Have you ever been to the island of Sardinia? Close your eyes, imagine an island where the sun shines (almost) every day, with amazing landscapes, Caribbean-like beaches, delicious food and relaxed lifestyle at just 3 hours flight from London...welcome to Sardinia!
Sardinia (Italy) is one of the 5 "blue zones" of longevity of the world, together with Ikaria (Greece), Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica) and Loma Linda (Adventist community in California).
Why are they called "blue zones"? Because scientists first highlighted with a blue crayon the part of the island of Sardinia with the higher concentration of centenarians (Ogliastra).
Since the 90's, Sardinia is being studied by international scientists that found that longevity is a result of excellent genes (25%) but, above all, it is the result of a healthy lifestyle (75%). In particular, in Sardinia men live as long than women, that is 100 years and more, in good health.
The first thing that foreigners say when they taste Sardinian vegetables is: "they do have a taste!". Yes, in Sardinia food is still real, and tastes delicious! And, change your mind about bread and pasta: traditional sourdough bread, made with ancient whole grains flour is not fattening! And so is traditional Sardinian pasta, if consumed in moderation. Many products are still produced in the traditional way, with high quality ingredients: a collection of wines, olive oil, honey, a kaleidoscope of scents, colours and tastes.
Traditional Sardinian lifestyle includes high quality local (delicious) food, everyday exercise and stress control. Are you vegetarian or vegan? No problem! Sardinian traditional cuisine has many delicious vegetarian/vegan recipes that you can try. Balance is the key: excellent food and wine are consumed in a moderate way. Sardinian centenarians still move everyday, on foot or by bike. People are very sociable, they spend quality time with relatives and cultivate friendship, which helps to reduce stress level. These and other aspects contribute to a simple but very satisfying long life.
Not only Sardinian people, especially in the region of Ogliastra, live longer, but they also look younger! Why? Maybe because they still eat a lot of non-processed food, the real stuff! Another good reason to copy the principles of Sardinian lifestyle.
Sardinia is a real open-air longevity workshop, with all you need to experience centenarians lifestyle: you can learn healthy eating, exercise in nature in amazing landscapes and learn to control your stress level by chatting and joking with Sardinian people, that are usually very friendly with respectful foreigners.
What are you waiting for? Book a flight, pack your luggage and get ready for a full immersion in the blue island!