TRY IT OUT IN ONE AMERICAN CITY AND THE RESULTS WERE REMARKABLE.
>> DAN BUETTNER SAID HE FOUND
THE RECIPE ON HOW TO REACH A
HAPPY AND HEALTHY 100th YEAR,
100 RECIPES, TO BE IMPACT, ALL
WRITTEN DOWN DURING A TWO-YEAR
JOURNEY THROUGH THE BLUE ZONES,
PLACES AROUND THE WORLD WHERE
PEOPLE SEEM TO DEFY THE LIMITS
OF AGE.
OF AGE. >> WITHOUT HEART DISEASE, CANCER
OR DIABETES, ANY DISEASES
PLAGUING AMERICA.
PLAGUING AMERICA. THIS IS WHAT THEY EAT.
BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT WHAT
PEOPLE ARE EATING TO LIVE TO
100.
100. >> WE’RE SEEING 500 YEARS OF
WISDOM CONCENTRATED IN ONE BOWL.
>> THOSE RECIPES IN HIS NEW
BOOK, THE BLUE ZONE’S KITCHEN.
>> THIS IS THE TRADITIONAL DIET.
>> BUT CAN EATING THE SAME MEALS
HERE AT HOME ADD YEARS TO OUR
LIVES?
LIVES? WE TEAMED UP WITH DAN IN NAPLES,
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA. >> THE SECRET SAUCE IS BLENDING
THEM THE WAY THE KOREANS DO IT.
WE SHOWED THEM HOW TO MAKE SOME
OF THE DISHES, BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY, WE HELP THEM CHOOSE
THREE OR FOUR OTHER PEOPLE.
AND ALL WE DID WAS CHALLENGE
THEM TO HAVE AT LEAST FIVE POT
LUCK DINNERS TOGETHER WHERE THEY
COOK FROM THE BOOK.
>> A TEN-WEEK CHALLENGE.
>> THIS IS WHAT CENTENARIANS
REALLY EAT.
REALLY EAT. >> INVOLVING ABOUT A HUNDRED
VOLUNTEERS.
VOLUNTEERS. EVERYONE WAS SPLIT INTO GROUPS
CALLED MOI’S.
CALLED MOI’S. >> A MOI IS AN IDEA OF BRINGING
FOUR OR FIVE FRIENDS TOGETHER.
IF YOU COULD PUT THAT IN A PILL,
IT WOULD BE A PHARMACEUTICAL
BLOCK BUSTER.
BLOCK BUSTER. LONELINESS IN THIS COUNTRY
SHAVES ABOUT 8 YEARS OFF YOUR
LIFE EXPECTANCY.
LIFE EXPECTANCY. IN 1980, THE AVERAGE AMERICAN
HAD THREE GOOD FRIENDS THEY CAN
COUNT ON.
COUNT ON. WE’RE NOW DOWN TO UNDER TWO.
WE’RE SPENDING ALL OF OUR TIME
SUCKED INTO OUR LITTLE DEVICES.
WE HAVE TO RESUME THAT
CONNECTION, AND IF WE CAN RESUME
THAT CONNECTION AROUND HEALTHY
FOOD, WE KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE
STONE.
STONE. >> HI, I’M LISA, AND I’M 60
YEARS OLD.
YEARS OLD. >> ARMED WITH VIDEO CAMERAS.
>> OLIVES, TOMATOES.
>> LONGEVITY STEW.
>> AND RECIPES FROM THE BLUE
ZONES, THE MOI’S GATHERED AND
ENCOURAGED EACH OTHER.
>> IT’S REALLY GOOD.
>> YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR YOUR
COMMUNITY HAS TO BE ON BOARD
EATING THE SAME WAY, OTHERWISE
IT WON’T WORK.
>> DIETS FAIL ALMOST ALL THE
PEOPLE ALMOST ALL THE TIME.
WHAT SEEMS TO WORK IN BLUE ZONES
NOT ONLY KNOWING THAT A LARGELY
WHOLE PLANT FOOD DIET IS GOING
TO HELP YOU LIVE LONGER, THEN
YOU NEED TO HAVE A SOCIAL
NETWORK AROUND THIS WAY OF
EATING.
EATING. >> THREE MONTHS LATER, DAN
RETURNS TO SEE THE RESULTS.
REUNITING WITH THREE WOMEN WHO
VOWED TO STICK WITH THAT
TEN-WEEK CHALLENGE.
TEN-WEEK CHALLENGE. JEANETTE, JoANN, AND LISA.
>> THREE MONTHS AGO.
>> IT’S A LITTLE PAINFUL FOR ME
TO LOOK AT IT, BUT LOOK AT THAT.
>> WHAT HAPPENED?
>> I LOST 12 POUNDS.
>> THAT’S AMAZING.
CHOLESTEROL DOWN 22 POINTS.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> STARTING TO EAT THIS WAY, SHE
STARTED TO MAKE OTHER CHANGES IN
HER LIFE, MORE PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY. SHE’S REALLY SET UP, I THINK,
FOR A LONG-TERM.
>> AS FOR JEANETTE WHO USED TO
FEED HER FAMILY FAST FOOD MOST
NIGHTS BEFORE.
NIGHTS BEFORE. >> SHE ADOPTED IN A BIG WAY.
>> I LOST 17 POUND.
>> WOW, THAT’S AMAZING.
THAT’S OVER A POUND A WEEK.
>> I FEEL HAPPY, I FEEL
ENERGIZED, I’M OUT, I’M
ADVENTUROUS, I GO PLACES, I DO
THINGS.
THINGS. I’M EXCITED ABOUT IT.
>> WE DON’T ALLOW ANY SODA.
>> BUT THE BIGGEST CHANGE CAME
FROM JoANN.
FROM JoANN. >> A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE I SAW
YOU THREE MONTHS AGO.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. >> YOU HAVE LOST A LOT OF
WEIGHT.
WEIGHT. >> LIKE 37 POUNDS.
>> UNBELIEVABLE.
>> UNBELIEVABLE. >> NOT ONLY DID SHE LOSE THE
WEIGHT, HER ENTIRE ATTITUDE AND
PRESENTATION CHANGED.
PRESENTATION CHANGED. .
. >> WE HELPED GET HER OUT OF
PAIN.
PAIN. WE HELPED HER LOOK BETTER, BUILD
HER SELF-ESTEEM, AND THEN HER
WELL BEING FOLLOWED IT.
>> I HAD TO GET RID OF SO MANY
DIFFERENT CLOTHES, THAT FELT
GOOD.
GOOD. >> WHAT’S YOUR HOPE TO SPEND ALL
OF THIS TIME TRAVELING AROUND
THE WORLD IT TO GET IT JUST
RIGHT.
RIGHT. >> I HAVE DISCOVERED SOMETHING
THAT I TRULY BELIEVE CAN IMPROVE
THE HUMAN CONDITION, THE SECRET
TO EATING FOR LONGEVITY IS TO
EAT SIMPLE FOODS EVERY DAY FOR
YEARS OR DECADES.
LIKE PEOPLE IN THE BLUE ZONES
DO.
DO. >> WELL, THE WOMEN WE TALKED TO
SAW THE MOST DRAMATIC CHANGE,
EVERYONE WHO STUCK WITH THE
PROGRAM FOR THREE MONTHS ALSO
REPORTED WEIGHT LOSS, BUT I
THINK THE THING THAT’S THE MOST
EXCITING TO ME IS THAT THEY ALL
REPORTED KIND OF EMOTIONAL WELL
BEING WENT UP.
>> I LOVE THAT.
I LOVE THE EMOTIONAL WELL BEING,
I MEAN, WE TALKED ABOUT THE
CHOLESTEROL NUMBERS, THE BLOOD
PRESSURE NUMBERS, AND ALL THAT
STUFF.
STUFF. >> IT MAKES A TON OF SENSE.
>> I KIND OF WANT THAT BOOK
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.
>> I HAVE BEEN EATING A LOT OF
BEANS SINCE WE DID THIS STORY.
IT’S ACTUALLY PRETTY EASY TO
INCORPORATE AND YOU KIND OF FIND
YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, EATING
LENTILS AND BROWN RICE, AND
GOING, IT’S ACTUALLY MUCH BETTER
THAN YOU THOUGHT.
>> MARIA LIKES VERY SIMPLE
FOODS.
FOODS. SHE DOESN’T LIKE ANYTHING FANCY.
>> WHATEVER MARIA IS DOING, WE
WANT TO DO.
YOU’RE OUR GURU.
>> YOU CAN FIND THE BOOK, THE
BLUE ZONE’S KITCHEN ON
TODAY.COM/SHOP.
TODAY.COM/SHOP. TOMORROW, DAN WILL BE HERE IN