Eat for longevity
Picture this. After a visit to the market on a sunny morning, you walk home, delighting in the warm breeze and carrying a basket full of beautiful produce. It’s June, so naturally you’ve purchased dewy courgettes for a vegetable lasagne, a few globe artichokes begging to be roasted with breadcrumbs, plump pods of broad beans for your lunchtime minestrone and a punnet of strawberries which you’ll be adding to a salad with toasted walnuts, a drizzle of olive oil and the watercress harvested from your own garden. It’ll be the perfect starter for a dinner gathering with friends that evening.
What I’ve just described—moving naturally, reducing stress by doing things that bring you joy, building meaningful connections and eating a mostly plant-based diet centered around whole foods—are just some of the secrets that might help you reach the age of one hundred, in good health and good spirits. For the people lucky enough to live in the blue zones, they really aren’t secrets, though, but a way of life.Â
The term ‘blue zones,’ first coined by National Geographic explorer and journalist, Dan Buettner, refers to five areas of the world (Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California) where research showed that people are enjoying exceptional longevity and quality of life, with low rates of lifestyle-related illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes. According to Buettner, however, we don’t need to pack up and move country. By adopting some of the habits of the blue zones (there are nine outlined on his website), we too can not only add years to our life, but, most importantly, life to our years.
In a world of radical diets full of empty promises, hyperpalatable processed foods that are making us sick and pills and potions that will lighten nothing more than our wallets, the food and drink habits of these regions are like a sensible breath of fresh air. With a focus on a predominantly plant-based diet that includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seed, they’re easy to adopt and therefore sustainable for long-term health and vitality. Meat, fish, dairy and eggs (foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol) are still consumed in these areas, but only in small quantities or on special occasions. Instead, preference is given to nutrient-dense foods that are naturally rich in fiber (which most of our diets are sorely lacking) and beneficial to the gut microbiome (the ecosystem that reigns supreme in our digestive tract and plays a vital role in everything from immune function to mental health).
To give you some concrete examples of how you could eat as they do in the blue zones (and the way I’ve been eating since I switched to a plant-based diet in 2022), you could start your day with a bowl of oatmeal crowned with fresh berries, a little flaxseed, chopped nuts and a dash or cinnamon or ginger. A delicious, savory option would be a whole-grain tortilla topped with black beans or scrambled tofu, sweetcorn, sliced avocado, a spoonful of salsa and a scattering of coriander. For lunch, you could make a hearty Tuscan ribollita soup with cannellini beans, cavolo nero, seasonal vegetables, sourdough bread and peppery olive oil. In the mood for something lighter? Try a quinoa salad with chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumber, rocket lettuce, red onion, lemon juice and fresh herbs. When dinnertime rolls around, whip up a spicy stir-fry with carrots, broccoli, red peppers, tofu, soba noodles and some cashews for added crunch. Or indulge in a comforting sweet potato, turmeric, lime and coconut curry to serve over brown rice. Love pasta? Make a pesto with zesty radish greens, walnuts, garlic, olive oil and a spritz of lemon juice. Stir it through whole-grain penne and top it with slow-roasted cherry tomatoes (see the recipe I wrote for Reader’s Digest here). In the mood for a glass of wine? You’re in luck, because most people in the blue zones (with the exception of Loma Linda’s Seventh-Day Adventists) drink moderately, with good food and in good company, not as a post-workday ‘reward’ while lounging on the couch.
In embracing the lifestyle of the blue zones, we find abundance rather than deprivation. By prioritizing whole foods and savoring meals mindfully—preferably with friends, family and perhaps some laughter—we can rewrite the narrative of aging, infusing each day with renewed health. Not to mention a culinary celebration of nature’s bounty in every lovingly prepared dish.