99: The Blue Zones with Nick Buettner

In today’s show, we’re exploring the blue zones, rare longevity hotspots worldwide where people are thriving into their 100s. Where are these hot spots, and who are these people who have discovered the secrets to living longer, better lives?

Nick Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and NYT bestselling author. He has spent the past 20 years leading expeditions across six continents around the world, with three of these trips being to the world’s “blue zones.” These are places with longer-than-normal life expectancy and where more people reach age 100 than anywhere else in the world. Nick worked with his brother, Dan, National Geographic, and a team of longevity researchers to identify and explore these pockets of the world where people are living longer lives. In his current role as the VP of Product for The Blue Zones Project, Nick is responsible for taking the Blue Zone longevity lessons to communities across the US. The Project supports 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 Blue Zone Project uses evidence-informed, sustainable transformations with people, places, and policies to make the healthy choice the easy choice. To date, the Blue Zone Project has empowered over 5 million people to live longer, better lives. 

Show Highlights:

• Get to know world-traveler Nick, who is from Minnesota but has traveled to 45 countries and 48 states in the US
• The Blue Zones: What are they? 
• How Nick and his brother, Dan, became interested in finding and identifying these places where mortality rates and disease rates are down, and longevity rates are higher
• The five demographically confirmed Blue Zones: Okinawa, Japan; Icaria, Greece; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; and Loma Linda, California
• Common denominators in the Blue Zones that boost longevity and help people age healthfully:
• • Daily movement and activity in natural ways
  • Simple stress-reducing techniques, like prayer, naps, ancestor veneration, and gathering with friends and family
  • A strong sense of purpose throughout all of life
  • Wine, in moderation, as part of celebrations and family gatherings
  • Mostly plant-based diets with smaller portion sizes
  • Lower caloric intake
  • A focus on family and love throughout life
  • A strong sense of faith
  • Healthy friends who support healthy behaviors
• How Nick is bringing Blue Zone living to US communities with policy change, purpose, accessible and affordable healthy food systems, policies to reduce tobacco use, lower obesity rates, engagement among citizens to eliminate isolation, and healthier places to live, work, pray, and play
• How Nick collects data, does research, formulates policies and outcomes, and rallies people in forming committees to achieve common goals
• How we can eat a more Blue Zone-like diet by reducing meat portions, adding more vegetables, and using beans consistently for protein
• Nick’s favorite recipe in The Blue Zones Kitchen: Sardinia Minestrone--and the amazing family story behind this recipe
• Why people in the Blue Zones have a different perspective on eating carbohydrates
• How Nick has learned the importance of gardening from his time in the Blue Zones
• How exercise and movement, social engagement, and healthy foods have contributed to lower rates of dementia in the Blue Zones, along with a special tea made with dandelion, oregano, and thyme
• Five things we can do to live a “Blue Zone life”: