Monterey County’s vegetable bounty might hold a key to a triple-digit lifespan
Story by Kevin Hecteman • Photos by Richard Green
What if you could get in the zone and stay there for 100 years? Some folks in Monterey Count y are endeavoring to find out. People in the world-famous vegetable-growing region hope to expand quality and quantity of life among its residents through the Blue Zones Project, which works
Longest,” which in turn spawned the Blue Zones Project, which communities around the world can adopt to help more people live longer and healthier. Blue Zones, green valley One of the Power Nine concepts is called Plant
to understand why people in some parts of the world routinely live to be 100 and beyond, and what lessons their lives might hold for those who seek to follow in their path. The term and the idea go back to 2005, when author Dan Buettner andNational Geog r aph i c ma g a z i ne ident i f ied f ive reg ions around the world—one of them the town of Loma Linda in San Bernardino
Slant—making fruits and vegetables the centerpiece of one’s diet. Th a t wou l d s e em a
natural f it in the Salinas Valley—which isn’t called t he Sa l ad Bowl of t he World for nothing—and a key reason Bruce Taylor, chief executive of Taylor Farms, decided to jump in. A Salinas native, Taylor f i g u r e d h i s f a m i l y ’ s vege t able crops “a l ign perfectly with Blue Zones’ call for more plant-based diets” and signed on as a sponsor, as well as a client. “Blue Zones’ spiritual foundation teaches us to look beyond ourselves for wisdom and inspiration,” Taylor said. “Their encouragement of strong family and personal social relationships brings a sense of purpose, support and joy.” Salinas Valley farms “support that just by the nature of what they do, by the nature of what they sell,” said Tiffany DiTullio, executive director of the Blue Zones
County—with a much-higher-than-average share of centenarians. (The other four are the Barbagia region of the Italian island of Sardinia; Ikaria, Greece; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and Okinawa, Japan.) Intrigued, Buettner and the magazine worked to f igure out why, and ended up ident i f ying nine characteristics—called the Power Nine—involving community, exercise and, of course, eating properly. This led Buettner to write “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the
Salinas Valley’s reputation as the Salad Bowl of the World helped local leaders decide to bring the Blue Zones Project and its healthy-eating habits to Monterey County. The paella, above, is made using vegetables grown in the valley.
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