( Health.com ) -- The secret to a long , healthy life in America ? According to longevity researchers , it may be to act like you live somewhere else . It seems like every year another country 's lifestyle is touted as the new magic bullet to cure us of obesity , heart disease , and premature death : For an unclogged heart , herd goats and down olive oil like a Mediterranean . Avoid breast cancer and live to 100 by dining on tofu Japanese-style . Stay as happy as Norwegians by hunting elk and foraging for cowberries . The places we 're usually told to emulate are known as Blue Zones or Cold Spots . Blue Zones were pinpointed by explorer Dan Buettner and a team of longevity researchers and are described in his book `` The Blue Zones : Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who 've Lived the Longest . '' They 're areas in Italy , Japan , Greece , California , and Costa Rica where the people have traditionally stayed healthy and active to age 100 or older . Similarly , Cold Spots , as identified by integrative medicine physician Daphne Miller , M.D. , author of `` The Jungle Effect , '' are five areas in Mexico , Iceland , Japan , Greece , and Cameroon with low rates of `` Western '' ailments like heart disease , depression , and certain cancers . Health.com : How to live to 100 . Now I 'd like to eat my way to a long life , but I 'm not about to start foraging for raw plants -- I live in Brooklyn . I admire the vascular supremacy of Mediterranean folks , but I doubt I could completely replace butter with olive oil and chips with nuts . My kids would mutiny . But it 's crucial that we all try , says David L. Katz , M.D. , founding director of the Yale Prevention Research Center : `` The Centers for Disease Control has projected that one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2050 . '' Message received ! So I took a look at a few key regions to see which habits we Americans could make our own . French women stay slim with petite portions . According to the best seller `` French Women Do n't Get Fat '' by Mireille Guiliano , the paradox of how French women consume butter and cream without gaining can be explained in two words : portion control . They have small amounts of fresh , quality food and antioxidant-rich wine , lingering over multiple courses and savoring every bite . French women also tend to walk everywhere instead of attempting to get to the gym . `` In France , they climb stairs . Many of the buildings are older and do n't have elevators , '' says Steven Jonas , M.D. , professor of preventive medicine at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York and coauthor of `` 30 Secrets of the World 's Healthiest Cuisines . '' Health.com : Little ways to lose big pounds . Plus , the price of gas is a lot higher , so people are motivated to walk instead of drive . All of this adds up to French women having a low incidence of heart disease and obesity ( 12 % compared to the U.S. 's 36 % ) . I admire the French `` food is the focus '' idea , in theory . If only I could while away the afternoon strolling from boulangerie to fromagerie . But as a working mother of two teenagers , I scramble to pull off a 30-minute meal . And that 's OK , Jonas says : `` Even if it 's quick , a homemade meal with whole ingredients is better than going to a restaurant with huge portions and empty calories . '' Scandinavians eat farm to table . The traditional Northern European food philosophy is to eat what you -- or someone nearby -- grew or gathered . The key words are local and fresh . Native plants include cruciferous vegetables , whole grains , and berries . Northerners eat omega-3-rich fatty fish , as well as elk and game birds , which tend to be leaner than farm-raised livestock . The Nordic diet and way of life produces low rates of obesity ( as low as 8 % , depending on the country ) . Despite scarce sunlight , Icelandic and Scandinavian people actually suffer from depression less than Americans , possibly due to all those omega-3s . Health.com : SAD or just sad ? 7 signs of seasonal affective disorder . In Scandinavia , there 's also a physical component to producing food . `` They expend energy growing and gathering , '' explains Amy Lanou , Ph.D. , a senior nutrition scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington , D.C. `` But that is n't feasible in many regions in America . '' If backyard gardening is n't possible for you , even a weekend apple- or berry-picking trip will connect you to your food and is a good workout to boot . The Japanese value family connections . Okinawa , a Japanese island region , is known to have the highest concentration of centenarians ( people aged 100 or older ) in the world . Compared to Americans , they have an 80 % lower rate of breast cancer death and less than half the rate of ovarian or colon cancer deaths . They also have much lower rates of dementia and a lower risk of heart disease . How they do it : On Okinawa , they practice hara hachi bu , or eating until 80 % full . A spiritual lifestyle that includes prayer and meditation seems to reduce stress -- and possibly ailments related to it . Low cancer rates are believed to be due to a high-fiber plant-based diet of rice , soy , cruciferous and sea vegetables , fruit , omega-3-rich fatty fish , and only a tiny bit of dairy and meat . Health.com : 6 cancer-fighting superfoods . Just as crucial is a sense of connection and community . `` In Blue Zones like Okinawa , there is strong social support , family bonds , and a value placed on continuing to be active in society into your 80s , 90s , and 100s , '' Buettner says . `` The sense of belonging matters for lowering stress , disease prevention , and longevity . '' Good fats lead to longer lives in the Mediterranean . The much-heralded Mediterranean diet has been linked to a longer life and a lower risk of heart disease , diabetes , obesity , cancer , Parkinson 's , and Alzheimer 's . As we 've heard before , this diet includes good fats ( olive oil , nuts , fish ) , lean proteins , antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables , and a moderate amount of wine . Of course , it 's all about knowing when to say basta -- enough . `` Eat like an Italian '' does n't mean diving into a never-ending pasta bowl . Buettner adds , `` In Blue Zones like the island of Ikaria in Greece , you find extended families under one roof making family meals . '' What 's more , activity is a part of daily life -- `` not something to suffer through at the gym . '' 7 things to do starting today . Buettner is crossing Iowa in a bus , attempting to change American towns into homegrown Blue Zones . `` More than 40 % of Americans smoked in the '60s , and only 20 % do now , '' he points out . `` We can turn around our diet and lifestyle , too . '' One thing we Americans have going for us : We are always up for a challenge . So try these healthful Blue Zone -- and Cold Spot -- inspired ideas . Take 20 % off . `` In every Blue Zone , they eat less than we do , by at least 20 % , '' Buettner says . One trick for slashing portions : `` Instead of putting big platters of food at the center of the table , fill each plate at the counter , '' Buettner says . Pile on the plants . Not only are plant-based diets rich in antioxidants and other good-for-you nutrients , they 're also better for your waistline . `` A plate of food in Okinawa has one-fifth the calorie density of a typical American meal , '' Buettner says . `` You can chow down for a fraction of the calories . '' Buettner suggests thinking of meat as a condiment rather than the main event , and subbing in more beans , legumes , and nuts . Learn to love the foods that love you back . A diet of berries and elk or tofu and sea vegetables might seem utterly foreignâ€ ” but taste buds can be retrained . `` Americans love fat , salt , and sugar because that 's what 9 of 10 we 're used to , '' Katz says . `` But studies show that if you eat more wholesome foods , you can learn to prefer them . '' An easy way to start : Search for stealth sugar , which Katz says is found in many packaged foods . `` Once you get rid of that hidden sugar , you 'll start to prefer less-sweet foods , '' he notes . Sit down -- and slow down . It might be too much to cook every meal . But we can sit at a table to eat our takeout instead of scarfing it down in the car . Savor each bite as the French do ; stretch your meals out for 20 whole minutes . You 'll end up eating less and enjoying more . Get up . `` The longest-living people do n't think of exercise as a chore , '' Buettner says . Instead , little bits of movement are a constant part of their everyday lives . Make like a French woman and take a short walk after dinner . Shovel your own snow instead of paying the kid next door ; make extra trips carrying laundry up and down the stairs . Get out . Every Blue Zone is known for its strong social and family bonds . Besides spending quality time at home with family , surround yourself with healthy-living friends -- good health habits are contagious , research shows . Be sure to get involved in your community , too , whether it 's at church , a gardening group , or a volunteer organization . These connections can add years to your life , Buettner says . Take it easy . Even the world 's healthiest people get stressed out sometimes . What they all have , Buettner says , are daily strategies to shed stress . Meditate , go for a run , make a dinner date with your best friend -- and do n't worry about your inability to be a French woman or a Greek farmer . It 's OK to enjoy the occasional cheeseburger . What matters is a cumulative lifestyle pattern of enjoying healthful food , staying connected to others , and keeping yourself moving . That 's how I plan to live to be 100 in the Brooklyn Blue Zone . Copyright Health Magazine 2011 .
French women tend to walk everywhere instead of attempting to get to the gym . The Nordic diet and way of life produces low rates of obesity . On Okinawa , they practice hara hachi bu , or eating until 80 % full .