Make Your Own Blue Zone: the Power of Plant-Based Longevity

Live Long, and Prosper 🖖

Do you want a long life? ⏳

Of course — so long as it’s a healthy and prosperous life. 🖖

So how to have that long, healthy, good life??

One obvious answer is to study people who are already doing it, and find out what they have in common. ✅

Enter the Blue Zones 🌎 🌍 🌏 — now a major documentary series!

 

The Blue Zones are unique regions worldwide where people live extraordinarily long, healthy lives 🌺.

The key lifestyle factor shared among all the Blue Zones is a plant-based diet 🥗, which lowers risks of chronic diseases and improves longevity.

In a Blue Zone, meat is eaten no more than 3-5 times per month, or not at all. And processed food is off the table.

Read on to learn more about the Blue Zones, their lifestyle practices, the power of a plant-based diet… and how LeafSide’s meals are the easiest way to do the dietary pattern observed in these regions.

And maybe you too can thrive at 100 too! 💪

Understanding Blue Zones

Blue Zones 🌍 are regions with the highest concentrations of centenarians 👵👴, people who live to be 100 years or more. These areas are known for their residents’ exceptional health and longevity 🌿.

The term was coined by Dan Buettner, an author and explorer, who identified five such regions in his research with National Geographic 🌐:

Blue Zones share common lifestyle habits, especially on consuming a plant-heavy diet (90 to 95 percent of all calories) 🥕🍒🥦 and maintaining strong social networks 👯‍♀️.

These shared characteristics, referred to as the “Power Nine,” are believed to contribute to their extended lifespan and overall well-being. 😊

The Power Nine: Lifestyle Habits of the Blue Zones

The Power Nine refers to nine lifestyle commonalities among the Blue Zones’ residents. These habits contribute to emotional well-being, disease prevention, and longevity:

1. 👩‍🌾 Natural Movement: Regular physical activities such as gardening, walking, climbing hills and mountains are common. Residents maintain traditional lifestyles, refraining from using modern conveniences, and generally don’t go to gyms.
2. 🌟 Sense of Purpose: Residents have a clear sense of purpose or a reason to wake up every morning, contributing to their overall health and well-being.
3. 🧘 Stress Management: Chronic stress is managed through activities like napping, praying, and socializing with friends.
4. 🍽 80% Rule: Residents stop eating when they are 80% full, avoiding overeating and promoting mindful eating practices.
5. 🥗 Plant-Centric Diet: Meals primarily consist of plant-sourced foods, with animal proteins consumed in smaller quantities and mainly on special occasions.
6. 🍷 Wine Consumption: Moderate consumption of wine (1 to 2 glasses per day) is a common practice, except for the Seventh-Day Adventists of Loma Linda, California.
7. 👯‍♀️ Social Networks: Residents often participate in social circles that support healthy lifestyles and behaviors.
8. 🙏 Spirituality: Most residents belong to a faith-based community, attending weekly faith-based services.
9. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family First: Family relationships are a top priority. Aging parents and grandparents often live with their children or other family members, contributing to household responsibilities and childcare.

 

The Plant-Based Advantage 🌱💪

A plant-based diet, often associated with veganism, primarily includes fruits 🍎, vegetables 🥦, whole grains 🌾, legumes 🫘, nuts 🥜, and seeds 🌰.

🚫 It typically excludes or limits meat, dairy products, and any other food items derived from animals.

The residents of the Blue Zone’s are well known for consuming a diet rich in plant-based foods, leading to lower risks of chronic diseases and improved longevity.

So How Do They Do It?!

As Dan Buettner explains in this recent podcast interview, Blue Zones people are not smarter, nor more disciplined than the rest of us. 👌

Rather, it’s their environment and local culture that sets them up for a default healthy, social, and meaningful life.

In a Blue Zone, unprocessed whole plant eating, physical activity, social connections, life purpose, and low stress are the DEFAULTS for everyone.

But in most “modern” societies, all five of those factors usually need time and effort:

Key Lifestyle Factors	Importance	Time & Effort Needed (Difficulty), in Urban/Industrial Societies
Whole Food Plant-Based Diet  🌱	Highest	High
Regular Physical Activity  💃	High	Medium
Strong Social Connections  💕	High	Medium
Life Purpose  🧭	Medium	Medium
Stress Management  🧘‍♀️	Medium	Medium

 

Furthermore, a healthy diet is what gives you​ the energy, mental clarity, and overall health that lets you enjoy everything else in life. 💚  It’s the foundation.

 

LeafSide Enables a Blue Zones Life

LeafSide’s mission is to make healthy, Blue Zone inspired, plant-based eating convenient and accessible, making it easy for anyone to adopt a longevity-friendly diet.

LeafSide meals are not only 100% plant-based but also 100% unprocessed, aligning perfectly with the dietary habits observed in the Blue Zones 🌍.

Key Lifestyle Factors	Importance	Difficulty with LeafSide 😊
Whole Food Plant-Based Diet  🌱	Highest	Zero!
Regular Physical Activity  💃	High	Easy, time & energy available!
Strong Social Connections  💕	High	Easy, time & energy available!
Life Purpose  🧭	Medium	Easier!
Stress Management  🧘‍♀️	Medium	Easy, mind & time available!

 

With a wide variety of nutrient-dense meal options available, maintaining a balanced diet is easy for anyone, anywhere. 🌱

Make Your Own Blue Zone, TODAY!

Embarking on a journey to a longer, healthier life has never been so simple. Why wait? LeafSide is far faster, easier, and surer than trying to move to a Blue Zone or trying to create one from scratch.

Hop on the LeafSide express and start living your best life today! The making of your very own beautiful Blue Zone is just a sip and a bite away. 😋