The diet of longevity expert Dan Buettner, who coined the term “blue zone”

When it comes to extending your life, understanding what you put into your body is crucial.

Dan Buettner has made it his life’s work to study the world’s oldest people. The 63-year-old coined the term “blue zones” to refer to places around the world where residents live longer than average life expectancy.

His research covers a variety of factors, including diet. But what did Buettner himself eat after learning about a long life?

“I’ve spent 20 years studying the people who live the longest, and I know what it takes for them to live long,” he told CNBC Make It. “But I’m not one of them. Obsessed Silicon Valley Millionaire They are sacrificing the enjoyment of daily life to see if we can live a few more years. “

These are the dietary decisions of Bittner, who recently posted a Frozen food production line Based on popular blue zone recipes to keep him healthy every day as he ages.

1. Eat within 10 to 12 hours

“The longest-lived people I know burn most of their calories in about 10 or 12 hours,” Buettner says. “So I usually only eat two meals a day.”

Buettner eats his first meal every day around 11 a.m. and his second meal around 7 p.m.

“Miami nightlife kind of forced me to leave,” the Florida resident said. “It’s not exactly a blue zone, so I tend to have breakfast around 11 o’clock.”

2. Eat beans for breakfast and dinner

Buettner learned from his research People who eat a cup of beans a day tend to live about four years longer than those who don’t.

“I always buy beans and try to include them in two meals,” he said. “I start the day with a Sardinian minestrone soup, which has three types of legumes and about five vegetables.”

He also added capsaicin-rich red pepper flakes, which help increase metabolism.Bitner adds some oregano and rosemary to help Reduce inflammation and get More antioxidants.

3. Eat out often

Although Buettner admits that eating out almost every night is not consistent with a macrobiotic diet, it’s a part of his life that he doesn’t feel the need to change.

“No matter where you go, it’s hard to eat really healthy when you’re out,” he said. “I try to eat plant-based.”

When looking at restaurant menus, he tends to choose side dishes. Some of his favorite side dishes include:

Cannellini beans
spinach
baked potatoes

He also likes to go to Indian restaurants, where he can find a lot of plant-based options, like red curry with tofu and green curry with tofu and chickpeas.

“These are just as satisfying as eating meat, but without any saturated fat,” Buettner says.

4. “No meat at all”

“My diet is 98 percent plant-based,” he said. “I don’t eat meat at all. People in the blue zones do eat a little bit of meat.”

While the average American eats about 220 pounds Blue Zone residents only eat about 20 pounds of meat per year. Although Buettner himself doesn’t eat meat, he says it’s fine when eaten in moderation.

“I think a macrobiotic diet might allow eating meat once a week without doing much harm,” he said.

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