Dan Buettner is a National Geographic adventurer/explorer and writer. He became famous back in 2005 when an article he wrote, with front cover headlines, resulted in one of the most sold copies of National Geographic ever. It was entitled “The Secrets of Long Life”, and was all about places in the world where people commonly live to 100 years plus, still with clarity of mind and good general health.
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He crossed three continents on a bicycle as an adventurous young man. In his travels he came across pockets of people or groups that outlived others and seemed to have found the key to longevity – but also healthy and full lives. Determined to try to understand what their key to youth was, he assembled a team of demographers, scientists, epidemiologists and experts who then studied these people in depth.
Dan Buettner. (YouTube)
Initially he identified three areas – Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Adventists in Loma Linda, California (USA). Later he also included Ikaria in Greece and Nicoya, Costa Rica. In studying these special populations he and his team came up with common denominators to longevity and good living. One of the central themes is that centenarians in these groups ate 95% plant-based foods focused around fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Meat was consumed in small amounts on rare occasions. But there were a number of other important factors.
The nine pillars of the Blue Zones:
- Move naturally. Don’t do marathons or pump iron; work around the house, garden, walk, cycle, walk when talking on the phone.
- Know your purpose. Have a reason for waking up in the morning.
- Kick back. Find ways to shed stress, whether it’s praying, napping or going to happy hour.
- Eat less. Stop eating when you are 80% full.
- Eat less meat. Beans are a cornerstone of most centenarians’ diets.
- Drink in moderation. Only the Seventh-day Adventists in California didn’t have one to two glasses a day.
- Have faith. Denomination doesn’t seem to matter, but attending faith-based services (4 times a month) does.
- Power of love.
Put families first, including committing to a partner and keeping ageing parents and grandparents nearby. - Stay social. Build a social network that supports healthy behaviours.
As a result of the enthusiasm that met the publication of this material, his books and presentations on TED talks, the Oprah Winfrey Show and other fora, Dan was inspired to start up a company with his brother that makes all this information practical. Together with other like- minded people, they hit on the idea of doing a city health makeover. With support from the University of Minnesota, they chose the small town of Albert Lea in 2009, where health statistics mimicked national averages of poor health. “It was a huge success. The citywide health initiative raised life expectancy, lowered health care costs by 40% and residents collectively lost tons of weight.” This is a quote from a detailed report by Naomi Imatome-Yun from Forks Over Knives
Over 300 USA cities have requested similar assistance after observing the benefits of this programme. They have now established what they call the Blue Zone Project, a public health initiative that gets schools, employers, restaurants, grocery stores, residents and leaders to work together to improve the health of everyone in the community. Buettner describes it as “transforming the places we live, work, and play to support people in making healthy choices.”
https://youtu.be/FEYVqM-8DHE is the youtube url to watch a short 4 minute clip of what the Blue Zones Project is all about and how they help to create a better environment for healthier living. There is much that our genes and our personal choices can do to enhance health and happiness. But it is also helpful if we have a nurturing environment. That is what the Blue Zones Project seeks to do in compliant towns and cities. For more detailed information watch some of Dan Buettner’s TED talks on the Blue Zones.
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Wouldn’t it be amazing if Port Shepstone/Margate/ Ray Nkonyeni Municipality could adopt and implement a Blue Zones Project to promote healthy living? Imagine if our schools could implement education about lifestyle changes. Imagine if some of our larger businesses – like South Coast Herald, or Beekman Brothers came on board. Imagine if local faith-based institutions could encourage Blue Zones principles amongst the congregants. We just need some people with vision and enthusiasm. But that starts with a personal commitment to healthy living for ourselves, and implementing the 9 principles as elucidated by Dan Buettner.
Maybe we can begin to turn the tide of lifestyle diseases – in our local environment of home and work and play and worship.
To a healthy life – changing bit by bit.
Dave Glass
Dr David Glass graduated from UCT in 1975. He spent the next 12 years working at a mission hospital in Lesotho, where much of his work involved health education and interventions to improve health, aside from the normal busy clinical work of an under-resourced mission hospital.
He returned to UCT in 1990 to specialise in obstetrics/gynaecology and then moved to the South Coast where he had the privilege of, amongst other things, ushering 7000 babies into the world. He no longer delivers babies but is still very clinically active in gynaecology.
An old passion, preventive health care, has now replaced the obstetrics side of his work. He is eager to share insights he has gathered over the years on how to prevent and reverse so many of the modern scourges of lifestyle – obesity, diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, common cancers, etc.
He is a family man, with a supportive wife, and two grown children, and four beautiful grandchildren. His hobbies include walking, cycling, vegetable gardening, bird-watching, travelling and writing. He is active in community health outreach and deeply involved in church activities. He enjoys teaching and sharing information.
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