(Learn why the traditional Okinawan diet is a recipe for long life)
Located eight miles off the coast of Turkey in the Aegean Sea, Ikaria has some of the world’s lowest rates of middle-age mortality and dementia.
Research links the increased longevity of these Greek super-agers with the traditional Mediterranean diet, which is heavy in vegetables and healthy fats and contains smaller amounts of dairy and meat products.
The mountainous highlands of Sardinia claim the world’s highest concentration of centenarian men. Its population consumes a low-protein diet associated with lower rates of diabetes, cancer, and death for people under age 65.
(Here are the many ways health actually improves as we age)
One key element in the Blue Zones Diet is eating unprocessed foods, such as the homemade pasta prepared here with potato, pecorino cheese, and mint. Photograph By Andrea Frazetta, Nat Geo Image Collection
Nicoya is located in a region of Central America with the world’s lowest rate of middle-age mortality and the second highest concentration of male centenarians.
The longevity secret here lies partly in strong faith communities, deep social networks, and habits of regular, low-intensity physical activity.
The high concentration of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda is credited with giving residents 10 more healthy years than the average American. Daily meals in this Los Angeles suburb follow a biblical diet of grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
(This American diet could add 10 years to your life)
Residents of Loma Linda, California, engage in regular physical activity and eat a largely plant-based diet, which can lead to longer and healthier lives, according to the Adventist Health Study. Photograph by CALEB THAL, The New York Times/Redux
What is the ‘Blue Zones Diet’?
Genetics play a key role in how long we live, but diet can be “the entrance ramp for better health,” says Buettner.
