5 “Blue Zone” lands in the world
“Blue Zone” or Green Zone is a concept used to refer to geographical areas in the world where the environment is clean, the nature is beautiful, and is not polluted thanks to the protection of the community and local authorities. direction. Furthermore, the Green Zone is also a living area for many aquatic species, with many trees and rivers and streams.
Evdilos village on Icaria island (Photo: Guardian)
Currently in the world there are 5 areas labeled “Green Zones”. The first is Icaria (Greece). Icaria is an island located in Greece where people have a diet rich in olive oil, red wine and home-grown fruits and vegetables. The second is Sardinia (Italy): Ogliastra is a province in the east of Sardinia – an Italian island, this is the home of some of the world’s longest-living men. Because Ogliastra is the most mountainous province in Sardinia, people here often work on farms and gardens and love to drink red wine. Third is Okinawa (Japan): Home to the world’s longest-living women, who use a lot of soy foods in their meals and regularly practice Tai Chi. Fourth is the Nicoya Peninsula (Costa Rica). The Nicoya diet often includes beans and a type of corn tortilla. People in this area also regularly perform physically demanding jobs even in old age and have a concept of life called “plan de vida” (Often roughly translated as “Why do I stay awake?” sleep this morning?” to reflect on your existence and create the will for a life to be enjoyed to the fullest, lived to the fullest). Fifth is the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loma Linda, California (USA). The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a group of very religious people who are strict vegetarians and live in tight-knit communities.
Mr. Kame Ogito, 89 years old, collects seaweed at low tide in Motobu, Okinawa, Japan (Illustration: NPR)
What makes the Green Zone famous worldwide is the longevity of its people. The results of many studies have shown that people in the Green Zone have the highest life expectancy in the world, over 100 years old, this number is about 15-20 years higher than the normal level and people do not suffer from chronic diseases at all. . This is especially attractive to scientists and medical experts around the globe, who have come here to learn the secret behind this longevity.
Nature is the source, the breath of life
Dan Buettner is an American explorer. After traveling to many places and exploring many lands, he researched life expectancy in Blue Zones around the globe, and the results showed many interesting things. For example, the rate of people living to 100 years old in the Blue zone Okinawa in Japan is 6.5/10,000, while in the US this rate is only 1.7/10,000 people. The most unique feature of the Okinawan diet is fresh food every day with lots of fruits and vegetables. Plants are grown completely naturally. Residents also eat meat, but it is seafood and freshly caught seafood.
Unlike other regions in the Blue Zones, Okinawa’s “longevity foods” are more modest in quantity, only including brown rice, green tea, shiitake mushrooms and tofu. Researchers concluded that the long lifespan of Okinawans is due to a natural and healthy diet, all movements and activities in life are associated with nature, taking place amidst fresh, mineral nature. obtain.
According to Buettner, survival is the intersection between a long life and an active lifestyle. It is not just about living long but living in an attractive way so that people can enjoy life. And the way to enjoy life is to live, enjoy, immerse yourself in nature, in an ideal living space.
Thus, the factors that create the “Green Zone” are besides a harmonious diet and exercise, which is a green living environment, close to nature, extremely fresh air and people. nurtured and pampered by nature. In Vietnam, two decades ago, the founder of Ecopark created a living environment similar to the Green Zones mentioned above. That is Ecopark Green City, which is nearly 500 hectares wide but has more than 100 hectares of trees and water surface, density of 120 trees/person, air quality at Ecopark exceeds EU standards (25 Mg/l of air). and is equivalent to the air quality in New Zealand – one of the places with the cleanest air quality in the world. That is also the reason why Ecopark attracts more and more residents, pulling them out of the narrow, cramped inner city to a place where people are loved and pampered by nature.