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A Plant-Based Diet + Community = Secrets to Living a Long Life

When I started my Rebooting journey and decided to juice only fruits and vegetables for 60 days, I had one goal in mind; to overcome my debilitating autoimmune disorder so I could stop taking heaps of prescription medication. At the end of my 60 day journey, I was almost completely off my medication, I had lost nearly 80 pounds, and I felt fantastic. It became obvious to me that you really are what you eat, and I guess you could say I used to be a big pile of rubbish! Now I’m a mountain of beanstalks, a forest of broccoli, an ocean of mean green! But I am not perfect. I’ll never be a super skinny bloke that only eats fruits and vegetables (I could never give up my chocolate ice cream!), but I do my best to be healthy every day to ultimately live a long, active and happy life.

Living a long, active and healthy life is a common goal around the world. After all, who doesn’t want to have a shot at meeting our great grandchildren? Or a generation beyond that? I’ve come to learn that it’s not impossible. It’s in that spirit that I’d like to share some good news about our potential, as a community, to achieve true longevity.

National Geographic’s Dan Buettner travelled the world looking for places where people lived the longest. What he found were Blue Zones, pockets of people who were living far beyond everyone else. Using evidence-based research, he created an actual formula for longevity. The common denominator was a plant-based diet. Just as pivotal: a shared sense of community and purpose.

Take, for example, the longevity hotspot of Sardinia, off the coast of Italy. Here, in the Province of Nuroro, they have the greatest concentration of male centenarians in the world —and it’s been achieved with no official exercise regime beyond chopping wood, walking or putting in an honest day’s work in on the land. On top of that, enjoying a couple glasses of red wine everyday with your friends is the social norm in this part of Italy!

True longevity is about living a healthy and happy life. I believe eating a plant-based diet will get you there; creating a sense of community will keep you there. This is great news for our community of Rebooters!

Empowered by the knowledge I’ve learned since making Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, I reckon it’s possible to turn your own households into Blue Zones. Not only that, as Rebooters we’re part of our own larger, virtual Blue Zone: the Fruit and Veggie Zone!

Our recent Camp Reboot was proof that when people get together with common goals, they’re able to inspire each other. I’m looking forward to creating other events like this to connect our community in the future.

Check out this video for further information and inspiration.

See you in the Blue Zone.

Juice on,

Joe