'Ensure that your diet is 90% to 100% plant-based': 9 food rules from the world's longest-living people (2020) is an article published in CNBC by Dan Buettner himself. Having studied Blue Zones communities for so many years, what did he learn about their food habits? And how do WFPB guidelines improve upon Blue Zone diets? The article by Dan Buettner has 9 points:

(1) Ensure that your diet is 90% to 100% plant-based:

… and some blue zone cultures consume oils; but WFPB docs recommend zero oil and 100% plant-based — these guidelines improve upon the Blue Zones diets. See Guidelines by ACLM (American College of Lifestyle Medicine) for food plate composition and No Oils!

(2) Retreat from meat:

WFPB docs encourage 100% plant-only; zero meat.

(3) Go easy on fish:

WFPB docs encourage zero fish; it's highly contaminated; we may derive Omega-3's from seeds like flax seeds and chia seeds. See Fish, Essential Fatty Acids and Flax Seeds for details.

(4) Eat a daily dose of beans:

WFPB docs recommend beans. For health benefits of beans, see Beans, Peas & Lentils.

(5) Slash sugar:

For optimum health, WFPB docs recommend eliminating refined sugars altogether. See Added Sugars, Artificial Sweeteners and Natural Sweeteners.

(6) Snack on nuts:

Nuts are known to lower cholesterol and weight. Still, WFPB docs like Dr Esselstyn recommend zero nuts because it's difficult to moderate nut consumption and because he'd like to have his patients follow a LOW FAT diet. Seeds are much better than nuts, for example, flax and chia. For details, see The Emphasis on Low Fat, Essential Fatty Acids and Nuts & Seeds.

(7) Sour on bread:

Dan Buettner emphasizes breads made from whole grains. European-style 'hard breads' are better than fluffy breads because they have less flour and more intact whole grains.

(8) Drink mostly water:

WFPB docs prefer tea like green tea and hibiscus tea. Alcohol is highly discouraged. Most WFPB docs discourage coffee too. For details, see No Coffee! No Alcohol! and Beverages.

(9) Go whole:

WHOLE foods are an important guideline in WFPB circles. Why whole foods and not processed? For details, see Food Processing.

Plant-based food is not the only protective factor that promotes longevity among Blue Zone populations. In this article, Dan Buettner outlines 9 factors common to all Blue Zone populations:

(1) Move Naturally: "The world's longest-lived people don't pump iron, run marathons or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it. They grow gardens and don't have mechanical conveniences for house and yard work."

(2) Purpose: "The Okinawans call it "Ikigai" and the Nicoyans call it "plan de vida;" for both it translates to "why I wake up in the morning." Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy."

(3) Downshift: "Even people in the Blue Zones experience stress. Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease. What the world's longest-lived people have that we don't are routines to shed that stress. Okinawans take a few moments each day to remember their ancestors, Adventists pray, Ikarians take a nap and Sardinians do happy hour."

(4) 80% Rule: "'Hara hachi bu' — the Okinawan, 2500-year old Confucian mantra said before meals reminds them to stop eating when their stomachs are 80 percent full. The 20% gap between not being hungry and feeling full could be the difference between losing weight or gaining it. People in the blue zones eat their smallest meal in the late afternoon or early evening and then they don't eat any more the rest of the day."

(5) Plant Slant: "Beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets. Meat — mostly pork — is eaten on average only five times per month. Serving sizes are 3-4 oz., about the size of a deck of cards."

(6) Wine @ 5: "People in all blue zones (except Adventists) drink alcohol moderately and regularly. Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers. The trick is to drink 1-2 glasses per day (preferably Sardinian Cannonau wine), with friends and/or with food. And no, you can't save up all week and have 14 drinks on Saturday."

(7) Belong: "All but five of the 263 centenarians we interviewed belonged to some faith-based community. Denomination doesn't seem to matter. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month will add 4-14 years of life expectancy."

(8) Loved Ones First: "Successful centenarians in the blue zones put their families first. This means keeping aging parents and grandparents nearby or in the home (It lowers disease and mortality rates of children in the home too.). They commit to a life partner (which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy) and invest in their children with time and love (They'll be more likely to care for you when the time comes)."

(9) Right Tribe "The world's longest lived people chose — or were born into — social circles that supported healthy behaviors, Okinawans created "moais" - groups of five friends that committed to each other for life. Research from the Framingham Studies shows that smoking, obesity, happiness, and even loneliness are contagious. So the social networks of long-lived people have favorably shaped their health behaviors."

Out of the factors outlined above, Whole Food Plant-Based advocates would raise their eyebrows over the sixth factor: "Wine". Alcohol is an IARC Group 1 carcinogen. Surprisingly, Dan Buettner lists it as a protective factor.