Live Longer and Healthier! Secrets shared by The Blue Zones' Dan Buettner

The Blue Zones Dan Buettner

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EPISODE SUMMARY:

Dan Buettner, an author, journalist, and expeditioner for National Geographic, has used his experience and research to discover the secrets behind the success of the Blue Zones, five areas in the world where people are living the longest. The five blue zones are Okinawa, Sardinia, Ikaria, Nicoya, and Loma Linda. In today’s episode, we sat down with Dan to discuss how he began researching the blue zones, dietary habits of the blue zones, how small life changes can make a huge impact, and how fast food has influenced the blue zones.

First, we asked Dan how he got started researching the Blue Zones. He explained that after going on expeditions with National Geographic for 30 years, he realized an important issue he wanted to research: adding good years to our lives. He told us that in the last two years, life expectancy has dropped due to chronic illness, with women’s life expectancy being about 80 years old. In the Blue Zones, people are living into their 90s without health issues, and Dan strives to use the Blue Zone’s methods and reverse engineer them into our own lives. When asked about the dietary attributes of those living in Blue Zones, Dan said that their food intake mostly consists of a whole food and plant-based diet. They only eat meat about 5 times a month, and mostly consume whole grains, greens, nuts, and beans. It is a diet high in carbohydrates, and beans especially are easy and accessible foods to add into meal plans. We also talked about the reasons behind the rise in obesity, and Dan explained that compared to the 1980s, there is a significant increase in obesity, diabetes, and other health issues. He attributes these rises to changes in our environment and the increase in fast-food chains. Since 1980, there are 20 times more fast-food restaurants available to the public. To do the Blue Zones Challenge successfully, one does not only make dietary changes but environmental changes as well.

For small ways a person can better their diet and environment, one suggestion Dan had was to change plate sizes. By using a 10-inch plate rather than a 14-inch plate, we’re decreasing the amount of food we eat in a single sitting. Another suggestion is to remove toasters from counters or areas they can be easily accessed. Dan explained that as a society, we tend to eat what we see. By looking at a toaster, we are immediately tempted to make foods that are likely not healthy for us. Removing the toaster from plain site also removes the temptations and makes sticking to a healthier diet easier. Small changes can impact our unconscious decisions, which helps to better our health and our lives. In the Blue Zones, people eat until they’re around 80% full, and are able to achieve this by implementing small changes into their daily lifestyles, such as not eating in front of TVs so they do not mindlessly consume food.

When asked about a sense of purpose, Dan emphasized how important it is for us to discover it. Having a sense of purpose increases life expectancy and life satisfaction. In his book, The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People, Dan offers ways for readers to find their individual purpose and tools to put that purpose to work. He told us that it’s important for people to have an outlet to pursue their purpose, and one of the best outlets is volunteering. Dan also stated how important it is to be surrounded by positive influences in your life. If you’re surrounded by people who are unhealthy, then you are more likely to be unhealthy yourself. Having friends who are supportive, can have meaningful conversations, and live healthy lifestyles will have a positive impact on your overall physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Dan also spoke to use about the power of nine, which are the nine attributes all of the Blue Zones share that attribute to their prosperity. One of the attributes he discussed with us was how changing the ways we make decisions help us make healthier choices. For example, eating processed foods do not satiate our appetite, causing us to eat more. Changing your diet can help improve your health and lifestyle.

Fast food has found its way into some of the Blue Zones, and when asked about the impact of American food culture, Dan told us it’s had negative consequences. Okinawa, one of the Blue Zones, is now an unhealthy prefecture in Japan due to the implementation of American fast-food restaurants. However, through Dan and his team’s research and efforts, they have been able to lower the obesity rates by 15%.

Finally, Dan spoke to us about The Blue Zone Challenge. He stated that through the program, people are given a 4-week plan for setting up environmental and dietary changes for changing their lifestyle and becoming healthier.

Dan Buettner

Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world – dubbed blue zones hotspots – where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic are two of the most popular for both publications.

Buettner now works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. Blue Zones Projects are well-being initiatives that apply lessons from the Blue Zones to entire communities by focusing on changes to the local environment, public policy, and social networks. The program has dramatically improved the health of more than 5 million Americans to date.

His books, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People, and The Blue Zones of Happiness were all national bestsellers. Buettner has appeared on The Today Show, Oprah, NBC Nightly News, and Good Morning America, and has keynoted speeches at TEDMED, Bill Clinton’s Health Matters Initiative, and Google Zeitgeist. His speech in January 2018 at the World Economic Forum in Davos was chosen as “one of the best of Davos.”

His new book “The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 recipes for living to 100” is a New York Times Best Seller and fuses scientific reporting, National Geographic photography and 100 recipes that may help you live to 100.

Buettner also holds three Guinness World Records in distance cycling.

POWER OF 9:

Move Naturally

Have Purpose

Down Shift Daily

Belong

Put Family First

Eat until 80% Full

Find Your Tribe

Drink in Moderation

Eat Mostly Plants