Hollywood Meets Blue Zones | 32-year old Zac Efron wants to live to 100 | Longevity Diet

Author by Chef JoannaPosted in Uncategorized

The other day, my friend texted me. It read: 

“Check out Zac Efron’s Netflix show Down to Earth. He does a blue zones ep! It’s ep4!”

This made me happy for two reasons:

  • My friend thinks about me as the Blue Zone chef, which I’ve been talking about for months on Instagram (yay! somebody’s listening)
  • 32-year old American actor Zac Efron is helping to change the stigma of “getting old.” It’s powerful coming from a young person, especially in Hollywood.
     

Naturally, I took my friend’s advice and watched the show. Zac Efron visits the Blue Zone Sardinia, Italy, home of the longest-living people.

It was a breath of fresh air. A safe travel to Italy when needed most. Thanks Netflix.

I wanted to share a small snippet of the show with you. 
I love talking about the Blue Zones, not only because you can skip the gym, but because it’s the most holistic approach to living a good life that I can find.

In the Down to Earth episode, Zac embraces this Blue Zone and…

  • Makes fresh flatbread and pasta, a staple in Sardinian meals
  • Tries his hand at sheep herding
  • Visits an 98-year old Sardinian women who aces a cognitive test in front of him, showing she is free of dementia

Not only was I feeling travel envy as he’s visiting this romantic Bronze-aged island in Italy, but I fell in love with the way of life there.

You don’t have to move to Sardinia to live a long, healthy life (though it’s tempting). These are the things that Sardinians do, that you can do too…

  1. Put family first

  2. Celebrate elders

  3. Take walks (move every 20 minutes)

  4. Drink a glass or two of red wine daily

  5. Laugh with friends

  6. Drink goat’s milk 

Doesn’t sound too hard to do, right?

Well, except #6. I’ll pass!

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If you want to learn more tips like these, eat bread and pasta, avoid the gym, and laugh more, then I’m inviting you to join my Zoom cooking classes.

Together, we’ll make recipes from Sardinia and other Blue Zones so you can live the best quality of life, no matter your age.
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Message me to learn more.
cook@chefjoannas.com

Happy Cooking, 

Joanna

“The secret to eating for 100 is to find the plant-based foods, heavy with beans and grains and vegetables, and learn how to like ’em”

– Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones Kitchen

P.S. Another dad joke to make you smile: 

How did the hotdog ask the ketchup out?

He mustard up the courage.

Need plant-based cooking help?

Join the ‘Cook to 100’ program to learn more about plant-based cooking basics. Or check out 80% plant-based meal plans. 

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My favorite minestrone soup. . Lunch is always better outside 😄 . Forever Young Minestrone Ingredients (Makes 8 servings): 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped (about ⅔ cup) 2 medium celery stalks, chopped (about ½ cup) 2 teaspoons minced garlic One 28-oz. crushed tomatoes 3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 ½ cups) 1 ½ cups chopped fennel ¼ cup parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons chopped basil 1 15-oz. can fava beans (or ½ cup dried) ½ 15-ounce cranberry or kidney beans (or ½ cup dried) ½ 15-oz. can chickpeas (or ⅓ cup dried) 6 to 8 cups water ⅔ cup Israeli couscous, acini de pepe, or small pasta ½ tsp salt ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 parmesan rind (optional) Directions: Warm 3 tbsp. olive oil in large soup pot. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring often until soft, but not browned, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 20 seconds, or just fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, potatoes, fennel, parsley, basil and drained beans and chickpeas. Add enough water (6-8 cups) to cover everything by 1 inch. Add in the Parmesan rind if using. Raise heat to high and bring to full boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer slowly, uncovered. For canned beans, simmer 10 minutes only. For dried, cook 1 ½ hours or until beans are soft. Then, stir in the pasta, salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water if soup seems dry. Continue to simmer, uncovered until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes Serve with drizzle of olive oil.

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Published by Chef Joanna

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