Book Review — The Blue Zones: Tips for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest

Dan Buettner’s,The Blue Zones: Tips for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest is a great read — informative and inspirational. Having a 75 year old mother that defied the odds after a major stroke and lives every day to the fullest, I found this book so on the mark regarding the combination of mental activities, family involvement, spiritual involvement and food choices that have kept the subjects showcased in this book reaching 100 years of age and beyond! Mr. Buettner’s street creds are impressive.

He is a National Geographic Explorer, a writer,and the founder of Quest Network, Inc. where he continues to do research on the Blue Zones. His 2005 cover story for National Geographic magazine, “Secrets of Living Longer,” was a finalist for the National Magazine Award.

So what are the Blue Zones?

Buettner has pin-pointed, through his travels and research, areas of the world where folks are simply living longer. This book showcases four: Okinawa, Japan; the Barbagia region of Sardinia, Italy; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica. Some of the specifics for each area are as follows:

Japan: The citizens of Okinawa have a very individualized sense of purpose and order; the elderly are revered there and not shut away with a built in support system. Their diets are vegetable rich, high in seaweed and mineral content and moderate alcohol is consumed.

Sardinia: Sense of family and family interconnectedness is huge. Diets are rich in legumes, beans and olive oil and 2 glasses of red wine per day is the norm. The area showcased is mountainous, with aged herders walking on average 5 miles a day.

Loma Linda, California: This community is one of Seventh Day Adventist who are mainly vegetarians. Their Sabbath focuses on quiet reflection on God and nature and devoting time to family and faith is core to their existence. Exercise is key in their lives.

Costa Rica: The section on Nicoya Peninsula just screamed, “Ahh, the simple life…” Families all live near each other and family life makes up their day-to-day. Their water content has high levels of vitamin D, so the community has strong teeth and bones; last meal is had early and caloric intake is low with agricultural related chores sprinkled throughout the day.

Clearly there are some common threads here:

Strong community and family support. One thing I see in New York City are lots of our dear elderly living alone and fending for themselves - not so in these communities.

All have healthy plant based and fiber rich diets where meat is secondary, not primary and generally low in fats and zero processed foods.

Spirituality and sense of purpose were great. These subjects got up every day and knew why they were on this planet and who they were serving: their God and their families.