Into the Blue

This month, we’re exploring healthy aging and bringing you recipes inspired by the Blue Zones. First identified by Dan Buettner, the Blue Zones are areas of world with the highest concentration of centenarians.

These zones are Nicoya, Costa Rica; Sardina, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; and Okinawa, Japan. Studies into the demographics of these areas show that the lifestyles and diets of older adults in these areas have many commonalities which could be the key to their longevity.

The following recipes have taken inspiration from the diets of these areas which have an emphasis on vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and lean meats, low-fat dairy products, and unsaturated oils like olive oil.

Rather than try to recreate specific dishes from these regions, we’ve put our own spin on dishes, starting with some of the healthful ingredients that the people of these areas eat most.

The Blue Zones investigations also revealed that strong social connections were a key feature of living among older adults in these areas. So, what better way to enjoy these recipes than with family and friends you want to keep around.

Lean into longevity with these five recipes inspired by the world’s healthy Blue Zones.

“Three Sisters” Breakfast Bowls

Beans, squash, and corn are known as the “three sisters” and are a key part of the diet of centenarians in the region of Nicoya, Costa Rica. These breakfast bowls draw on those reliable sisters with a nod to the…

See Recipe

Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Spinach, Miso, Garlic, and Thyme

The Okinawan diet is comprised of 67 percent Okinawan sweet potatoes. These purple-fleshed sweet potatoes are rich in anthocyanins, powerful blue and purple pigments with antioxidant properties. The rich purple colour has inspired this fusion dish. It follows a classic…

See Recipe

Bean and Barley Stew with Pecorino

The Sardinian diet contains a lot of vegetables and is known for good helpings of barley and Pecorino, a sheep’s milk cheese. While not recreating a Sardinian dish, we’ve been inspired, for this hearty bean and barley stew, by those…

See Recipe

Grape, Fennel, Garbanzo, and Buckwheat Salad

In Loma Linda, California, diets consist of fruits and vegetables as well as legumes, whole grains, and nuts. This crisp and juicy salad is inspired by those ingredients in the form of leafy greens, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, fennel, and sweet…

See Recipe

Lemon, Rosemary, Honey, and Goat Milk Panna Cotta with Figs and Walnuts

This recipe is inspired by Greece’s Blue Zone on the island of Ikaria. Ikarians make use of the herbs that grow around them in their teas, eat local honey, and consume goats’ milk and cheeses rather than from cows’ milk.…

See Recipe