Do you want to look and feel younger? Live longer? Dan Buettner, a storybook-style explorer, led a team of scientists across the globe to uncover the secrets of the "Blue Zones" — four regions where small populations are living remarkably long, full lives. Now Buettner has put together a summary of his work in a book, "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest." Recently, I was able to grab a few minutes of Dan's time via e-mail. Here are a few of his fascinating findings:

Q. What is a Blue Zone?

A. Blue Zones are the places where people have the longest life expectancies or highest centenarian rate. They include: Sardinia; Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica; and the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, Calif. In each Blue Zone, I've found that people reach age 100 at rates significantly higher than the rest of us, and on average they live longer, healthier lives with only a fraction of the rate of killer diseases found in America.

Q. Can you explain the core concept behind "The Power 9?"

A. There are nine common denominators shared by all of the world's longevity all-stars. We've organized these behaviors into four categories:

Move Naturally: Ensure that your home, community and workplace present you with natural ways to move. Focus on activities you love, like gardening, walking and playing with your family. By and large the longest-lived people are fit, active and move as often as they can. For instance, the Sardinian Blue Zone's unique geography provides many opportunities for movement. The sun-beaten terrain, cut by deep valleys, is not suited for farming. So, over the centuries, shepherding offered the best way to earn a living. The work was neither stressful nor strenuous, but it did require miles and miles of walking each day.

Americans exercise too hard. Muscles tear, joints wear out and backs go out. Blue Zoners, on the other hand, tend to do regular, low-intensity physical activity. The key is to do something light every day.

Belong to the Right Tribe: Surround yourself with the right people, make the effort to connect or reconnect with your religion and put loved ones first. In all of the Blue Zones, spending time with family and friends is an integral part of everyday life.

All of the world's longest-lived people were born into — or chose to associate with — the right people. Studies show us that if your three best friends are obese, you have a 50 percent greater chance of also being obese. The reverse is true, too. If you dine with people who eat healthy food, you're more likely to eat healthy food.

Eat Wisely - Use the 80 Percent Rule: In Okinawa, many older people utter the phrase "hara hachi bu." It means, "Eat until you are 80 percent full." We can practice this by recognizing when we are getting full, using smaller plates, serving smaller portions and putting the rest of the food away.

Avoid meat and processed food, and drink a couple of glasses of wine daily. In prewar Okinawa, the majority of people who had become centenarians underwent periods of hunger, of discipline, of physical exertion and of eating bitter-tasting but healthful foods like goya (a dark green, bumpy, bitter gourd). When the Allies won World War II and the United States established a military base on Okinawa, the Americans brought peace, prosperity, jobs and a culture of rich, fast food and huge portions. Okinawa now has Japan's highest rate of obesity in men who are middle-aged and younger, as well as one of the highest rates of premature death from cardiovascular disease.

Have the Right Outlook: Know and be able to articulate your sense of purpose, and be sure that your day is punctuated with periods of calm. In Okinawa the word for this "right outlook" is "ikigai"; in Costa Rica it's "plan de vida."

This may sound too simple, but the payoff is huge. The average American could live up to 14 more good years by putting these habits to work.

Q. Can you give us examples of foods we should eat for longevity?

A. The message from Okinawa is to add more foods made with soy, such as tofu and miso soup. Flavonoids in tofu may help protect the heart and guard against breast cancer. Fermented soy foods also contribute to a healthy intestinal ecology and offer even better nutritional benefits. We learned that the Seventh-day Adventists who ate nuts at least five times a week have about half the risk of heart disease and live about two years longer than those who don't. Costa Ricans have eaten maize (corn) since the 1500s.

Q. OK, now a few questions about you. Your favorite "junk food"?

A. Do you consider vodka and cranberry juice a junk food?

Q. Your favorite breakfast?

A. Oatmeal with walnuts, soy milk and brown sugar.

Q. What do you consider the world's most perfect food?

A. Tofu. It's low in fat, high in protein, full of minerals and has all of the amino acids necessary for human sustenance.

Q. What's the most bodacious chance you've ever taken?

A. Biking across the Sahara without sunscreen.

Q. Your proudest moment?

A. Getting a speeding ticket while riding my bicycle near my home in Minneapolis.

Q. Define failure.

A. Not to have tried.

Q. Which historical figure can you relate to most?

A. Ulysses. He went out into the world and brought back things for the betterment of the community. My goal with Blue Zones is to bring back information from around the world to improve the lives of people.

Q. As a child you wanted to be ...

A. A fireman.

Q. What's your motto?

A. "Live Large."

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.