I wrote about Blue Zones in the revise of my first book. I feel so strongly about this information, I decided to also include the information in my second book.

If you, your children, and other people in your life are healthy, then why should you care about toxins and the quality of your food?

I wrote this blog because I hear this objection often when I am speaking to groups. Its part of the “toxins are boring” conversation, and part of the “I don’t intend to change because nothing is wrong with my health” conversation. It’s also part of the “I like the convenience of fast food and processed food, and I don’t intend to cook conversation,” and it’s partly because people don’t understand that toxic load is something that builds up over time. It could take 20 years to build up and topple over the top. You might not be as healthy as you think.

These people don’t open their ears to even listen to what I have to say. This is my shot to reposition the information so that, perhaps, they can ”hear” me.

We can all learn a great deal from observing Blue Zones.

Blue Zones are the five areas in the world with the longest human longevity, where it is common to live over 100 and to remain healthy and vibrant until the end. The quality of life in these zones is very high. It is a project sponsored by National Geographic.

There are now nine more communities across America that are electing to be blue zones. Fort Worth, TX, Manhattan Beach, CA, and surrounding beach cities, Klamath, or, Albert Lea, Minnesota, Southwest Florida, Iowa, Dodge County, Wisconsin, and Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, have now elected as communities to be blue zones

What would motivate you to pay attention to the results in Blue Zones? Why would this matter to you? By discovering this information, will you change?

Toxic load can take 20 years to build up in your body. Toxic load becomes inflammation. Inflammation becomes a chronic disease. The chronic disease could be an autoimmune disease, or cancer or heart disease. Chronic illness begins with toxins and inflammation. So long term, this information can save your health.

Convenience is trumping health, and our nation’s health is showing the result. No wonder the United States ranks 37th in the world in health, our healthcare system is broken, and 53% of our children have chronic illnesses.

You want to eat the Standard American Diet. You want to eat what everyone else eats, and food is at the center of social relationships, so you don’t want to eat differently than everyone else. You want to eat for convenience, and you don’t want to go to the trouble to eat differently. You certainly don’t want to cook.

You don’t care about the chemicals being sprayed on our food and the poisons that we are eating on and in our food.

But let me ask you, what good is it for you to grow old if you are uncomfortable in your body, if your body has cancer or heart disease, or if you are one of the millions of people with autoimmune disorders? What good is it if you are struggling with a lot of pain every morning, or if, in old age, you have lost your mind to dementia?

Don’t you want to grow old and feel great, and still able to enjoy living your life? Don’t you want your children to grow old and to be healthy? For the first time, your children may not live as long as you, and their last years are not projected to be pretty.

This is important.

Don’t you want the quality of life as you age?

Here’s what we have discovered from the Blue Zones.

Some key elements contribute to long term health and healthy longevity.

Community

All Blue Zones have strong communities. Some are people that have been connected for life; most have a faith-based connection. Sometimes multi-generations live together. These communities share a sense of purpose with their members. They are people that support each other throughout life. Finding a supportive community that shares your healthy values is important.

Diet

All the Blue Zones eat a healthy, low-toxin diet. Most are vegetarian, with some wild fish, and sometimes very small portions of pastured meat twice a week. Common foods that are eaten in Blue Zones are organic and include olive oil, lots of greens, coffee, chickpeas, legumes, green tea, tomatoes, turmeric, sweet potatoes, salmon, squash, and avocados.

Cook

Eating out is celebratory only. Food is made in the home and eaten in their family community. Food is never eaten standing up or in the car. Plates are made in the kitchen and taken to the table. People in blue zones stop eating when they are 80% full.

Drink

The people in Blue Zones drink water. They don’t drink sodas with sugar or fake sugar. At the end of the day, they have one glass of wine.

Treats

Blue Zones keep healthy food accessible and ready to eat on upper shelves in their fridge. Junk food is eliminated. You eat what you see, and you eat what is convenient. Make the foods that are easy to eat freshly cut veggies and fruit.

Mind

Blue Zones have people with active minds. They are constantly learning, be it a new language, a new musical instrument or new science. Often people in blue zones meditate.

Sleep

People in Blue Zones get seven or more hours of sleep. The bedroom is used for sleep or sex. No TV, No Phone. No clock. The room is kept cool.

Movement

People in Blue Zones move naturally. They walk everywhere. They ride bikes for transportation. They get up and down to change the TV Channel; they do outdoor chores, and they garden. They have pets that they walk.

They all have a life purpose.

People in Blue Zones have a passion and a mission for what they want to accomplish in the world.

To sum it all up, they have healthy social communities; they have strong family bonds; they have no time urgency; they eat a plant-based diet; they do not smoke; they eat legumes; they have low alcohol intake; they eat nuts. They garden. They have turmeric in their diet. They eat nutrient-rich diets. They all pre-plated their food in the kitchen so that they did not overeat. They ate from smaller plates.

They have significantly less cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease, and almost no dementia. They are in places where it is common for people to live to 100; they suffer a fraction of the diseases that kill people in the rest of the world, and they enjoy many more years of good health.

Their smallest meal is their evening meal. They all enjoy some natural physical activity. They live low-stress lives. They all enjoy some form of faith.

They eat chemical-free. They live in clean environments. They support each other.

Does this information resonate with you? Don’t wait until you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. Clean up your life now. You only have one body. Honor it and take care of it, and it will serve you well. And by the by, don’t give me that bull that you have bad genes. You have the power to turn that switch on or to leave it off. Having something in your genetics does not mean that you are going to get it. The reverse of that is having good genes will not protect you from future diseases in your lifetime. You make all the difference with your body. You hold the power. Own it and feel great for the rest of your life.

Blue Zone findings are the same things I discuss in my book; It Feels Good to Feel Good, Learn to Eliminate Toxins, Reduce Inflammation, and Feel Great Again for people with chronic illness to adopt. They are just as important for YOU whether you are sick or well.

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