In the early 2000s, researchers Michel Poulain and Gianni Pes identified something remarkable: a cluster of mountain villages in Sardinia’s Ogliastra and Barbagia regions where people routinely live past 100. This unexpected discovery placed Sardinia on the global map as one of the world’s original Blue Zones: regions known for extraordinary longevity and low rates of chronic disease.

While genes and lifestyle certainly play a role, the local way of eating — now widely known as the “Sardinian Blue Zone diet” — stood out as a key contributor to long life. What makes the Blue Zone diet so unique isn’t just what people eat, but how they eat.