In a handful of places around the world, people reach their 90s and 100s at far higher rates than almost anywhere else. Researchers call these regions Blue Zones, and they include Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.
These communities are spread across four continents and share no single cuisine, yet their plates look surprisingly similar. Diet is only one part of their longevity, alongside daily movement, strong social ties and a sense of purpose. It is also the part that is easiest to bring into your own kitchen.
Here are the foods long-lived populations eat most, and what they have in common.
Beans and Legumes Come First
If one food group defines the longevity diet, it is legumes. In a review of the Blue Zones published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, researchers Dan Buettner and Sam Skemp describe beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, as the cornerstone of most centenarian diets.
The wider research supports this. The Food Habits in Later Life study followed people aged 70 and over in Japan, Sweden, Greece and Australia. Of all the food groups the researchers measured, legumes were the most consistent predictor of survival. Every 20-gram increase in daily legume intake was linked to an 8% lower risk of death over the study period. Twenty grams is less than two tablespoons.
Each region has its own favourites:
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Sardinians and Ikarians eat fava beans, chickpeas and lentils.
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Okinawans eat soy in the form of tofu and miso.
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Families in Nicoya eat black beans alongside corn tortillas.
Leafy Greens and Vegetables Fill the Plate
Long-lived populations eat vegetables at almost every meal, often grown in their own gardens. Ikarians gather wild greens, and Okinawans eat bitter melon and sweet potato.
Dark leafy greens such as spinach are good sources of folate, a B vitamin, and spinach and beetroot are among the richest vegetable sources of betaine. Both nutrients play a role in methylation, which we will come back to below.
Whole Grains Instead of Refined Ones
Bread and grains are part of daily life in several Blue Zones, but they look very different from a supermarket white loaf. Sardinians eat whole-grain breads, Ikarians eat traditional sourdough, and Nicoyans eat corn that has been soaked in lime, which makes more of its nutrients available.
Whole grains keep their bran and germ, which carry most of the fibre, vitamins and minerals. According to a review of betaine in foods, wheat bran, rye bran, quinoa and amaranth contain some of the highest levels of betaine found in any food.
Nuts, Olive Oil and a Little Fish
Healthy fats make up a steady part of these diets. Olive oil is a staple in Sardinia and Ikaria, and fish appears in moderate amounts in coastal regions, usually small fish cooked simply.
These foods supply unsaturated fats that support heart health, along with vitamin E, magnesium and other nutrients that refined diets tend to lack.
Fruit, Herbs and Tea
Fruit features daily in Nicoya, where tropical fruits such as papaya and bananas grow close to home. Ikarians drink herbal teas made from wild rosemary, sage and oregano, and Okinawans sip green and jasmine tea through the day. Herbs and tea add flavour without adding sugar, and they bring their own plant compounds to every meal.
Meat Plays a Small Role
Long-lived populations do eat meat, but not much of it. Buettner and Skemp report that it appears on the table about five times a month, in portions roughly the size of a deck of cards. Meat is usually saved for celebrations or Sunday meals rather than eaten at every dinner.
Okinawans also practise hara hachi bu, the habit of stopping a meal when they feel about 80% full. Eating slightly less at each meal is a simple habit that many centenarians share.
What These Foods Have in Common
Look at the shopping list again and a pattern appears. Legumes, leafy greens, beetroot and whole grains are all good sources of nutrients that support methylation, a chemical process your body runs billions of times a day. Methylation helps switch genes on and off, supports energy production and keeps a compound called homocysteine in check.
Several nutrients drive this process:
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Betaine (also called trimethylglycine, or TMG) donates methyl groups to turn homocysteine into methionine.
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Folate provides methyl groups through a separate pathway.
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Vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 act as helpers that keep those pathways running.
The betaine review notes that betaine intake can help lower circulating homocysteine levels, which supports cardiovascular health. Diets built on refined grains and processed foods tend to supply less of these nutrients, which may be one reason traditional eating patterns line up so well with healthy ageing.
How to Eat More Like the Longest-Lived
You do not need to move to a Greek island to borrow these habits. Start with a few changes:
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Add a serving of beans, lentils or chickpeas to your day, in a soup, salad or stew.
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Swap white bread for sourdough or whole-grain bread, and try quinoa or barley in place of white rice.
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Include a portion of leafy greens or beetroot at lunch or dinner.
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Keep a handful of nuts as your daily snack.
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Treat meat as a side dish and build meals around plants.
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Stop eating when you feel comfortably satisfied rather than full.
Product Spotlight
Long-lived diets supply methylation nutrients every day through beans, greens and whole grains, but modern eating patterns often fall short. TMG B-Complex brings the key players together in one daily dose, pairing TMG with active forms of B vitamins, including methylfolate and methylcobalamin, so your body can use them without extra conversion steps.
Together they support methylation and help maintain healthy homocysteine levels, along with energy and nervous system function. Take two capsules of TMG B-Compex a day, with or without food, and keep building your meals around the foods above.
