9 Lessons We Can All Learn From Blue Zones

Katie Wells Avatar

Reading Time: 6 minutes

This post contains affiliate links.

Read my affiliate policy.

What we can learn from blue zones
Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » 9 Lessons We Can All Learn From Blue Zones

As you probably know, I’m a big fan of creating a wellness lifestyle based on research and personal trial and error. Blue Zones are fascinating because the people in them all have diverse diets and habits as well as different environments, but seem to live longer and be happier.

Researchers have continued to study what Blue Zone communities have in common and have pinpointed a few simple things we can incorporate into our own lives for better health, longevity, and happiness.

What Are Blue Zones?

Blue Zones are communities where people live longer than the average. On top of that, these people don’t just live longer, they are relatively healthy up until the very end of their lives and have overall lower instances of disease than we do in America.

Research performed by Michel Poulain and Giani Pes sparked the beginning of Blue Zone research, but this book by Dan Buettner popularized the idea.

Buettner, Poulain, and Pes discovered five communities in total where people were not only living longer but had healthier and happier lives too.

The five Blue Zones are:

  • The Italian island of Sardinia
  • Okinawa, Japan
  • Loma Linda, California
  • Costa Rica’s isolated Nicoya Peninsula
  • Ikaria, an isolated Greek island

The interesting part is these places are not close to each other and the people who live there don’t necessarily share common ethnicities or other backgrounds.

So what could the common factor be? The Blue Zone researchers have some ideas.

What Do Blue Zones Have in Common?

The Blue Zones have some basic things in common despite being quite culturally different:

  1. Life Purpose – People in Blue Zones wake up every day with purpose. Researchers found that knowing your purpose in life can be worth seven extra years!
  2. Eat Earlier in the Day – People in Blue Zones don’t eat large meals before bedtime. Instead, they eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon and don’t eat after.
  3. Strong Community – Almost all of the people in Blue Zones that have reached the age of 100 report being part of some faith-based community. The researchers found that attending four faith-based events in a month can lengthen longevity by 4 to 14 years.
  4. Good Relationships – Blue Zone people also put family first. They are more likely to keep aging relatives nearby or in the house. They also commit to a spouse or life partner which can add three years of longevity. Finally, they commit to spending quality time with their children.
  5. Natural Movement – Movement is important for overall health, but the people in these Blue Zones don’t go to the gym. Instead, they incorporate natural movement into their everyday lives. For example, they may garden or do other outdoor work without tools that make that work easier (like a gas-powered lawn mower). They also do their own housework.
  6. Relaxation – We know that stress is one contributing factor in chronic illness and is connected to healthy cortisol levels. When stress is chronic, it can mess with our cortisol and hormones. Researchers found that people in Blue Zones don’t have chronic stress. How do they accomplish this amazing state of zen? They have daily rituals to relax and release the stress of the day like happy hour, prayer, and time in community.
  7. Eat Lots of Plants (But Animal Protein Too) – People in Blue Zones enjoy meat but not the same way we do in America. They eat meat on average five times a month (yes, a month) and their portions are 3 to 4 ounces.
  8. Wine – People in Blue Zones (except for the Seventh-Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California) drink 1-2 glasses of wine daily.
  9. Find Their “Tribe” – People in Blue Zones choose to be in (or happened to be in) communities of people who choose healthy lifestyles. Researchers found that poor lifestyle choices are contagious. Likewise, good lifestyle choices can be contagious too.

Looking at this list, the word “moderation” comes to mind. Blue Zone people seem to have a very balanced approach to life.

What Can We Learn From Blue Zones?

Studying Blue Zones can help us find ways to improve our own lives too. Here are some of the areas our family is working on adopting from Blue Zone research:

Reduce Stress Daily

No one likes to be stressed, but in today’s world it seems like the norm. Blue Zone residents seem to understand why stress reduction is so important and spend time every day reducing stress and improving relaxation.

Other ideas for daily stress reduction are:

  • nature walks
  • journaling
  • exercise
  • say no when you have too much on your plate
  • do a technology detox
  • do something that makes you laugh
  • have a date night
  • listen to music

There are a million other ways to reduce stress too. The point is to pick something (or a few things) and incorporate them into each and every day. And most importantly, don’t feel guilty about taking care of yourself!

Eat Real Food (And Lots of Veggies!)

There is no one specific diet that all Blue Zoners share, but there are a few general principles they have in common. You probably guessed the general rule: eat lots of fruits and vegetables! In addition, people in Blue Zones tend to eat:

  • a very wide variety of different foods (generally grown within 10 miles of their home)
  • pastured-raised meat and eggs (but not a lot – four out of five Blue Zones eat meat but three of the four eat a much smaller amount of meat then we do in America)
  • fish (especially smaller fish like cod and sardines rather than larger fish that are higher in mercury)
  • a quality olive oil (a staple in each of these communities)

Fun Fact: Four of the five Blue Zone communities drink 1-2 glasses of wine daily. While I don’t think this suggests we should all drink daily (although the type of wine certainly makes a difference), it’s an interesting fact to note!

Build a Community

Loneliness can have serious health effects including increasing cortisol and inflammation which can contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. It’s no surprise then that these communities with the largest population of centenarians consider community involvement and social connection incredibly important.

How do they accomplish this? Researchers have picked out the most important contributing factors:

  • Blue Zone people are part of spiritual communities and they know their purpose in life.
  • They take care of their family first. Blue Zone families live together in multi-generational homes.
  • Parents spend a lot of time with their children.

In our modern society (and especially as busy moms) it’s easy to get lost in the mountains of laundry, diapers, dishes, paperwork, emails, and carpooling and not actually connect with anyone all day long. So what’s a modern mom to do?

That’s a question I’m sure we’re all trying to answer (let me know if you have found one!) but here are some simple ideas to get started:

  • Set aside an hour or so a day and just have fun together as a family.
  • Commit to a regular dinner together to connect and share with family or friends. Blue Zone communities always eat together!
  • If dinnertime doesn’t work because of schedules, try a different mealtime or have a snack or tea together when everyone is home.
  • Schedule a regular night out with friends and invest time in your social circle.

Create a Healthy Environment

People in Blue Zones don’t spend hours at the gym (or any time at all!). They don’t count calories and they don’t obsess about portion sizes. Movement is naturally built into their days with things like walking or gardening. They also enjoy moderate amounts of food and wine (but don’t use them to self-medicate).

To create a healthy environment consider making these changes:

  • Don’t keep junk food in the house.
  • Spend more time with health-minded people.
  • Walk or bike to more places (or at least park the car at the back of the parking lot).
  • Spend time with others who have life purpose.
  • Make time for spirituality.
  • Find healthier ways to relax than food or alcohol (many of the above suggestions will work!).

Reshaping Our Communities the Blue Zone Way

All of this research seems to tell us that having a healthy diet is not enough when stress is overwhelming or community connection is lacking.

I say let’s bring back dinner parties, neighborhood block parties, and genuine time off. Let’s turn off our phones, be present, and take time to just be with people we love. These Blue Zones show it can be done and passing on these stress-relieving habits to our children is so important.

For some practical ideas on how to do this in your community, check out the Blue Zones Project. You never know, your hometown could be the next Blue Zone!

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Scott Soerries, MD, Family Physician and Medical Director of SteadyMD. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.

Have you incorporated any of the Blue Zone principles into your life? What has been your experience?

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

12 responses to “9 Lessons We Can All Learn From Blue Zones”

  1. Hannah Avatar

    Hi Katie,

    Nice article. Being that the blue zone is closest to Vegetarian/vegan do you recommend less portions of meat? From what I understand those diets are (almost) the opposite of paleo.

    Oh and how do you think they are getting enough omefa-3, dha and epa with only those small servings of meat??

    I ask because little guys do not like fish/seafood much, and even if they did it’s very difficult to find clean safe/fish anymore. Thanks!

  2. caroline Avatar
    caroline

    HI Katie,
    Thank you for doing the research and spreading the message.
    I travel around the world studying different cultures, diets and religions. I am collaborating with professor Michel Poulain, one of the founding fathers of Blue Zone. He has forwarded my most recent book “Fifty Shades of Grain: The Truth about Eating Bread and Feeling Great”.
    The book was prompted by my need to find my boys nourishing bread that tastes great. There were done with cardboard tasting gluten free breads.
    Like most people, based on what I read, I was expecting very little consumption of what we consider here in the U.S unhealthy.
    It was shocking to find people in Blue Zones consume a lot of bread and pastries. It was equally shocking to find that their diets are mostly meat and animal product based!
    I know……I feel people lining up to shoot the messenger.
    Don’t shoot the messenger.
    I have no agenda. I do not hold any allegiance to any diet.
    I am truth seeker, researcher and reporter.
    It is very important for those who are curious about Centenarian lifestyle to get the big picture.
    It is important to note that elders (those above age 70 it seems) adhere more strictly to the ancestral wisdom from the way the food is grown to the way it is processed. Local, seasonal and traditionally prepared is the name of the game when it comes to food.
    Maybe I’ll see you later this week in San Diego.
    Your Mindshare friend,
    Caroline

  3. Antoinette Avatar
    Antoinette

    I’m pretty sure the Seventh Day Adventist (Loma Linda, Ca) do NOT partake in meat. They are vegetarian and pretty sure vegan.
    Thank you for sharing the article. Just wanted to be clear that a few of those communities don’t eat meat.

  4. PJ Avatar

    I have been to the Island of Sardinia quite often and i have to say : they DO eat very Late!! If you Go there off season when no Tourists Arrived there yet, you Hardly find a Restaurant open at Lunch Time. Only for Dinner. That way they are typically Italien. Main Meal is in the evening.

    But they dont eat that often a day, they have really Amazing biological veggies and they dont eat much processed industrial Food. I love that island.

  5. DeAnn Hartman Avatar
    DeAnn Hartman

    Not just fruits and veggies. WHOLE grains, and plant based protein: read BEANS! Every one of these BZ populations fill their protein needs with legumes. And human protein needs are much lower than the typical American eats. See Dr. Michael Greger’s excellent videos on this subject at NutritionFacts.org. Beans extend life span and lower diabetes risk.

  6. Winsome Loraine PETER Avatar
    Winsome Loraine PETER

    Thank you so much for this article! I learned about the Blue Zones a few years ago and it’s wonderful that there are communities on this planet that are happy and healthy. Fortunately over the years, I re-shaped my eating lifestyle, eating the good stuff, eating smaller portions during the day and less before I sleep and I started walking a lot – in addition, I am part of a faith-based community, and also started to take time to relax and focus on other things around me, that I can enjoy. I am 51 years old, I have never been on medication, have had no operations/surgeries, no diabetes, no high blood pressure, no cholesterol issues. All my life, I never smoked and drank alcohol. I do have a very positive outlook to life and I have learned to have a good attitude towards people, treating them respect and kindness. And one more thing, I have developed a good sense of humor and I make time to laugh!!!

  7. Tess Elliott Avatar
    Tess Elliott

    When I used to go to Italy, I noticed that in the towns and cities, Italians don’t live in their apartments. They spend a lot of time in the public squares while out on errands, or eating something and sitting on a bench. They go out to have an espresso. There will never be enough benches! There aren’t lonely housewives, because they are having conversations with their neighbors out the window, or down in the Campo (neighborhood public spaces). In NYC, I worked from home, I wouldn’t see anyone the entire day. So I learned the Italian way, to talk to my neighbors, and spend time on the many little Broadway median benches. My world is so much bigger.

  8. Alan Christopher Creaser, Avatar
    Alan Christopher Creaser,

    Great stuff!! – I’ll do as many as I can… 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *