Another Common Trait Among “Blue Zones”

Many of you have heard of the “Blue Zones”. These are regions of the world where people tend to live a lot longer and healthier than the rest of humanity.

The blue zones are:

• Okinawa, Japan

• Sardinia, Italy

• Ikaria, Greece

• Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

• Loma Linda, California

The idea behind the Blue Zones is mostly to highlight how a vegan or at least a minimal meat diet, will help you live longer.

When I read the book about the Blue Zones (I went through a vegan phase several years ago), I was a little suspicious.

Suspicious because I had lived in a Blue Zone. Back in the early 90’s, the Air Force stationed me at Kaduna Air Base in Okinawa.

I lived ‘on the economy’ in Okinawa, meaning I didn’t live on the base. I wanted to experience the culture. Living in Okinawa was one of the highlights of my life. I loved everything about it.

Especially the food. And I can tell you it definitely was not vegan. People ate fish all the time (sushi? sashimi?). Pork was added to many noodle dishes. I loved the curried pork they served in restaurants.

And you haven’t lived until you have tried Kobe beef cooked on a stove top in front of you.

More recently a lot of people have looked into the science behind the Blue Zones and found it lacking in terms of their diet.

Yet the statistics show that people in these areas do live longer than in other areas. The big question is why?

So I did some googling to try to find a common thread. The Google AI and top articles kept cropping up with similar responses when I typed in “What is [Insert Blue Zone] culture like?”:

“Ikarian culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on family, community, and a slow-paced, traditional way of life”.

“The custom of respecting one’s ancestors and caring for your ancestors and family is more rooted in Okinawa than elsewhere in Japan.”

“Strong Family and Community Bonds:

• Family and community are highly valued in Nicoya.

• Residents often live with extended family and have strong social connections.”

“Sardinian culture is a vibrant mix of ancient traditions, strong family ties, and unique customs, all deeply rooted in the island's history and geography”.

“Seventh-day Adventist culture is characterized by its strong focus on the Bible, Sabbath observance, a healthy lifestyle and a sense of global community.”

Notice a trend?

Seems like the Blue Zones are also all about family and community. Something we seem to be rapidly losing across the western world.

Humans are social creatures. We are meant to be in family units. There are studies showing that divorced people have life expectancies that are 5 years shorter than married people.

Seniors living on their own have lower life expectancies than seniors living with family. It’s not just the Blue Zones.

Maybe it’s time to put more emphasis on keeping families and communities intact when we are talking about public health?