Is San Luis Obispo a blue zone?

A recent book from the National Geographic, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, has named the quiet California city of San Luis Obispo as the Happiest City in the United States. We don't just take the word of National Geographic here at the Amateur Traveler but have done some independent research.

Where are Blue Zones in California?

Loma Linda, California is one of five Blue Zones, and the only Blue Zone in the US. Many residents of Loma Linda are Seventh-day Adventists, a religion that promotes plant-based eating and community.

What suburb in California is the Blue Zone?

Today, a community of about 9,000 Adventists in the Loma Linda area are the core of America's blue zone region. They live as much as a decade longer than the rest of us, and much of their longevity can be attributed to vegetarianism and regular exercise. Plus, Adventists don't smoke or drink alcohol.

Why doesn t San Luis Obispo have drive thrus?

“Drive-through facilities were considered inappropriate due to air-quality impacts of idling cars waiting for service, vehicle queuing causing traffic problems and the visual impact of added paving needed to accommodate drive-through customers,” city spokesperson Whitney Szentesi wrote in an email to The Tribune.

Where are the 5 Blue Zones?

For over 20 years, Buettner has been studying these five communities – Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece and Loma Linda, California. He claims that in these regions, “longevity ensues” because long-lived people are “simply a product of their environment.”

The Blue Zones of Happiness | Dan Buettner

Do blue zones drink coffee?

In addition to a daily cup of coffee, blue zones centenarians drink water, tea and wine. While coffee is often a hotly-debated health topic, it's shown to carry many health benefits. Most centenarians in blue zones regions drink up to two or three cups of black coffee per day!

Do blue zones drink alcohol?

We know from blue zones centenarians that this is true: People in four original blue zones areas drink alcohol moderately and regularly. The trick is to drink one to two glasses per day with friends and/or with food.

Why is San Luis Obispo so great?

Known as SLO or San Luis by locals, this beautiful but small city is in the heart of SLO Wine Country. Known for its vineyards and outdoor activities, San Luis Obispo is also famous for California Polytechnic State University and Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, an 18th-century Spanish missionary.

Why is San Luis Obispo the happiest city in America?

San Luis Obispo was the first to outlaw smoking in restaurants and drive-throughs at fast food restaurants, resulting in a more health-conscious city. With these facts, it is easy to see why San Luis Obispo may be considered the happiest place in America to some.

Where does San Luis Obispo get its drinking water?

The City has four primary water supply sources including Whale Rock Reservoir, Salinas Reservoir, Nacimiento Reservoir, and recycled water (for irrigation).

What is the number 1 Blue Zone?

They identified Sardinia's Nuoro Province as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians, referring to the area as the "blue zone" (a term chosen because the authors used a blue pen to mark a map of the villages with many centenarians).

Where are the healthiest blue zones?

He identified the five original blue zones–the places in the world with the healthiest, longest-living populations, including Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.

What are the famous blue zones?

Do Blue Zones eat eggs?

Eggs are consumed in all five Blue Zones diets, where people eat them an average of two to four times per week. Cut down your consumption of cow's milk and dairy products such as cheese, cream, and butter. Try unsweetened soy, coconut, or almond milk as a dairy alternative.

What do blue zones eat for breakfast?

In blue zones regions, the routine is similar. Ideally, breakfast or the first meal of the day consists of protein, complex carbohydrates (beans or veggies) and plant-based fats (nuts, seeds, oils) and a majority of the day's calories are consumed before noon.

Why do 7th day Adventists live longer?

Five simple health behaviors promoted by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for more than 100 years (not smoking, eating a plant-based diet, eating nuts several times per week, regular exercise, and maintaining normal body weight) increase life span up to 10 years.

What did Oprah say about San Luis Obispo?

The Oprah Show says San Luis Obispo, California is America's Happiest City, citing urban planning decisions like making the town pedestrian-friendly with wide sidewalks and limiting fast food drive-throughs.

Why is San Luis Obispo so expensive?

Expensive San Luis Obispo real estate is the biggest factor that makes SLO an expensive place to live. The median price for San Luis Obispo homes for sale is $882,000 according to Redfin. That's up 18.9% year-over-year. Housing is in short supply in this hot market where homes sell after 7 median days on market.

Is San Luis Obispo a rich town?

SLO County ranks highly in overall wealth, but income lags behind. San Luis Obispo County's overall wealth ranked 33rd nationally and 15th in the state of California, SmartAsset's analysis found. The site determined overall wealth by measuring three metrics: investment income, property value and median income.

What do locals call San Luis Obispo?

“San Louie”

It's called “San Luis Obispo” or simply “SLO.” Yes, this is a subtle thing, but truly crucial when it comes to passing as a local.

How white is San Luis Obispo?

The 5 largest ethnic groups in San Luis Obispo, CA are White (Non-Hispanic) (70.7%), White (Hispanic) (11.7%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (4.83%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.9%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (3.27%).

Do Blue Zone people eat dairy?

People in most Blue Zones countries do not eat a lot of dairy products. Dairy is high in fat and sugar and is best avoided. Some Blue Zones countries do include sheep or goat dairy, but it is usually eaten in fermented products such as yogurt or cheese.

Why do blue zones drink coffee?

COFFEE Sardinians, Ikarians, and Nicoyans all drink copious amounts of coffee. Research associates coffee drinking with lower rates of dementia and Parkinson's disease. TEA People in all the blue zones drink tea. Okinawans nurse green tea all day.

What are the four foods to avoid?