The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest

by Dan Buettner

Focus on food. A guaranteed way to eat mindlessly is to do so while watching your favorite show on TV or while emailing a friend at the computer. If you’re going to eat, just eat. You’ll eat more slowly, consume less, and savor your food more. Have a seat. Many of us eat on the run, in the car, standing in front of the refrigerator, or while walking to our next meeting. This means we don’t notice what we’re eating or how fast we’re eating it. Making a habit of eating only while sitting down—eating purposefully—better enables us to appreciate the tastes and textures of our food. We’ll eat more slowly and feel more nourished when we’re through. Eat early. In the Blue Zones, the biggest meal of the day is typically eaten during the first half of the day. Nicoyans, Okinawans, and Sardinians eat their biggest meal at midday, while Adventists consume many of their calories for breakfast. All Blue Zone residents eat their smallest meal of the day in late afternoon or early evening. Some Adventists believe that if you eat a big breakfast with the right ingredients (whole grains, fruits, milk, nut butter), you’ll fuel your body for most of the day and have fewer cravings for sugary or fatty foods.