- Blue Zones Kitchen bowls aim to bring healthy food to the freezer aisle.
- They taste great – but for up to $8 a bowl it's hard not to feel like we could make this cheaper at home.
- To make your own bowls, grab a slow cooker, some citrus, and a few cans of beans to start.
I love food.
My favorite food is free food, and as a nutrition writer, anything healthy I can get is icing on the cake (so to speak).
So I couldn't wait to dig into some complimentary frozen test meals based on some of the longest-living (and most culinarily gifted) regions of the world known as Blue Zones, places like Italy, Greece, Japan, and Costa Rica.
I snarfed down the tangy, citrus-forward Okinawa-inspired sesame ginger bowl at noon on a wintery Friday, and I was not disappointed. This 240-calorie bowl tasted almost as good as home cooking, was full of nutrients, and was ready in less than five minutes.
But not even an hour later, my stomach was grumbling and I was raiding the freezer for another round. That's when I had second thoughts about eating these bowls on the regular. At about $6 to $8 per serving, they might help me extend my lifespan by eating more healthy veggies and grains more often, but they would deal a fatal blow to my already frail grocery budget while doing so.
The Blue Zones meals were tasty and convenient but left me hungry
Eating the bean-filled bowls was great. Every bite was full of flavor and recognizable ingredients, without the typical ultra-processing of most convenience foods. These bowls were just variations on a theme of beans, vegetables, plus whole grains — no additives, extra sugar, or unpronounceable preservatives inside.
The problem is that the delicious experience was short-lived — within about eight bites, my odyssey to the world's fountains of youth had ended. Normally, my lunches are around 600 calories, often more. After this 240-calorie bowl, I was still hungry. Do I grab a Hot Pocket now, or what?
I ended up eating two packages to make a satisfying meal, and it doesn't have to be this way. The nutritional profile of the meals is good, with lots of fiber and a decent amount of protein.
An extra scoop or two of quinoa, edamame, or black beans would do it, really. One of the most exciting discoveries in Blue Zones research is that the ingredients linked to longevity aren't expensive, exotic, or hard to prepare, and they are satiating too.
My colleague Hilary Brueck largely agreed. While the 310-calorie Heirloom Rice Bowl was enough of a lunch for her, the 240-calorie Sesame Ginger Bowl was so small she was able to rush outside for a run shortly after eating it, which felt a little weird.
"It's a really healthy, delicious snack!" she said. "The edamame is crunchy, and the sauce is so creamy-gingery." The yum factor rivaled the umami of meatier, fattier meals she's had — without any butter or animal products inside.
It's easier than you might think to recreate the meals at home — and cheaper, too
"People have the impression that they don't have time to cook," Blue Zones expert Dan Buettner told Business Insider over the phone, while admiring his own freshly cooked pot of minestrone. "I disagree with that notion, but nevertheless, it's a pervasive perception."
That perception is the impetus behind his new frozen meals. But he knows there are other, cheaper ways for us to enjoy more Blue Zone-style cooking in the US. Buettner often uses a slow cooker so his minestrone is cooking away, even when he's out for a walk.
I've made Blue Zones recipes, and they do take time (I finished more than half a movie while making minestrone, versus three minutes in the microwave for the frozen version). But there are no fancy cooking techniques involved, so with a little time and effort, the prospect of making healthy, delicious, life-extending food can be achievable even for beginner cooks.
Plus, you can batch prep a few different menu options at the same time, then put pre-portioned meals in the freezer for later, just like a convenience meal.
Staple Blue Zone ingredients like beans, veggies, and herbs are also super affordable. My minestrone cost me roughly $12 for eight servings, or about $1.50 per bowl (not including ingredients I already had on hand, like olive oil, salt, and pepper). The Blue Zones Kitchen Minestrone Casserole is currently on sale at Whole Foods for $6.99, almost five times that price.
The initial investment in costlier items like olive oil and spices for your kitchen quickly pays off since you can buy in bulk and often use them for weeks or months of meals. Once you've stocked up on Blue Zones staples like beans and grains too, you'll have a pantry full of potential dinner options at the ready for far less money than any prepackaged meal.
Building flavor for healthy food you'll actually be excited to eat is also easier than you might think. Start with tried-and-true seasoning combos, or Blue Zone cooking hacks like citrus (and other acidic add-ins) to amp up the umami and make your veggies shine. With a little practice, you can ad-lib your own recipes based on Blue Zone cooking, or adjust established recipes to your taste or what's in your fridge.
Convenience is a big draw for busy Americans. Maybe this is as "Blue" as we get
I'm not ashamed to admit that pulling a ready-made meal out of the freezer is an attractive option, especially on a weekday when you don't already have a plan.
Stereotypically, this is why Americans eat so much junk food — it's tasty, plentiful, accessible, and doesn't spoil very fast.
But as "processed" has become a bit of a dirty word, food industry veterans like the Blue Zones Kitchen crew are responding, in part, by offering more nutritious options from the freezer aisle and beyond. Maybe we don't need to give up our love of microwave-steamed meals to eat a little healthier.
I just wish they'd add another scoop or two of beans! All in all, I'm thrilled we have the option for Blue Zones cooking to-go, but am still hungry for more.