Do Blue Zones Hold The Secret To Long Life? Here Are The Original 5 To Visit And See For Yourself

Want to be forever young? These places help make it possible. Blue Zones are areas where people have longer life expectancies and suffer fewer chronic diseases. The term was made famous after Dan Buettner and a team of National Geographic explorers expanded on demographic data published by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain, who circled areas of Sardinia that reported increased longevity in blue. Those little blue circles have blossomed into book deals, Netflix specials, and countless articles that study the lives of those in these areas. Researchers have sought to quantify all aspects of their lifestyles, looking at everything from what they eat, how they socialize, their jobs, and their belief systems to develop theories about why they live longer.

Each Blue Zone shares interesting characteristics with the other, which Buettner dubbed the "Power 9" traits. However, each zone also features drastically different aspects of life. From religious communities only miles from Los Angeles to isolated Mediterranean islands, each Blue Zone holds its own secrets and strategies for developing a long and healthy lifestyle. The only way to truly decipher if these zones have the secrets to a long and happy life is to visit them yourself. Think of it this way: traveling to these places — even the Blue Zone on pristine Greek islands — isn't a vacation; it's an investment that could add years to your life. Learn more about each Blue Zone and get into life for the long haul.

There are far worse places to travel towards in search of everlasting life than Okinawa's idyllic shores. This group of Japanese islands has white, sandy beaches that would make it an excellent choice for a vacation even if it wasn't considered one of the healthiest places on earth. Luckily for us, it accomplishes both things with flying colors. Okinawa might be the very first place where people noticed longer lives. The Okinawa Research Center for Longevity Science has been studying citizens of Okinawa since 1975, almost 30 years before the term "Blue Zone" existed.  The research center says it picked Okinawa after birth certificates from the island confirmed reports of islanders with long lives and great health.

In the decades since international researchers have reaffirmed these findings and touted Okinawa as a Blue Zone for a global audience. Travel with a tour operator to experience the island's oldest communities first-hand. Translators can help Introduce you to their cuisine and experience the shores that bring long, happy lives to its inhabitants. While you're there, eat plenty of local sweet potatoes, a local staple that makes up about 2/3rds of a typical local diet and is frequently touted as a reason for the residents' longevity. Another reason is how they eat their starches: sitting on tatami mats on the floor. Locals here sit and rise from the floor dozens of times daily, a practice linked to better mobility. Doing a squat each time you want to sample the delicious miso soups, tofu, and other fermented soy products on Okinawa will help you leave your vacation healthier than when it started. 

Sardinia was one of the first Blue Zones studied by National Geographic after researchers noticed the presence of a genetic trait in its inhabitants that is a crucial indicator of longevity. This gene, as well as an incredibly active lifestyle, have created conditions for longevity that greatly outpaces the rest of the world. The entire island of Sardinia is a great place to visit — it is home to some of the best beaches in Europe – but its Blue Zone is focused on a specific group of villages in central Sardinia. 

Most of the area's centenarians are shepherds and farmers raising livestock on the island's hills. People here begin tending goats as early as 5 or 6 and continue even into their 90s.They spend their lives walking through these rough islands' sharp edges and peaceful pasturelands, sleeping outside in the highlands, and staying away from home for long periods. You can follow shepherds' paths and even sleep under the stars under the guidance of the locals. One day of strenuous trekking fueled by pecorino cheese, local charcuterie, and cannonau is all it takes to understand how these people live such long, healthy lives. 

Not only does this shepherding keep the people of Sardinia fit, but it also keeps their food fit. 26% of Sardinian centenarians' diet is dairy, sourced from the healthy goats they walk daily. The entire Sardinian Blue Zone diet is a beautiful one: fresh cheeses, hand-picked veggies and nuts, and red wine daily. You can skip the rugged hikes and head straight to the good stuff at Campeggio Supramonte, a restaurant that gives a great taste of this community's customs. 

Nicoya, a Costa Rican peninsula on the Pacific Ocean, is a nature lover's paradise. Monkeys swing from the treelines above, snakes and tarantulas slink along the jungle floor, and the Pacific coast frequently delivers pumping surf amidst spectacular sunsets. While the rich coastline has tons of tourism draws, Nicoyan locals quietly live long and prosper in the background.

Head to Nicoya to introduce your marriage to unparalleled longevity in the world's most tropical Blue Zone. While the deep, deep blue sea likely helps residents live longer, the potable water inland is the real secret to this area's longevity. Nicoya has some of the hardest water in the country, which means it has a higher calcium and magnesium content. Alongside plenty of calcium, Nicoyan residents benefit from a healthy dose of Vitamin D, courtesy of the peninsula's almost year-round sunshine. Visit any time from December to April and you're practically guaranteed sunny weather.

Each day on the Nicoya Peninsula starts with Gallo Pinto, a local delicacy that turns leftover beans and rice into breakfast. Beans are a cornerstone in Blue Zone diets. In Nicoya, getting in your recommended legume intake starts at breakfast. Blue Zone founder Dan Buettner called the meal "the world's healthiest breakfast" in a piece for CNBC. Visiting the Nicoya Peninsula brings you close to plenty of delicious home-cooked food, warm communities, and stunning sunshine that all come together to help you live longer.

According to Blue Zone Researchers, one in three citizens of Ikaria, Greece, reach their 90s. Residents on this island — which is one of the best to retire on — eat a diet closely resembling the famous "Mediterranean diet," often seen as one of the world's healthiest ways to eat. Rich in fish, greens, fruits, legumes, and healthy oils, the island's delicious cuisine is often a focal point of visits. Chefs on the island host longevity cooking schools that show how to use plants and herbs found on an island in various healthy recipes.

Great home cooking helps the longevity on this island, but you don't need relatives to enjoy a home-cooked meal here. Many restaurants on the island re-create the homestyle feeling the people in this area were raised on and make their food in-house. You can easily find great meals that source food from local fishermen and change their menus with the season. Some, like the Taverna Apostolis, even make their wine in-house.

It takes more than red wine and fresh fish to live to be 100. The National Geographic reports that many roads on this island weren't completed until the 1990s. Before then, island inhabitants scrambled across the rocky terrain and walked through rocky outcroppings to visit friends, exchange goods and services, and soak in the island's legendary hot springs.  Residents of Ikaria are also eager to share their active and alternative lifestyles with foreign visitors. Here, no one checks the clock, and no one counts the years. Come for a week and stay for a month before you realize any time has passed. 

Loma Linda might be one of the more unique Blue Zones to consider visiting. It's a quick drive over from Los Angeles and its major airports, which makes it the only Blue Zone Americans can see without a passport. That's not what makes it unique. What makes this Blue Zone interesting is where you'll find the population on a Saturday: observing the Sabbath. Belonging to faith-based communities is an essential aspect of every Blue Zone, but Loma Linda's longevity is credited almost entirely to their religious faith. This town is a sunny Southern California pocket of Seventh-day Adventists.

Seventh-day Adventists believe many things, but most importantly, they believe in living. The Blue Zone studies estimate that people of Loma Linda live 10 years longer than the average American. Their secret includes no drinking, smoking, or meat, and rest on the seventh day. The religion's health benefits are summarized in the acronym NEWSTART: Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest, and Trust in God.

Loma Linda is only five miles from the location of the original McDonald's restaurant, which makes their longevity even more interesting. Unlike the isolated Ikaria or mountainous island terrain of Okinawa, Loma Linda is surrounded by plenty of outside influences that go against what most Blue Zones have taught us. This town has thrived based on its solid cultural system that makes healthy choices easy and unhealthy decisions difficult. Plan a trip to Loma Linda to get a sense of what it takes to live in a healthy community — just don't expect many businesses to be open on a Saturday.