Many of us have heard of blue zones, or the communities across the globe including Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Ikaria, Greece, where people seem to be doing it right—living longer, healthier, happier lives. Researchers introduced the blue zones in 2000, and a 2004 academic paper used it to describe an “an area of extraordinary longevity in Sardinia.” Striving for longevity is something Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow, became fascinated with when studying what makes a community thrive over two decades ago. That led him to form Blue Zones, a registered trademark owned by Blue Zones LLC, a company using longevity research to apply social and environmental changes to American cities.
Buettner found that on average, people residing in blue zones live up to a decade longer than Americans, have fewer chronic health conditions, and spend less on health-related costs. People who reside in blue zones primarily rely on walking to get around, and their lives are rooted in community and socialization, “underpinned with purpose,” according to Buettner’s new book The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 from National Geographic, which was released this month. While a myriad of factors define what it means to now be an official certified blue zone, a community’s diet is an undeniably influential factor in longevity—and may help you live "an extra 10 good years," according to the book. So what is the blue zone way?
