If you’re someone who cares a lot about staying healthy, you might have heard of blue zones. These are special places in the world where people tend to live for more than 100 years. Even though these places are in different faraway parts of the world, they can teach us valuable things about living longer. Health studied some of the things that make a Blue Zone special, like eating lots of veggies, staying active every day, and having a strong community. They made a list of the top 10 states in the U.S. that might be like Blue Zones. Keep reading to find out which states are on the list and how living the “Blue Zone way” could help you stay healthier.
What is a Blue Zone?
Blue Zones are special places in the world where people live longer and healthier lives, often reaching the age of 100. The term “Blue Zones” was coined by Dan Buettner, who worked with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging in 2004 to find these areas. They discovered five places where a high number of people live to be 100 years old: Loma Linda in California, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, and Okinawa in Japan. Buettner and his team noticed that these places shared common characteristics:
Natural Movement: People in these areas didn’t necessarily go to the gym but stayed active by doing things like gardening, walking, or doing household chores. Sense of Purpose: Older individuals here had a reason to wake up each day and a sense of purpose in their lives. Stress Reduction: Techniques to reduce stress were part of their routines, like reflecting on the day or practicing ancestral traditions. 80% Full Rule: They ate until they felt about 80% full and usually had smaller meals at the end of the day. Plant-Based Diets: Their diets were mostly focused on foods like beans, plants, and whole grains. Although they ate meat occasionally, it was only about five times a month on average. These shared practices might be some of the reasons why people in Blue Zones tend to live longer and healthier lives.
The Top 10 Healthiest Places in the U.S.
One city in the U.S., Loma Linda in California, is among the world’s five healthiest places, called Blue Zones.
Now, when we look at what makes a blue zone in a whole state, how do other states compare?
To find out which states might have the potential to be like Blue Zones, Health checked things like having access to healthy foods from plants, staying active, feeling connected in a community, and getting enough sleep. They also checked how long people lived in each state. According to Health’s study, here are the top 10 states that are most likely to be considered as healthy as a Blue Zone.
Vermont
Vermont, known as the “Green Mountain” state, ranked at the top of our list for many reasons. It has the highest number of adults eating enough vegetables, the most farmers’ markets for every 100,000 people, and fewer inactive adults compared to other places (only 19.6%). Dr. Jaspal Ricky Singh, a doctor and member of the Health Advisory Board, said it’s no surprise that Vermont and other states in the Northeast have many people living longer. He thinks this happens because these places have easy access to fresh food and encourage exercise, making people healthier. Jackie Newgent, a dietitian, and Health Advisory Board member, believes Vermont’s high ranking as a healthy state is because of its strong community, support for organic farming, and love for outdoor activities. In 2022, Vermont had a population of only 647,064 people. But it still had 17 vegan/vegetarian restaurants, which is the second-highest per person. Their Wellbeing Index was 59, showing how well people and the community are doing in terms of physical health, social connections, access to food, and other important factors.
New York
In New York, a state on the East Coast, about 15% of people eat enough fruits every day. Even though this might seem low, it’s better than the national average, where only 12% of adults eat enough fruit. Similarly, 14% of people in New York meet their daily vegetable intake, which is higher than the national average of 10%.
New York also does well in terms of community well-being and its walk score, which shows how easy it is to walk to places like shops or parks. Overall, it’s considered friendly for pedestrians.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts is the third state on the East Coast on our list. It got the top spot for how well the community feels and came in fourth for how long people live on average, which is 79 years from birth.
Connecticut
Connecticut is doing well on the East Coast when it comes to people eating enough fruits every day (16%). It’s also good for people to eat enough vegetables and have a strong sense of community well-being. But it’s not as easy to walk around in Connecticut, and there aren’t as many vegan or vegetarian restaurants compared to states that did better on this list.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island, a small state on the East Coast, has lots of vegetarian and vegan restaurants for its size. About 22 of these restaurants exist for every million residents. People here also eat more fruits and vegetables, as recommended for a healthy diet. Rhode Island got the top ranking for its walk score, showing it’s great for walking around.
New Hampshire,
In New Hampshire, lots of grown-ups get a good amount of sleep, with about 68.9% sleeping for at least seven hours each day. People there also tend to live a long time, with an average life expectancy of around 79 years. However, the state’s rating isn’t perfect because there’s a decent number of adults, about 21.5%, who aren’t very active.
Oregon:
Oregon is the seventh state that shows potential for healthy living. It’s different from the East Coast states. In Oregon, there are about 23 vegetarian/vegan restaurants for every million people. Also, around 68% of adults get seven hours of sleep daily.
Hawaii:
Hawaii has the highest number of people who are a hundred years old or older (585). People here usually live up to 80 years old, making it a good place for retirement. Hawaii ties with Massachusetts for the best community well-being and the most vegetarian and vegan restaurants per million residents. However, its score is affected by fewer opportunities for walking and many adults not getting enough sleep.
Maine:
Maine has around seven farmers’ markets for every 100,000 people. About 73% of children here get enough sleep, and there are quite a few vegetarian or vegan restaurants per person. However, Maine’s overall position is lowered due to a lower well-being score.
California:
California is in 10th place for having 755 vegetarian and vegan restaurants and a walkability score of 46 in its 372 largest cities. However, it’s also 10th because of the high number of inactive adults and the ratio of farmers’ markets per 100,000 people.
How Does What You Eat Affect How Long You Live?
What you eat is important for staying healthy. Studies on Blue Zones and other research show that eating the right foods can help you live longer. Many people in the USA are also interested in eating better. Improving what they eat was a popular goal for 2024, according to a survey by Health.
Eating less meat and more plants might help you live longer. This is because it can make your gut (the system in your body that digests food) healthier and reduce swelling. A study in 2023 found that plant-based diets are good for the gut [2].
Swelling in your body can lead to many health problems, like stroke, heart disease, cancer, obesity, arthritis, and diabetes. So, any diet that helps reduce swelling, like a plant-based one, is good for you. Plants have natural substances that help your body’s defense system fight against things that cause swelling.
People in the Blue Zones eat lots of plants, but you don’t have to stop eating meat entirely to be healthy. You can have a diet that’s mostly plant-based but still includes different kinds of foods. This is called a “plant-heavy but diverse diet.” A doctor, Eliot Dinetz, says this kind of diet is good for overall health and living longer.
Even if you don’t live in these special places called Blue Zones, trying some of their healthy habits can still make you healthier and feel better overall.
Method
We looked into what makes a “Blue Zone,” where people live longer and healthier lives. Health studied six important things that contribute to a Blue Zone lifestyle. Then, we checked how each state in the US compares in these areas.
We looked at six things:
Eating mostly plants:
We checked how many vegan and vegetarian restaurants there are for every million people in a state.
We looked at how many adults eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Also, we counted the number of farmer markets for every 100,000 people.
Being active:
We checked the percentage of adults who don’t exercise much.
We also considered how easy it is to walk in big cities in each state.
Having a strong community and spiritual life:
We used a special index called the Community Well-Being Index to measure this. It looks at over 600 things that affect health and combines them to measure how well communities are doing.
Getting enough sleep
We looked at the percentage of adults and kids who don’t sleep at least seven hours a day.
Living longer:
We checked how long people live on average.
We also looked at how many people over 100 years old there are.
Note: We didn’t include data from New Jersey because it didn’t meet the requirements for including information about fruit and vegetable intake according to the CDC in 2019.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations
Studies on the Effect of Plant-Based Diets on Gut Health
Information from Blue Zones (places where people live a long time)
Visit VermontVacation.com for Vermont-related facts
Research on Nutrition and Longevity
Information on Chronic Inflammation Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet from MD Anderson Cancer Center