The Blue Zones Solution

The Blue Zones Solution shows you how to adopt the lifestyle and mindset practices of the healthiest, longest-living people on the planet from the five locations with the highest population of centenarians.

People in the Blue Zones typically eat their last meal of the day in the late afternoon or the early evening hours. After that, no late-night snacking or sweet nightcap before bedtime! They have also learned to discipline themselves to stop eating before they feel full. But why would walking away from the dinner table feeling less than that be desirable?

There’s a good amount of press these days dedicated to what health experts call “intermittent” fasting. This type of caloric restriction prompts a digestive survival mechanism that is proven to promote longevity. In caloric restriction mode, our cells protect themselves by producing less energy, but also generate fewer free radicals.

Free radicals are nasty by-products, oxidizing agents that deteriorate the body from the inside out. It’s not much different from the way oxidation forms as rust on an old car and destroys it over time. If they build up over time in the body, free radicals can ultimately contribute to stiffening arteries, brain shrinkage, and wrinkled skin. The lesson? Eat less, live more.

Limiting animal protein in your diet to no more than one small serving per day is a beneficial health practice. While people in four out of five of the Blue Zones eat meat, they do so sparingly. Generally, meat is mostly used for special or celebratory occasions, as more of a side, or to add flavor to a dish.

In America and many other industrialized, Western countries, meat is the star of the show in our meal theater, with vegetables and grains acting only as supporting or secondary players. In the Blue Zones, it’s the opposite.

Typically, two thirds of a plate in a Blue Zone home are filled with beans, greens, sweet potatoes, fruits, nuts, seeds, and other whole grains. They also eat an impressive variety of garden offerings when they are in season. The best longevity foods are leafy greens such as spinach, kale, beet and turnip top, chard and collard greens.

What’s more, many healthy oils are plant-based too and preferable to animal-based fats. Olive oil consumption increases the good kind of cholesterol while lowering the “bad” kind at the same time. In Ikaria, Greece, researchers found that for most middle-aged people, six tablespoons of olive oil daily cut their risk of dying in half.

Not only do Blue Zone people live in places with easy access to fresh and healthy food, but they move all day long too. The average American sits 9.6 hours a day. For every hour we…