He has hailed them as “simple and cheap” – and you could already have it in your kitchen
Sophie Buchan Money and Lifestyle Writer
15:07, 23 Jan 2026
It’s “cheap” and simple to add to diets, the expert says(Image: Getty Images for Childhelp)
A longevity expert has recommended a simple dietary addition that could potentially extend your life by four years. In a TikTok video, 64-year-old National Geographic Fellow and best-selling author Dan Buettner revealed the secret to a longer life: ” The number one longevity food in the world is beans.”
“It’s the cornerstone of every blue zone diet in the world, and we know that eating just one cup of cooked beans is associated with four extra years of life expectancy.”
But what makes beans so beneficial? The Netflix host and co-producer of the 3x Emmy award-winning: Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones revealed: “It’s a great source of complex carbohydrates.
Dan Buettner spoke about the benefits of eating beans(Image: )
“It’s a great source of fibre, most Americans don’t get enough fibre, and with a protein-obsessed country, it’s a great source of healthy protein.”
Describing beans as “simple, cheap, and proven”, Buettner has spent decades exploring the globe and identifying five ‘blue zones’, areas where people enjoy the longest, healthiest lives.
His claims are supported by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 which confirms that “beans, peas, and lentils – a subgroup of both the vegetable and protein foods groups – also are underconsumed by most adults”
It adds that “core elements that make up a healthy dietary pattern” include:
- Vegetables of all types – dark green, red and orange beans, peas, and lentils, starchy and other vegetables
- Fruits, especially whole fruit
- Grains, at least half of which are whole grains
- Dairy, including fat-free or low-fat milk, yoghurt, and cheese, and/or lactose-free versions and fortified soy beverages and yoghurt as alternatives
- Protein foods, including lean meats, poultry, and eggs, seafood, beans, peas, and lentils; and nuts, seeds and soy products
- Oils, including vegetable oils and oils in food, such as seafood and nuts
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In addition to these experts, UCLA Health have also shared similar benefits, stating: “A serving of beans provides many other important nutrients as well. One half-cup contains between 300 and 500 milligrams of potassium (varies by type of bean).
“Potassium is an essential nutrient that plays a vital role in helping control blood pressure. Getting more of it can help balance out the negative blood pressure effects of consuming too much sodium. But most Americans don’t get enough potassium in their diets.”
READ MORE: ‘I was 22 stone and my weight loss plateaued – then I made simple change’READ MORE: Doctor names ‘most dangerous’ carb in the world – ‘it’s not even a food’Blue Zone recipe
On his website, he has a list of Blue Zone recipes. And one of them is Minestrone. Here is the full recipe below to help you include beans in your diet.
Ingredients
- 1/3 lbs dry garbanzo beans
- 1/3 lbs dry white beans
- 1/3 lbs dry pinto or red beans
- 1.5 cups 1-2” cubed potatoes
- 6-8 cups of water or veg stock if you like it richer. I use 1 Tbs “Better than Bouillon” Vegetable Base
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 5 stalks celery chopped
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped,
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp red or black pepper (red makes it hotter)
- 1 – 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes or 5 Roma tomatoes
- Salt to taste
Directions
- I like to soak beans overnight or if you forget, Microwave dry beans in a bowl of water as you chop the other ingredients.
- Sauté all vegetables in olive oil over low heat until onions are clear.
- Add beans and a can of tomatoes, potatoes, oregano, bay leaf and slow cook until beans are tender.
- I let it cook on extremely low heat all day, adjusting water so it’s thicker than a soup and thinner than a stew. (For quicker souppressure cook or use an instapot for 5 minutes and let cooker cool naturally)
- Finish with avocado when serving.
- Freeze leftovers in single-serving glass Tupperware.