The Blue Zones Kitchen

Books

Best-selling author Dan Buettner debuts his first cookbook, filled with 100 longevity recipes inspired by the Blue Zones locations around the world, where people live the longest.

Building on decades of research, longevity guru Dan Buettner has gathered 100 recipes inspired by the Blue Zones, home to the healthiest and happiest communities in the world. Each dish–for example, Sardinian Herbed Lentil Minestrone; Costa Rican Hearts of Palm Ceviche; Cornmeal Waffles from Loma Linda, California; and Okinawan Sweet Potatoes–uses ingredients and cooking methods proven to increase longevity, wellness, and mental health. Complemented by mouth-watering photography, the recipes also include lifestyle tips (including the best times to eat dinner and proper portion sizes), all gleaned from countries as far away as Japan and as near as Blue Zones project cities in Texas. Innovative, easy to follow, and delicious, these healthy living recipes make the Blue Zones lifestyle even more attainable, thereby improving your health, extending your life, and filling your kitchen with happiness.

 

Sardinia, Italy. “It’s a spring afternoon at a small farm outside of Urzulei, ground zeo of Sardinia’s blue zones hot spot, home to the world’s longest lived men. We’re on an island 200 miles off the western coast of Italy in the central highlands that were originally settled by Bronze Age people. Today sunbeams angle through blossoming cherry trees, pooling warmly on terraced gardens of herbs and spring vegetables. Across a leafy valley, a granite-tipped mountain peak looms large.

Inside a small plaster-and-stone farmhouse, a slight woman with a shock of wild area and a floral apron stirs an earthen pot. ‘Minestrone’ she explains with a smile…Minestrone possesses all the characteristics of world class longevity food. The Sardinian version – a pot of healthy amino acids – delivers all the protein necessary for human sustenance.”

 

Cannonau di Sardegna wines have attracted considerable attention in the last few years, not necessarily for their quality, but for their association with longevity. Sardinian locals tend to live well into their 90s and in many cases to over 100, and diet on the island is usually given as a key factor in this. Cannonau de Sardegna wines tend to be high in anthocyanins and polyphenols, antioxidant-rich compounds which have been linked to heart health.