EP 437: The Blue Zones' Dan Buettner on Eating for Longevity

Dan Buettner has become an expert on longevity ever since he wrote his groundbreaking National Geographic article on the Blue Zones, the five places in the world where the most people live to 100 or older. One of the key factors is diet, and Dan has been studying what the oldest people in the world eat for more than 15 years. He reveals the health benefits of dietary monotony and periodic fasting, why HOW you eat is just as important as WHAT you eat, and why you want to load up on beans and veggies instead of meat and eggs. He shares some cooking secrets that he learned in the kitchens of grandmas in all five of the Blue Zones, including a Sardinian minestrone that has all the properties of a "superfood," a simple dish that he calls healthiest breakfast in the world, and the Greek Island of Ikaria’s unique take on the Mediterranean diet. He talks about traveling to Okinawa, Japan with his remarkably spry 84-year-old dad, and visiting 100 year old Costa Rican cowboy who still goes riding every day.

Order Dan's new bestselling cookbook The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100. Learn more at www.bluezones.com and follow him on Twitter at @bluezones.