial for muscle building and maintaining a steady blood sugar. They also contain folate and magnesium, crucial for cell growth and muscle growth respectively. The majority of Americans do not get enough fiber in their diet, and Buettner points to the microbiome’s dependence on fiber to function properly. A cup of beans provides about half of your daily fiber recommendation.
You can find beans for less than $2 a pound, he says, making them an accessible addition to any diet.
In his book, Buettner recommends eating beans every day, writing they “reign supreme in the blue zones and are the cornerstone of every longevity diet in the world.”
While beans have been serving people for millennia, they seem to be having a moment now—and for good reason. One food creator, Violet Witchel, has gone viral for her "dense bean salad" recipes, full of hearty ingredients and a range of beans from chickpeas, butter beans, and black beans. The salad, better known as "DBS," has wooed meal-preppers who are looking for filling recipes that are also tasty.
Nuts
Eat a handful of nuts a day, Buettner says, whether they are almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or cashews, to name a few. They contain protein and fiber and can reduce the risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and inflammation.
Whole fruits and leafy greens
One key to eating like you live in a blue zone is eating a variety of whole fruits and vegetables every day, specifically adding in leafy greens, which are filled with vitamins.
“People in the blue zones eat an impressive variety of garden vegetables and leafy greens (especially spinach, kale, beet and turnip tops, chard, and collards) when they are in season; they pickle or dry the surplus to enjoy during the off-season,” Buettner writes in his book.
Maintaining lasting dietary changes only works if people stick with their habits. And you’re more likely to maintain a habit if you enjoy it. Regularly seeking out your favorite vegetable and fruit during your grocery run can take the stress out of purchasing things you aren’t excited about.
Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes contain complex carbohydrates and protein, not to mention they are cheap and accessible, Buettner says. They are packed with vitamins crucial for strengthening the gut microbiome, which helps with digestion and strengthens the immune system.
Turmeric
Turmeric, a common ingredient found in curries, is a major anti-inflammatory spice, and has been used to treat digestive issues, liver problems, and wounds.
“And turmeric impacts the hippocampus, which is a part of the brain that helps regulate stress hormones,” Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist and author of This Is Your Brain on Food, previously told Fortune. It can help prevent chronic stress, which can lead to heart problems.
Consider adding the spice to your next cup of tea.
Buettner hopes people recall these blue zone staples on their next grocery run, to eat in a way that promotes health and longevity.
“People tend to think [of] the expensive super foods, or even expensive fresh produce, which is out of reach for a lot of Americans,” he says. “In a blue zone, people are eating peasant food, so they're eating the beans and the greens that are growing in vacant lots and whole grains, which are cheap. You can buy those in bulk.”
For more on blue zones and longevity:
- The key to a long life is avoiding the 'poisonous 5 P's,' says one of the world's top anti-aging experts
- 3 ancient foods are the staple of this blue zone’s longevity diet
- The longevity secrets of Singapore, the 6th blue zone city where people are living the longest, happiest lives
- A look inside America’s only blue zone city—home to some of the world’s longest-living people
