The Blue Zones, Second Edition: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest Paperback – Illustrated, November 6, 2012

Excellent book

“You don’t just wake up one day and have cancer. It’s a process, not an event. And prevention is the same way; it has to be a daily activity.” With this in mind, Dan Buettner, accompanied by various teams of doctors and researchers, goes on a globe trot to find out which cultures live the longest and why. From Seventh Day Adventists in Southern California to Costa Rica to Greece to Okinawa he tracks down and interviews the most aged healthy people on the planet. Then in The Blue Zones he lays out lessons on how to live longer based on the interviews and research. Vegans vegetarians and gym haters will be thrilled with this book. All of the diets include very little or no meat. All the cultures encouraged modest, regular physical activity like walking and working in the garden. None of them went to gyms.While the diets varied there were commonalities like eating fruits or vegetables, cultivating their own gardens full of green foods, and having a fulfilling social and/or family life. Several cultures drank daily herbal teas; most avoided dairy. Ikarians drink alcohol daily; Sardinians drink only a locally made wine and Adventists drink no alcohol at all. Okinawans eat fermented soy, sweet potatoes, miso paste, fresh organic vegies, garlic, onions and use lots of herbs, like Jasmine, in tea. Besides the Seventh Day Adventists, the Costa Ricans with their tortillas, beans, rice, fresh fruit, hard work and hard water, were the only people from the Americas that made the longevity list. Imagine that Americans, North and South.It is not a new book, published in 2008, yet I find it still relevant. Buettner does a good job of describing different locals and the longest-living people and their personalities, so that I felt I was in the rooms and villages with him. He reveals the depth of work he and others have gone through to collect accurate data and presents it in an interesting way. Probably most of us knew most of it or could guess at it already, but do we do it? I myself could not live full time the lifestyle of any of these cultures. I love living in a big city with all its diversions, so naturally, I encounter the stress that comes with my lifestyle. However, I can and do “borrow” from these centenarians good reminders to keep doing what I already am doing, such as keep a positive mindset; eat nuts, and vegetables; drink herbal teas; and walk daily.Perhaps, the most relevant passage in the book is: “Have a plan de vida. Successful centenarians have a strong sense of purpose. They feel needed and want to contribute to a greater good. . . the most highly functioning people over 90 in Nicoya have a few common traits. . . One of them is that they feel a strong sense of service to others or care for their family. We see that as soon as they lose this, the switch goes off. They die very quickly if they don’t feel needed.”If you are a stressed-out city dweller and in a big rush, or going to die next week, because you stuff yourself with junk food, chain smoke, complain all the time, and never concern yourself with others, you can just read the end of each chapter in which Buettner lists the “secret” habits of each centenarian culture. If you choose to read only the chapter end lists, you’ll miss meeting those centenarians and hearing their stories; you’ll miss seeing how the scientist live and work together, but you’ll get an outline for a “plan de vida”. It’s not too late (well, maybe for those who will die next week) for a change of attitude and a diet adjustment. I recommend reading the entire book, incorporating what works for you and enjoying life. In doing so, you’ll probably live longer too.

This is a fabulous book! Sadly, full of things I already knew. And missing some key points. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to live longer. Avoid fad diets and just be happier and healthier. While some people have complained about the author's descriptive sense and demanded he just get to the point, that would make for a seriously boring book. He gently nudges us along in really knowing the people he interviews, the places he's been and the people he works with. Now, the places the book fails. While he does mention the fact that all of these people are growing their own veggies which means no pesticides, there is no big banner warning about the pesticides in store-bought veggies. People think "organic" means pesticide free. It does not. Even my favorite whole food chef says there's no need to wash organic veggies. Not true. There are still pesticides. The author also makes a repeated point about the benefits of soy - without ever mentioning the problem with our GMO soy. Unless you are buying CERTIFIED non-GMO soy, then don't bother! Whole wheat bread is the food of life. Well, not with all the glyphosate it's doused in. Which now has a definitive link to autism. Again, even organic isn't going to be herbicide free. Don't make the mistake of thinking everything from Whole Foods or Sprouts is super healthy. Both stores really cheap out on their own store brands. If it's not marked organic, then it is not. Here in Las Vegas, our local Smith's has significantly more organic produce and certified non-gmo foods than either Whole Foods or Sprouts. AND, it's cheaper!!The author also states that solitude shortens one's life. Which is a bogus claim. He disagrees that being a workaholic shortens one's life if one actually enjoys work. In the same manner, there are many who enjoy solitude. Historically, there are a number of solitary religious who were centenarians.The author gives excellent tips on how to create your own Blue Zone. Get involved! Make the connection! Find some joy!