Blue Zone Breakfast: 5 Morning Meals for Longevity

By now you’ve probably heard about the Blue Zones. Blue Zones are populations of people across the globe who consistently live to be 100 or older. Researchers studying the lifestyles of these people have culled together a design for living that, if followed, should help support longevity and healthspan.

One way that people in Blue Zones differ from others is in terms of their dietary habits. Not only do they avoid processed and convenience foods, but they also make breakfast a top priority. 

We’ll discuss how Blue Zone residents approach breakfast, and give you five ways to start your morning the Blue Zone way. 

Breakfast in the Blue Zones

In the Blue Zones, breakfast is a priority. Blue Zone residents sit for their meals, pause to eat, and make nourishing foods a priority. 

If this looks a little different from your fast-paced, get-out-the-door, grab-a-granola-bar-styled morning, you aren’t alone. Nearly one-quarter of all Americans skip breakfast each day, and the ones who do consume something for breakfast usually opt for prepacked convenience foods, or “grab-and-go.” 

In Blue Zones, breakfast is often the largest meal of the day. Following the “breakfast like a king” rule which states that one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper, most Blue Zone residents consume the majority of their calories before noon.

Why Is Breakfast Important?

It isn’t as though the residents of Blue Zones have been on a fact-finding mission to discover the secrets of longevity through the consumption of breakfast, but researchers have done just that. Time and time again, research presents the benefits of eating a healthy, nutrient-dense breakfast that consists of whole foods. 

The benefits of breaking your overnight fast with a healthy plate include:

• Jumpstarting your metabolism. Overnight, your body slows down the caloric burn while you sleep. Breakfast kickstarts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories throughout the day.
  
  
• Having a lower BMI. People who regularly eat breakfast typically have a lower BMI than people who skip breakfast.
  
  
• Eating fewer calories. Eating breakfast in the morning can prevent you from eating too much throughout the day.
  
  
• Meeting nutrient goals. Starting your day with nutrient-dense foods supports your daily nutrient goals and helps your body maintain overall function. 

Further, research shows that eating breakfast can even help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Skipping breakfast is associated with a 21% increased risk of heart disease. If these reasons aren’t enough to make you reconsider your coffee and donut, the below Blue Zone breakfast ideas will be. 

Five Blue Zone Breakfasts

Even for people on the go, there’s always time for breakfast. The below Blue Zone-approved breakfast ideas are easy to make and packed with nutrients that will keep you fueled until lunch. 

The best part? Many can be made ahead of time so you can still get the grab-and-go breakfast your schedule demands. 

1. Make-Ahead Quinoa Breakfast Jars

These quinoa breakfast bowls are packaged in mason jars to make them portable and convenient for on-the-go people. Packed with fiber-rich quinoa and topped with your choice of berries and seeds, they provide protein, complex carbohydrates, and plenty of essential nutrients and antioxidants.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1½ cups unsweetened almond or other plant-based milk
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of ground cinnamon

Toppings:

• Maple syrup
• Sliced bananas
• Berries
• Slivered almonds

Process: Cook quinoa as directed on the package and allow to cool. Once cool, combine quinoa with milk to create a creamy, porridge-like texture. Add in vanilla and cinnamon. Divide quinoa evenly between four mason jars and top with your choice of toppings. Keep in the refrigerator for up to four days. 

2. Classic Green Smoothie

Don’t like the idea of sitting down to a large breakfast each morning? You’ve still got Blue Zone options! You can pack plenty of nutrients into a smoothie and head out the door with a cup packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats. This green smoothie comes together easily and is perfect for sipping your way through the drop-off line or sorting your morning emails.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups spinach
• 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1 cup pineapple, cubed
• 1/2 avocado

Process: Combine all ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth. Pour into your favorite travel cup and enjoy.

3. Saturday Morning Corncakes

Most mornings you’re in a rush, but on the rare occasion you have a little extra time, these blueberry corncakes make a satisfying breakfast that checks all the boxes. Bonus: If you make a double batch of these corncakes you can store them in an airtight container or bag in your freezer and pop them into your toaster in the mornings. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
• ½ cup spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 ½ cups unsweetened plant-based milk
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• Fruit sauce, for serving (optional)

Process: In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add in milk, maple syrup, and vanilla and stir until the ingredients have combined. Fold in blueberries and allow the batter to rest for five minutes.

Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, and pour one-quarter of the batter per pancake into the pan. When one side becomes bubbly, flip and cook for an additional two to three minutes. Top with fruit sauce, fresh fruit, or maple syrup. 

4. Dinner for Breakfast

You’ve undoubtedly heard of breakfast for dinner, but have you ever tried dinner for breakfast? Some people just don’t enjoy classic breakfast foods but that doesn’t mean you need to skip breakfast. 

In Costa Rica, for example, black beans cooked with garlic and onions and served on a whole grain tortilla is a favored, traditional breakfast. Black beans are loaded with protein, fiber, and nutrients and will keep your blood sugar levels even all morning long. 

Here’s how to make a copycat breakfast in your kitchen. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of black beans, drained and rinsed
• Cloves of garlic, minced to taste
• 1T olive oil
• Corn or whole wheat tortillas

Toppings:

• Avocado chunks
• Fresh cilantro
• Fresh mango chunks

Process: Cook black beans according to package instructions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add minced garlic to beans during the last ten minutes of cooking. Add beans to tortillas and top with desired toppings. 

5. Keep It Simple

Looking for an incredibly easy breakfast that is Blue Zone-approved? Look no further than steel-cut oats. 

Although the nutrient profile of steel-coat oats versus regular oats is the same, steel-cut oats take longer to digest, which helps you stay fuller longer. Additionally, steel-cut oats are more dense than regular oats and cooked with more liquid than rolled oats, so you’ll eat fewer calories for the same amount of food.

Ingredients:

• Steel cut oats
• Liquid of your choice (water, plant-based milk)

Toppings:

• Fresh fruit
• Seeds
• Nuts
• Maple syrup

Process: Cook oats according to package instructions and add toppings as desired. This recipe even has an option for adding coconut milk, for a creamier texture and richer taste. 

These breakfasts are filling, contain plenty of both macronutrients and micronutrients, and are relatively easy to throw together quickly for people on the go. Eating breakfast can help support your wellness, but if you really want to invest in your longevity, taking a daily longevity-boosting supplement is key.

C15:0: The Longevity Secret

Researchers studying longevity in bottlenose dolphins noticed that populations of these mammals that had higher levels of a particular nutrient known as C15:0 had fewer occurrences of age-related diseases. They took their research further and discovered that these healthspan-protective benefits were available to humans, too.

As initially published in Nature Scientific Reports in 2020, C15:0 has been shown to reverse aging inside human cells. Since that initial publication, there are now over 100 peer-reviewed publications describing the health benefits of C15:0. 

As an essential fatty acid, C15:0 is critical for our bodies as it actively repairs, restores and revitalizes our long-term health at the cellular level by:*

• Strengthening our cell membranes (and us) against age-related breakdown
• Repairing mitochondrial function, which keeps our body’s energy-producers going
• Naturally activating receptors (including PPARs and AMPK) that regulate our metabolism, immunity, mood, sleep and appetite
• Naturally inhibiting damaging pathways (including mTOR and JAK-STAT) as a means to support longevity

All in, C15:0 provides 36+ cellular benefits to support our long-term health and longevity, which is better than three leading longevity-enhancing molecules: rapamycin, metformin, and acarbose.

What Is C15:0?

C15:0, also known as pentadecanoic acid, is an odd-chain, saturated fatty acid and is the first essential fatty acid to be discovered in almost 100 years. An essential nutrient is one our body requires to thrive, but can’t readily make it on its own and thus, we must obtain C15:0 from our diet. 

Additionally, C15:0 has another superpower: It prevents and treats Cellular Fragility Syndrome, a newly discovered nutrient deficiency associated with low levels (< 0.2%) of C15:0, that may be affecting 1 in 3 people globally. 

Cellular Fragility Syndrome is consistently associated with negative health conditions like: 

• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Liver disease NAFLD

Additionally, Cellular Fragility Syndrome has recently been associated with ferroptosis, a type of cell death that occurs when a cell’s defense mechanisms are unable to control the accumulation of lipid peroxides, which damage the cell and can lead to a number of pathological conditions. C15:0 is a strong, stable fatty acid that keeps our cell membranes strong (and our cells healthy) and protected from ferroptosis.

How To Know if You Are Deficient

A simple blood test can let you know if you are considered deficient. Low C15:0 levels under 0.2% of the total fatty acids in your red blood cell membranes can cause weakened cell membranes and Cellular Fragility Syndrome, increasing the risk of poor metabolic, heart, and liver health. 

C15:0 levels between 0.2% and 0.4% are considered healthy and protect against the Cellular Fragility Syndrome. It’s worth pointing out that people who live in the Longevity Blue Zone of Sardinian Blue Zones (where residents consistently live to be older than 100) have average C15:0 levels of C15:0 levels that are much higher. In Sardinia, Italy, the average C15:0 level is 0.64%. 

You can find out if you are deficient in C15:0 by having your healthcare provider obtain a fatty acid panel or by using this at-home test kit. This kit requires a finger-prick blood sample that is analyzed by a lab and will tell you whether or not you are deficient. 

Additionally, you may see improvements in labs such as your complete blood panel, cholesterol panel, and liver enzymes. If you discover that your C15:0 levels are low, there’s a solution.

Increasing C15:0 Levels

Elevating your C15:0 levels through food intake alone is problematic. C15:0 is a naturally occurring odd-chain saturated fatty acid, with trace levels found in dairy fat, as well as some types of fish and plants. 

Increasing your intake of whole dairy comes with a lot of calories, sugar (from lactose), and the bad, pro-inflammatory, even-chain saturated fats. It would also mean involving cows, which doesn’t make the mission vegan-friendly or environmentally conscious. A good solution is to supplement your diet with fatty15.

Fatty15 is the once-per-day supplement that contains the pure, vegan-friendly, award-winning version of C15:0 known as FA15™. This sustainable ingredient is bioavailable, ready to digest, and doesn’t contain any cow products, excessive calories (each dose is just one calorie), or sugar. It’s a simple and easy way to improve your healthspan and longevity.

Eat Like a 100 Year Old

Aging is a privilege, and you can age healthfully by modeling your lifestyle and your diet after people who are successfully living to be 100 or older. Eat your breakfast, and finish your meal with your daily dose of fatty15, the only supplement that is clinically proven to fix Cellular Fragility Syndrome, improve your cardiac, metabolic, and liver health, and help you live a longer, healthier life.*

Sources:

Why don't more people eat breakfast? A biological perspective | PMC

Top 10 Best Blue Zones Breakfast Ideas | Blue Zones

Why You Should Eat Breakfast | RUSH

Skipping Breakfast and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Death: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies in Primary Prevention Settings | NCBI

Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential? | Scientific Reports

The Cellular Stability Hypothesis: Evidence of Ferroptosis and Accelerated Aging-Associated Diseases as Newly Identified Nutritional Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0) Deficiency Syndrome

Ferroptosis: an iron-dependent form of nonapoptotic cell death - PubMed

Instant Pot Quinoa Breakfast Bowls - Blue Zones.com

Power Green Smoothie|Blue Zones.com

Blueberry Corn Cakes Recipe - Blue Zones.com

5 unexpected breakfast foods eaten by the healthiest people in the world|Business Insider.com

Super-Powered Steel-Cut Oats|Blue Zones.com