I got sidetracked last night from my quest towards living to 100. I broke quite a few rules to say the least but it was totally worth it. And to prevent myself from wallowing in the buttery hole that I’ve dug during last night’s dinner, I must promote one of the best recipes I have ever made to all of you, Ina Garten’s Baked Shrimp Scampi. Every bite was worth all of the days the buttery and crispy concoction set me back in my quest.

As retribution for my fat laden gluttony last night, another of Dan Buettner’s Blue Zones was conquered and added to the compilation of diet and lifestyle tips for living to 100. Surprisingly enough, we have our very own American Blue Zone in Loma Linda, California. What’s interesting about the American Blue Zone is the very specific population that encompasses the elevated number of centenarians and the history that surrounds them. A number of studies have been focused on the huge population of Adventists that inhabit Loma Linda. The Adventist faith took shape in 1840’s after a message from God to Ellen G. White and progressed to include the concepts of body and soul as one and the body as a sanctuary. From these ideals, White and her co-founders incorporated health and nutrition as part of practicing the faith.

So what is it exactly that has made the Californian Adventist male survive 7.3 years longer than the regular Californian male and females Californian Adventists to survive 4.4 years longer than their regular Californian counterparts? As part of their faith, a majority of Adventists follow a strict vegetarian lifestyle, which also bumps those numbers up to 9.5 and 6.1, respectively. In addition to their vegetarian ways, the Adventist congregation practices a strict no smoking and no drinking lifestyle, the first of which has been linked to increasing lifespan tremendously. They observe the Sabbath as a “sanctuary in time” and practice this weekly break from the severity of daily life. Some of the trends that Buettner contributes to Adventism and extended life span include maintaining a healthy BMI, which lowers blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and decreases risk for cardiovascular diseases, and exercising on a regular basis, which reduces risk even further for heart disease and certain cancers. Buettner also suggests “spending time with like minded friends”, “snacking on nuts”, volunteering and “giving something back”, “eating and early, light dinner”, and “drinking plenty of water”.

While many of these so-called Loma Linda secrets seem fairly straightforward apropos health and nutrition, they are often things we forget to do on a daily basis. I honestly can’t remember the last time I took time to just relax and forget about all other obligations. As I run around campus all day and work out at night, how often do I ensure that I am actually getting enough water? These health tips are sort of like studying for an exam. How often do we study just a little bit every day for a test that is a week and a half away? If we did study a little bit everyday, cramming wouldn’t be necessary and it’s more than likely that we would do better on the test. The same applies to health and longevity. If we live a preventative lifestyle, we will be less likely to have to pump our bodies full of medications to treat age and nutrition associated diseases. So remember these tips as you live your frantic lives and incorporate them as much as possible and maybe that it will continue for eighty more years!