Blue Zone Diet: 5 Recipes To Help Support Longevity

Most people agree that living a longer and healthier life is a worthy goal, but some don’t know the secret to making these goals happen. We can turn to the Blue Zones for the inside scoop on how to age healthfully. 

Together, we’ll discuss what makes Blue Zones special, including how their dietary choices influence their longevity. We’ll give you five longevity-based recipes to get you started so you can eat like the Blue Zone residents eat. 

We’ll also talk about a newly discovered essential fatty acid that supports longevity. Spoiler alert: Blue Zone residents have about three times as much of this essential nutrient in their bodies as most of us. 

There’s a hack to level up your wellness, and it starts with the Blue Zone Diet. 

What Are Blue Zones?

Blue Zones are areas where residents consistently live to be 100+. These concentrated populations have lifestyles that support their longevity, and researchers have been actively studying their habits, health, and manners of living in hopes of bringing these longevity-based principles to the rest of the world. 

Where Are Blue Zones?

To date, there are five established Blue Zones:

• Ikaria, Greece
• Loma Linda, California
• Okinawa, Japan
• Nicoya, Costa Rica
• Sardinia, Italy
  
  

These cities boast the most centenarians per capita of any other area in the world. Blue Zone residents aren’t just living to be 100 — they’re living to be a healthy 100. That means they experience far fewer occurrences of age-related illnesses than other populations in the world. 

What They Do

After following the residents of these communities closely, researchers identified nine key lifestyle factors that influenced the residents’ ability to live longer, healthier lives. These key principles are called the Power 9®. 

• Keep moving. In each Blue Zone, residents stay active through natural movement, such as walking, gardening, or swimming.
  
  
• Manage stress. Blue Zones residents avoid chronic inflammation that can result from too much stress by managing stress in healthy ways. Some residents participate in a daily happy hour, while others rely on short midday naps.
  
  
• Don’t eat too much. Blue Zone residents in Okinawa follow the principle of eating only to 80% fullness, helping eliminate overeating and supporting a healthy weight.
  
  
• Eat a plant-based diet. While Blue Zone residents are not vegans, they do eat a plant-forward diet. All Blue Zone residents eat beans and legumes.
  
  
• Wine at 5:00. Drinking a small glass of red wine with friends and with dinner is a habit in all the Blue Zones except with Adventists in Loma Linda. This habit brings residents together socially.
  
  
• Belonging. Residents who live the longest, healthiest lives have a deep sense of their purpose and how they belong to their community.
  
  
• Loved ones first. A family-first mentality keeps Blue Zone residents healthy and cared for. Families ensure that aging loved ones are cared for and appreciated.
  
  
• Know your tribe. In the Blue Zones, residents never stop connecting with others. A core group of friends and loved ones is vital to their survival.

These principles may seem overwhelming, but we can work on small changes that bring us closer to these goals. One way to start is by adopting some of their dietary habits in our own homes. 

5 Recipes That Are Blue Zone-Approved

Blue Zone diets are largely plant-based and contain healthy fats and fresh ingredients. Blue Zone residents avoid processed food and often eat their largest meals earlier in the day, saving smaller bites for lunch or dinner. 

The following five meals make great options, are easy to make, and are bursting with flavor.

1. Ikaria Cabbage With Rice

A popular tavern dish, cabbage with rice is a plant-based comfort food that is enjoyed by locals. You can make it at home easily with a few ingredients. 

Ingredients

2T extra-virgin olive oil

1 small green cabbage cut into 1 ½ inch chunk

2 medium yellow or white onions chopped

3 large carrots peeled and grated

1 C chopped fresh dill

2 C vegetable broth

1 C uncooked long-grain white rice

½ t salt

¼ t ground black pepper

Process

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add vegetables and cook until they soften (about 20 minutes). Add the broth and rice and bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low for 20 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper and garnish with lemon wedges. 

2. Loma Linda Avocado Salad

Fresh avocados are a popular ingredient in Loma Linda cooking. You can capture the creamy texture and flavor in this easy-to-combine avocado salad. This salad is best served fresh to avoid browning avocados. 

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados, diced

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 large ripe tomato, chopped

¼ C chopped cilantro

½ juice of a lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Process

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with flatbread or whole-grain crackers.

3. Nicoya Horchata

This classic Costa Rican beverage can be made with less sugar but still retains a sweetness and creamy consistency that can be enjoyed on hot summer days or any time of year.

Ingredients

1C brown or white rice

4C water

1C coconut milk (or almond milk)

2 sticks Mexican cinnamon

Sugar to taste

2t vanilla 

Ground cinnamon to garnish

Process

Soak rice, cinnamon sticks, and water overnight in the fridge. Remove cinnamon sticks and blend the rice and water until smooth. This will take about five minutes. Strain through two cheesecloths, a nut milk bag, or other fine material. Discard the solids and pour the liquid into a pitcher. Sweeten to taste and add vanilla and cinnamon. Chill and serve cold over ice. 

4. Okinawa Purple Sweet Potatoes

In Okinawa, street vendors still sell “stone-baked” purple sweet potatoes from carts. You can get the same sweet flavor at home with either purple or orange sweet potatoes. 

Ingredients

4 purple or orange sweet potatoes

Cinnamon to garnish

Process

Wash potatoes well. Wrap each in aluminum foil. Place potatoes directly on the baking rack in a 400-degree oven and cook for one hour or until potatoes are tender. Serve immediately with cinnamon to garnish. 

5. Sardinia Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

In all the Blue Zones, residents enjoy beans and legumes as a dietary staple. One way to add a serving to your daily menu is by roasting chickpeas and eating them atop salads, in wraps, or just as a snack. These chickpeas are bursting with flavor and provide a little heat due to the combination of spices.

Ingredients

2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1t ground cumin

1t smoked paprika

1t chili powder

½ t garlic powder

½ t coarse salt

¼ t ground black pepper

¼ t crushed red pepper flakes

1 T olive oil

Process

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lay chickpeas on a sheet pan and pat them dry with a paper towel. Remove the chickpeas and place them in a bowl. Combine spices and sprinkle over chickpeas. 

Drizzle chickpeas with olive oil. Toss until well coated and place the chickpeas in an even layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes until chickpeas are crispy, stirring them once halfway through. You can store chickpeas for up to 2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.

These recipes are packed with flavor, nutrients, and antioxidants to promote longevity and help you adopt the Blue Zone diet. Another way to live more like residents of Blue Zones? Elevate your pentadecanoic acid. 

What Is Pentadecanoic Acid?

Pentadecanoic acid, also known as C15:0, is a long word for simple fatty acid that has recently been confirmed as an essential dietary fatty acid. That means we now know of three essential fatty acids: omega-3 (ALA), omega-6 (LA), and C15:0. 

C15:0 is an odd-chain, saturated fatty acid that is found in trace amounts in whole-fat dairy products like full-fat milk and butter. In Blue Zones like Sardinia, Italy, residents consume cheese made from the milk of local, mountainous grazing goats that is naturally high in C15:0. 

This explains why their levels of C15:0 are typically three times the amount of the rest of the world population. In Sardinia, residents typically have circulating C15:0 levels that measure about 0.68% of their total fatty acid count. Most people outside these Blue Zones have C15:0 levels under 0.2%.

What Does C15:0 Do?

As initially published in Nature Scientific Reports in 2020, C15:0 has been shown to reverse aging inside human cells. 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.

C15:0 is effective in bolstering our cellular health and, by extension, the health of our entire bodies. Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough of it. It’s estimated that one in three people worldwide are C15:0 deficient. 

A deficiency in C15:0 is known as Cellular Fragility Syndrome, a condition that causes cells to become weak, unstable, and lose their function. This syndrome underscores countless metabolic health issues that cause a decline in cardiovascular health, blood sugar regulation, liver health, and even accelerated aging.

How Much C15:0 Do You Need?

Studies support that levels of C15:0 should represent >0.2% of a person’s circulating fatty acid count. You’ll need a blood test to find out where your current levels are. You can grab an at-home test here and get your results quickly. 

If you find out you are deficient, there’s an easy way to elevate your levels. Surprisingly, the best and most efficient way to increase your levels does not come from dietary changes.

Getting Your C15:0 Fix

There are a few reasons why getting your C15:0 from a supplement is a better choice than adding C15:0 foods like whole milk and full-fat butter to your diet. 

• Absorption. In food, C15:0 is attached to branches of lipids called triglycerides. Our gut has to break down these chains to separate the C15:0. This extra step makes the process a bit more complex and less readily available for our bodies.
  
  
• Calories and Sugar. If you’re on a weight loss plan or simply trying to maintain a healthy weight, adding whole-fat dairy to your diet could be problematic. Whole-fat dairy is intensely caloric and contains excess sugars from lactose. You’d also need to consume a lot of whole dairy to get the essential C15:0 you need.
  
  
• Cows. If you’re vegan, consuming animal products is off the table. As a side note, all plant-based milk is completely void of C15:0. The push to more sustainable products may also make a person less likely to consume animal-based products. 

A solution to the C15:0 problem? Fatty15. 

Fatty15 is the first and only supplement that contains a pure, vegan-friendly version of C15:0 known as FA15™. At just one calorie per dose, it gives you all the ready-to-absorb C15:0 you need and nothing else. It’s one of the easiest ways to elevate your health, support your longevity, and live a bit more like Blue Zone residents. 

Enter the Blue Zone 

You don’t have to adopt every lifestyle habit enjoyed by Blue Zone residents to improve your healthspan. Making small changes can make big differences. In addition to trying new recipes that are Blue Zone approved, strengthen your cells and prevent the Cellular Fragility Syndrome with fatty15. 

Sources:

Blue Zones | Blue Zones.com

Power 9® | Blue Zones

Circulating fatty acids and endocannabinoidome-related mediator profiles associated to human longevity | GeroScience

Biomarkers of dairy fat intake, incident cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: A cohort study, systematic review, and meta-analysis | PLOS Medicine

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

Recipes:

Cabbage with Rice | Dan Buettner

Avocado Salad Recipe | All Recipes.com

Low-sugar horchata for Cinco de Mayo | Cooking in Mexico

Perfectly Baked Okinawan Sweet Potato | EatPlant-Based

The BEST Spicy Roasted Chickpeas | The Healthy Epicurean