In the Zone

TFP Default Tile
TFP Default Tile

If you follow this column, you know that I have a fondness for diet-dabbling. Basically, I like to experiment with different foods for short periods of time. I’ve done vegan; I’ve done paleo; I’ve given up refined sugar for six weeks.

For me, following a restrictive diet is about both discipline and discovery. And after several months of having an anything-goes mealtime mentality, I’m excited to have found a new fad: the Blue Zones Diet, based on the book “The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People.”

The “blue zones” refer to the five places on earth where people regularly live happily and healthily to 100 years. Among those places are cities in Greece, Japan, Costa Rica, Sardinia and … wait for it … California.

Yes, according to one study, the residents of sunny Loma Linda in Southern California live seven to 10 years longer than other Americans. Their secret is simple: Nearly half of the city’s population is Seventh-day Adventist, abstaining from alcohol, cigarettes, meat and processed foods.

With Southern Adventist University just 30 minutes from Chattanooga, we’re poised to follow Loma Linda’s global lead.

Stay tuned for more on the Blue Zones Diet. My adventure into this plant-based style of clean eating is only beginning.

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