Saw this for $80 in the Costa Rican airport so it was much much cheaper here. And it's the exact same thing. I love it.

If you’re looking for healthy recipes that represent the Blue Zones, this book is for you.

It is a beautiful and interesting book. I have tried a lot of recipes in the short time I’ve had it. I started at the back because those are from California. Then the ones closer to the front seem good to use. Plant-based. I’m getting more and more comfortable with not eating meat.

Blue Zones: areas of the world where the residents have a long, healthy old age. Okinawa is one of them, and the recipe here for sweet potatoes is one I'm familiar with. In fact, I spent time in Japan, found I lost weight without trying (something normally difficult for me) running my legs off up and down stairs and eating nearly no sugar for the time I was there. The lack of sugar was startling in the Japanese diet, in particular. The one hundred recipes in "Blue Zone Kitchens" are not outlandish and though there are a few unusual ingredients, they are obtainable by mail order if you live in a more remote area; for example goji berries are found in health food stores and Asian groceries but you can mail order them. These are used in a breakfast oatmeal dish and they add a lot of important anti-oxidants. Most of the recipes, however are things you can find anywhere and are not unusual. You can find more recipes such as Pumpkin pancakes. Breakfast burritos with black beans by signing up for the Blue Zone website and newsletter. So not only eating but lifestyle is important; having friends and family in a tight network (a friend who lived in a Thai village said it was UNTHINKABLE to be alone) and plenty of gentle but daily constant exercise and movement. And the Okinawan idea of eating 80 percent full known as "hara hachi bu". I was amused to see Hearts of Palm ceviche (raw "fish" marinated) as I love hearts of palm but here they are only found canned. Still, they are really delicious and you can make a meal out of a salad if you cut them up and put them in. Better than artichokes. The Costa Rican recipes in particular are light and flavorful. Though I love Japanese food, I actually loved the Costa Rica chapter the best. And the ancient foods of Sardinia; you haven't lived until you've tried Fregula, their primitive, rolled pasta, a relative of cous cous. It's really good. There is one recipe for fregula with asparagus but it's versatile and very light. You get pasta, but you don't feel heavy after eating it. There is also a recipe for the Sardinian flatbread, their ancient bread originally made on the floor of woodfired ovens. You can see this being made in one of the episodes of Anthony Bourdain. Lots of delicious recipes. Will you live longer? Not sure this book alone will do it, but good recipes high in fiber and low in saturated fats and full of flavor.

I absolutely adore this book! On a previous visit to my Dr I asked what he recommended for weight loss. He suggested that I learn more about the Blue Zone and that he tries to follow it myself. In the past I've been a bit disappointed by cookbooks- some recipes haven't always been that pleasing to my taste... This book has gorgeous pictures, also goes into details about the concepts behind following the Blue Zone lifestyle and 100 recipes. First thing I did was to review all the recipes that seemed appealing- I ended up earmarking almost every single recipe in it! I've only tried a handful but so far all of them have been delicious and I wouldn't mind serving them to company! Several are so simple to make and amazingly delicious. I've never used tofu before but some of the recipes are very clever, from making a fantastic chocolate mousse pie to making a ricotta alternative to use with a lasagna soup! I made one of the simplest just to test the author's claim that it satisfied him " as much a meal that takes 20 times longer to prepare"- it actually was as simple as he claimed and very filling! I love preparing these recipes and then tossing them into my freezer so I always have a selection of healthy choices whenever I want one. This recipe book has been a game changer for me and I recommend it to everyone! I even bought a copy of it for my daughter.

After watching the Blue Zones documentary on Netflix, I was inspired to try to have a mostly plant based diet and received this book as a gift. It has been very useful to learn the essential fundamentals of how to cook and eat a plant based diet and to experiment with some surprisingly tasty recipes. There are so many great dishes you can make from this and feel more connected to a traditional diet. The book is also beautiful. I have it laying on my coffee table and enjoy just flipping through it to see the beautiful pictures and descriptions of the different blue zones communities. I would recommend this book to almost anyone and have just gifted a copy to my parents.