The trademarked term Blue Zones is now used to reflect the environment and lifestyle of these areas where the world's oldest and healthiest people are found.
Although their lifestyles differ slightly, they mostly eat a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, get enough sleep and have good spiritual, family and social networks.
Each of these lifestyle factors has been shown to be associated with a longer life.
New Zealand food and nutrition writer Niki Bezzant learnt about the Blue Zones through her involvement with the True Health initiative (a global movement to make the fundamental truths about healthy, sustainable living and eating common knowledge).
"The Blue Zone conversation is basically the way we all should be living for health, and we have known this for a long time," says Bezzant. "The fundamentals for good nutrition and good health haven't really changed in decades.
"One of the characteristics of the populations is that they have a low-stress life and that is quite telling for us in our modern Western societies.
"Ways of dealing with stress are so important, and stress is related to so many diseases and conditions."
She says another common theme is a strong connection with other people. "They have strong friendship groups and they have strong family connections. And they have their faith which is interesting. They typically have a belief in something.
"The faith thing is a little surprising. You wouldn't think having a religion would affect your health. But, again, it is a community thing. You are part of a supportive community and that is a good thing, that makes sense.
"The number one thing for Kiwis is to eat more plants, to eat more vegetables. Even though the communities' diets are different, the thing they have in common is they basically eat a plant-based diet. They still have meat and they still have animal products, but the plants form the basis of what they eat day to day.
"We can all add more plants, particularly vegetables to our lives, easy."
She says minimising stress would be a harder thing to change.
"Life is stressful, and it is more difficult to build in routines to deal with stress, that is a hard one for all of us.
"The other one is probably the alcohol. On the surface, it is surprising. They all drink daily except for the Seventh-Day Adventists [in Loma Linda], and it is in the form of mainly red wine.
"The moderation is the key to getting any health benefits out of it. It is a small amount daily, not a couple of wines every day like we would have here.
"We are talking about traditional lifestyles and diets and if you look at Okinawa, for example, there is evidence that the young people there are having higher rates of obesity and higher rates of disease because they are adopting Western diets and moving away from the traditional diets."
She says people in the Blue Zones don't eat the same huge portions as many Kiwis do.
"They eat moderately and a lot of them would do more work to get hold of their food than we would.
"They get incidental exercise not from working out in the gym but just as a part of their day, looking after gardens."
Bezzant says if the Blue Zone research is anything to go by, there's really nothing complicated about eating for longevity. "By applying some simple lifestyle changes, you may be able to eat your way to living a long, healthy and happy life."
Some of these are:
●Eat more wholegrains, fruit and vegetables — especially legumes
●Increase your water intake
●Don't over-indulge in food — stop eating before you are full
●Get active
Professor of Social Science Research Christine Stephens, one of the senior members of Massey University's Health, Work and Retirement study, agrees there are aspects of the Blue Zone's findings that Kiwis could incorporate into their lifestyles.
"No smoking, a plant-based diet, physical activity, and social engagement are already generally recommended by public health promotion and achievable for most."
But she says family closeness and legumes as an important feature of the diet would be more difficult to foster in this country's current social and physical environment.
However, she says the university's researchers have not considered the Blue Zones as the basis of their work.
The number one thing for Kiwis is to eat more plants, to eat more vegetables. Even though the communities' diets are different, the thing they have in common is they basically eat a plant-based diet.
"We are interested in other frameworks for investigating wellbeing in older age. For example, our current projects are focused on older workers. Furthermore, our focus is on social, mental and physical health rather than longevity.
"In general, we are interested in the ways in which social policy can foster wellbeing for older people."
The Blue Zones
Okinawa, Japan (world's longest-lived women)Sardinia,
Italy (highest concentration of centenarian men)Nicoya,
Costa Rica (lowest rate of middle-age mortality)Ikaria,
Greece (low rates of middle age mortality and dementia)Loma Linda, California (Seventh Day Adventists live 10 more healthy years than average American)
Blue Zones lifestyle and diet traits
Moderate, regular physical activity
Sufficient sleep
Life purpose
Stress reduction
Moderate calories intake
Plant-based diet
Moderate alcohol intake, especially wine
Engagement in spirituality or religion
Engagement in family life
Engagement in social life
