It could come down to eating more nuts (healthy fat) and beans (fiber) — literally.

[Sorry, couldn't get rid of the commercial, but it's short.]

IF YOU want to improve the health of Americans, why not look around the world for places where people live the longest, healthiest lives and try to copy whatever it is they’re doing? That’s exactly what

WATCH THIS interview with Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest.

Examples of areas he calls “blue zones” are Sardinia, Okinawa, Costa Rica (the Nicoya Peninsula), Ikaria (a Greek island), and Loma Linda, California. What these blue zone residents have in common include exercising regularly, eating more vegetables/less meat, engaging in social networking, and having a sense of purpose.

Adding beans and nuts to your diet is a surprisingly big step forward, but as Mr. Buetter explains in the video, ultimately you need to examine your life and environment and make some changers.

The good news is that many of these changes are quite simple.

Enjoy… oh, and if you’re so inclined, use the “comments” section below to tell us what you’ve done or are planning to do to add some extra vital years to your life.

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Related posts:

1. Superfoods, Anyone?
2. 5 Simple Things to Live Longer, Better
3. On a Budget? Good… Healthy Food is Often Cheaper (Watch)

Tagged as: blue zones, Costa Rica, eat vegetables, Ikaria, Loma Linda, Okinawa, Sardinia, sense of purpose

Published on February 5, 2010