Longevity Expert Recommends Six Key Breakfast Foods for a Longer Life

Blue zones’ morning habits may hold the key to health and longevity, says longevity researcher Dan Buettner. In communities with the world’s longest life expectancies, breakfast is considered the most important—and largest—meal of the day, according to Buettner.

Buettner, who coined the term “blue zones” to describe regions such as Okinawa, Japan and Sardinia, Italy, emphasizes that eating habits in these areas are closely tied to health and lifespan. “We have a saying, ‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper,’” he told CNBC Make It.

Bowl of oatmeal and strawberry | Source: Pexels

In blue zones, residents typically consume their biggest meal at breakfast, followed by smaller meals throughout the day, often ending with an early dinner and then fasting overnight.

Unlike the sugary, processed options commonly marketed in the United States, traditional blue zone breakfasts focus on whole, plant-based foods. “People should avoid most of what is marketed to us in America as breakfast foods such as pop tarts, sugar laden cereals, yogurts and granola,” Buettner cautioned.

Instead, he recommends incorporating the following six foods into the morning meal:

• Beans
• Vegetables
• Rice
• Fruits
• Miso
• Oats

Fruits | Source: Pexels

Buettner, who often starts his day with a minestrone stew packed with vegetables and beans, encourages others to adopt a similar approach. “I challenge everyone reading this to try eating minestrone stew or rice and beans as their breakfast for a week and see how they feel,” he said.