Dan Buettner, longevity expert: "Learn to cook at home if you want to live longer."
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Dan Buettner, one of the world's leading experts on longevity and the Blue Zones , has shared a simple yet powerful recommendation: cooking at home could be the key to living longer . Faced with the rise of prepared food and frequent restaurant dining, the American researcher proposes returning to the stove as a lasting health habit.
“Do you want to live longer? Learn to cook at home,” Buettner said in a recent video posted on her official Instagram profile. She explains that preparing dishes with whole, plant-based foods allows you to avoid the excess calories, sugars, salt, and hidden fats that are often present even in restaurants considered healthy. In fact, she emphasizes that “we tend to consume about 300 more calories when we eat out than at home.”
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The author of The Blue Zones Solution not only warns about the risks of regularly eating fast or processed foods , but also offers a practical guide to getting started: “Get the necessary equipment, find about 15 recipes , and stick with 5 or 6 that you really enjoy and know how to make well.” This strategy, he says, can make a big difference in the long run.
Buettner insists that people who cook at home frequently tend to have a more nutrient-dense and less ultra-processed diet , which translates into better metabolic health, lower cardiovascular risk, and potentially a longer life. She emphasizes that it's not just about cooking, but also about choosing natural ingredients and reducing reliance on prepared products .
This recommendation isn't isolated. It's part of the comprehensive approach Dan Buettner has developed based on the study of long-lived communities such as those in Okinawa, Icaria, and Nicoya. In all of them, a simple, home-cooked, plant-based diet has proven to be a determining factor. In his words, he summarizes his essential advice: "No one is going to live longer eating sausages, roast beef , or greasy potatoes."
El Confidencial
