Veganism is often framed as a belief. This essay treats it as a biological question—following the human body through adaptation, adequacy, and time to understand when plant-based eating holds, and when it quietly asks for adjustment.

Soybeans rarely announce themselves, yet they appear again and again in cuisines built for longevity. This essay explores how soy works in the body, why fermented forms matter, and what happens when a food designed for repetition becomes part of daily life.

Born in 1951, I’ve lived through diners, food pyramids, reversals, and reinventions. This is a reflection on what we were told to eat — and what quietly endured.

A Foodie in Paradise™ Blue Zone Series — Part VI: The Finale - We Can Do This!

Blue Zones were once rare pockets of exceptional longevity—but they’re changing. As younger generations move to cities, the qualities that made these communities extraordinary are fading. The real opportunity now is not to discover new Blue Zones, but to design them. We explore the architecture of a long life and how modern communities—and individuals—can build the Blue Zones of tomorrow.

A Foodie in Paradise™ Blue Zone Series — Part V

In Loma Linda, longevity is shaped not by wine or indulgence but by quiet routines—plant-rich meals, Sabbath rest, an alcohol-free lifestyle, and a shared belief in purposeful living. This final chapter in our Blue Zone series brings the journey full circle, revealing what connects Okinawa, Sardinia, Ikaria, Nicoya, and Loma Linda—and what their lessons can bring to our own kitchens, tables, and communities.

A Foodie in Paradise™ Blue Zone Series — Part IV

Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, longevity isn’t a mystery — it’s a way of living. From corn-rich ancestral diets to volcanic water, sunrise walks, and the quiet strength of pura vida, Nicoya offers a blueprint for a life lived longer and lighter.

A Foodie in Paradise™ Blue Zone Series — Part III

Winter in Icaria slows the world down to a human pace. On this Greek island of long life, herbal teas simmer on wood stoves, mountain paths become quiet pilgrimages, and meals stretch into lingering conversations that nourish far more than hunger. This chapter of the Blue Zone series uncovers the rituals, foods, and daily rhythms that shape Ikarian longevity — a portrait of a place where time moves gently, and people move with it.

A Foodie in Paradise™ Blue Zone Series — Part II

Winter in Sardinia reveals a quiet blueprint for longevity — from Barbagia’s daily minestrone to Cannonau wine, mountain rituals, and the humble foods that help shape one of the world’s longest-living cultures.

A Foodie in Paradise™ Blue Zone Series — Part I

Winter in Okinawa isn’t cold — it’s contemplative. Explore the foods, teas, rituals, markets, and cultural rhythms that make this Japanese island one of the world’s Blue Zones of extraordinary longevity.