Dan Buettner, 'Blue Zones' Longevity Expert & Explorer

My guest today is Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Explorer, New York Times bestselling author, Emmy-winning Netflix host, and a record-breaking endurance cyclist. In fact, he holds three Guinness World Records for distance cycling, having pedalled across the globe to over 70 countries. Travel is not just a passion of his - it’s the lens through which he’s viewed, explored, and helped reimagine how we live our lives.

It was during these epic adventures that Dan’s curiosity about longevity began to take shape. And that curiosity eventually led to one of the most fascinating and impactful projects of our time: The Blue Zones. Working alongside National Geographic and a team of medical researchers and demographers, Dan set out to discover the secrets of the world’s longest-lived people. What he found were five extraordinary regions, in Japan, Costa Rica, Italy, Greece and a religious community in California - now famously known as the Blue Zones - where people weren’t just living longer, they were thriving into their 90s and 100s. 

What’s so remarkable is that these individuals weren’t pursuing health - they were simply living in environments that naturally supported well-being. Think: plant-based diets, daily movement, strong social ties, and a deep sense of purpose. 

His findings became international bestsellers and his Netflix documentary Live to 100 introduced Blue Zones to a worldwide audience. and He’s back this summer with a new cookbook, Blue Zones Kitchen: One Pot Meals, to help us all cook like the world’s healthiest people.

His travel diaries today take us from the jungles of the Congo, and the plains of the Sahara, to the lakes of Guatemala, and the islands of Japan. There was so much to cover, and I was so fascinated by all of Dan’s insights, that we actually lost track of time, and so we’re going to have to do a part 2 one day to find out his worst travel experience and hear a little bit more about his Mexican hidden gem. But nevertheless, I can’t wait to dive into his story with you, let’s buckle up and get started. 

Destination Recap:

• Boundary Water Canoe Area between US and Canada
• Alaska, USA
• Cycling from Alaska to Argentina
• Cycling from Minneapolis, Minnesota to St Paul, Minnesota, around the world 
• Cycling Tunisia to South Africa
• Sahara Desert, Africa 
• Siberia, Russia
• The Congo, Africa
• Okinawa, Japan 
• Oaxaca, Mexico 
• Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
• Chetumal, Mexico 
• Angkor Wat, Cambodia 

Dan's new book Blue Zones Kitchen One Pot Meals is out on September 2nd in the US, and September 8th in the UK. 

With thanks to Airbnb for their support of today's episode.

Thanks so much for listening today. If you want to be the first to find out who is joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok - I’d love to hear from you. And if you can't wait until then, remember there’s the first 14 seasons to catch up on, that's over 155 episodes to keep you busy.

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