Sunny California, known for its golden beaches, palm trees, and surfers, is also home to a small community filled with Super Agers: Some of the longest-living people in the world.
As Insider reports, the city of Loma Linda, home to just over 25,000 people, is seated roughly an hour east of Los Angeles, and is the United State’s only “Blue Zone” — a region of the world where people regularly live about a decade longer than average. The spot was identified by researcher Dan Buettner, and is featured in his recent book and Netflix docuseries on the topic.
So, how do they do it? It really comes down diet and exercise, and perhaps a little faith.
Seventh Day Adventists
Residents of Loma Linda live, on average, 10 years longer than normal US residents. Their longevity is attributed to the fact many residents of Loma Linda — about 9,000 of them — adhere to the Seventh-day Adventists faith. “The Adventist experience is only 20% or 30% healthier than the average American,” Buettner told the Los Angeles Times.
Seventh-day Adventists, an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination, prioritize plant based eating, regular exercise, emphasize community and promote a stress-free lifestyle: All key features of “Blue Zone” lifestyles.
Plant-Based Diet
Many Seventh-day Adventists adhere to a plant-based diet. As a result, black beans, nuts and avocados are a central component of their diet. These superfoods are also a staple of other Blue Zones’ cuisines. “In every Blue Zone, they’re eating about a cup of beans a day,” Buettner previously told Insider. “I believe the only superfood there is beans.”
For some Seventh-day Adventists, refined foods, shellfish, and red meat (especially pork) are off-limits. In fact, a study of 81,000 Seventh-day Adventists from the US and Canada found that even eating a small amount of red meat was associated with a two-fold increase in heart problems.
Instead of meat, the local Loma Linda Market is filled with bins of beans and grains, reported the Los Angeles Times, and the local university cafeteria is vegetarian.
No Alcohol
Another biggie for this Blue Zone? Seventh-day Adventists don’t drink alcohol. Nicotine and caffeine are also forbidden for followers of the religion. This is where Loma Linda differs from other groups of Super Agers, like those in Sardinia, Italy and Ikaria, Greece who enjoy indulging in a glass of wine.
While wine may have some antioxidant properties, and could help with socializing and stress relief, some evidence suggests that any amount of alcohol is unhealthy.
Lifestyle of Community, Health, & Balance
Loma Linda residents, like other Blue Zone regions, are big on community.
Residents share potluck dinners at church where they share hearty plant-based meals and socialize. Loma Linda University’s fitness center is open to all residents of Loma Linda, including its programs on diet and exercise, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Seventh-day Adventists are also encouraged to spend time outside in the fresh air, NBC News reported. After potluck dinners, it’s common for families to go on nature hikes.
For Seventh-day Adventists, Saturday is Sabbath — a day off from work and school. “It’s not just that we worship on the Sabbath; we honor that day as a day of rest,” Alexander Bryant, executive secretary for Seventh-day Adventists of North America, told NPR. “We don’t engage in secular activities, we don’t work during that time, and we look at that time to be rejuvenated.”
Students at Loma Linda University told Los Angeles Times that during Wednesday chapel the champlain encourages them to “stop stressing about tests, stop texting” and to “put away our to-do lists.”
—
Photo Credit: wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.com