About Sardinia's Blue Zone
A couple of researchers introduced the term Blue zone in connection with an area of extraordinary longevity in Sardinia drawing a blue circle around the map. A program was launched at identifying all of the world’s longest-lived people and what they have in common. We believe that these five longevity factors are the most important ones in Sardinia.
Diet
The cornerstone of the Sardinian centenarians’ diet is plant-based and includes beans, goat and sheep’s milk, flat and sourdough bread, fennel, tomatoes, almonds.
Meat is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are small according to the 80% rule: stop eating when your stomach is 80% full or as the Sardinians say “lacscia il tavolo con un pizzico di fame” (leave the table with a pinch of hunger)
Authenticity of ingredients is important. Centenarians are aware of the benefits of genuine organic and locally grown food and wine.
People in all bluezones drink alcohol moderately and regularly. In Sardinia it is Cannonau…
Movement
One key factor for a long life is regular movement and activity. Many centenarians spend their whole life being in nature and doing outdoor activities. They live in environments, often mountainous, that constantly require moving without thinking about it.
The Sardinian shepherds who move livestock over the island’s highlands are up to ten times more likely to become 100 than men in the rest of Italy. Regular, low intensity physical effort is a good model for everybody who wants to stay healthy.
Tribe
Family and friends play a significant role for living a long life without institutional care. Older generations are not seen as a burden, but rather as a source for transmitting values and knowledge for the whole community. Keeping parents and grandparents nearby or in the home benefits the older generation as well as the younger ones.
Studies suggest that care and attention from family members and being involved in community activities leads to a healthy state of mind. Having meals with family and friends creates an occasion of conversation while enjoying the food at a slower pace.
Health behaviors are contagious. People that belong to a faith-based community for example are likely to live 4-14 years longer.
Slow Rhythms
We know that stress triggers chronic inflammation, which builds up in time and can eventually lead to heart disease, cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Sardinian people of the bluezone take time for each part of the day without stress. In the bluezones people worry and hurry less and don’t have the need to be elsewhere. They live in the here and now, get up early to do their chores and take a happy hour after lunch which lowers stress hormones and rests the heart.
Slow rhythms get you into touch with nature. Close contact with nature in Sardinia provides plenty of opportunity to distress. The soothing colors of the sea and fragrances of the macchia mediterranea, the typical scrubs of the island have a therapeutic effect on everybody who is exposed to them.
Purpose
For some people purpose is about a vocation, a meaningful, satisfying work. For others it is about responsibility towards family and friends.
Our purpose in life, the reason why we get up in the morning, influences our behavior and gives us a sense of direction. A strong sense of purpose enriches your life, keeps depression away.
Identifying and honoring your life purpose is maybe the most important action healthy and happy people take.
We offer our guests an incomparable and unforgettable authentic experience walking in the footsteps of the centenarians that dominate the mountainous region of Sardinia.