The Controversy Of Dan Buettner's Three Blue Zones

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Dan Buettner is an author/public speaker whose work has caused some controversy. With his most famous works being related to “Blue zones,” a term that he and a few fellow National Geographic adventurers came up with used to describe an area where people routinely live to be over 100-years-old. Buettner has multiple best-selling books and even appears in a few TEDTalks. As of the release date of the TEDTalk that this paper is based around, three “Blue zones” have been found. The “Blue zone” locations are: Sardinia, a small island off the coast of Italy, Okinawa, a series of islands south of Tokyo, and in Loma Linda, California. But what must we do to be a part of these “Blue zones” or live to be over 100-years-old? Buettner (2011) states that …show more content…

Although lifestyles can be altered based on all the things listed prior and more, would Americans be willing to adapt their comfy lifestyles to fit a “Blue zone” one – I feel we have already strayed too far away from this much “healthier …show more content…

Although the Okinawan “Blue zone” members eat different foods than the Sardinians, the primary food groups are the same. Where the BZs have their own diet figured out, every country has a different idea of what each meal should be. We as Americans try to be a melting pot and take a little bit from every culture, which is why we could find it difficult to transition our diets to follow suit with the BZs. The amount of fast-food restaurants also holds a factor as to how we aren’t as healthy as we could be. The accessibility to greasy, unhealthy, cheap food from burger joints and pizza parlors is tempting to many Americans, myself included. I don’t feel as though I could keep up with the BZ diet of the Okinawans or the Sardinians, simply because my personal vice is food. For some people, such as the BZ inhabitants, these diets of greens, beans, and nuts is simply the normal part of their every-day life, whereas, Americans tend to live a much unhealthier lifestyle. If a person can keep up with the blue zone diet, they could potentially increase their longevity, but they would be giving up many delicious

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