The nonprofit organization Washtenaw Optimal Wellness is on a mission to establish Ypsilanti as a Blue Zone — a place where people are healthy and live longer lives, some even reaching the age of 100.
Based on a 2004 project researching communities around the world, Blue Zones are identified as longevity hotspots, or places with a high concentration of people who exceed the age of 100 and who have few chronic diseases stemming from unhealthy lifestyles. After the project identified a number of such communities, the researchers, together with the National Geographic Society, launched a nonprofit organization called Blue Zone that is dedicated to turning other communities into longevity hotspots.
Jeff Tritten, president of Washtenaw Optimal Wellness and former owner of Saline’s Smoke BBQ restaurant, said he first incorporated the Blue Zone principles into his own life. Now, he said, he is a vegan helping others in the community engage in healthier habits.
“Over the course of owning that restaurant, I gained about 25 pounds a year,” Tritten said.
That changed when he found the Blue Zone principles.
“I lost 125 pounds over the course of three months, but even immediately, my sleep apnea went away, and my blood pressure and blood sugar stabilized," Tritten said.
The Blue Zone Power 9 Principles stem from an analysis of the commonalities among the five international Blue Zones identified by the National Geographic project and the National Institutes of Health. Those principles are as follows: move naturally; purpose; downshift; 80% rule; plant slant; wine at five; right tribe; loved ones first; and belong.
The five Blue Zones identified in the project — Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; Ikaria, Greece; and Nicoya, Costa Rica — all have those principles embedded in their cultural and habits.
Tritten said the incorporation of these principles into his life required a shift in environment and habits.
“I read the Blue Zones book and realized I needed to increase my social connections and be around more healthy, like-minded people who were taking their health seriously and wanted to be on a healing journey instead of eating to get by," Tritten said.
Washtenaw Optimal Wellness gives the community space to incorporate the Blue Zone principles through its Walk with Friends events, cooking classes and educational talks. The Walk with Friends events will continue to occur in the winter, and all upcoming events can be found on the organization's website calendar.
The program initially began in Ann Arbor, but after deep analysis and research, they found a disparity between Ypsilanti and the other Washtenaw County cities that drove the members to invest in Ypsilanti.
“When looking at obesity rates, smoking rates, life expectancy and diabetes, Washtenaw County's numbers as a whole are actually really good compared to the rest of Michigan," Tritten said. "However, in Ypsilanti, there is a huge disparity, with income inequality being a big factor."
The Washtenaw Optimal Wellness website features an in-depth analysis of these findings in the President's Epidemiology Report. This analysis includes a comparative focus on Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, as well as on the Black and white populations in those cities.
“Ypsilanti has largely been left behind, as many programs from other places have come in for data and left them without sustainable programs," Tritten said.
“We realize that we can’t come into Ypsilanti like, 'Hey, we’re from Ann Arbor, we have the Blue Zones for you,'" Tritten said, explaining the group's disdain for portraying superiority and reasoning behind the grassroots approach to get the community involved.
Washtenaw Optimal Wellness partners with a variety of local community programs to create change, including schools, restaurants, businesses, governments, faith-based communities, grocery stores, the public, food services and universities.
A frequent participant of the Walk with Friends events is the Rev. Phillip Ferrell, pastor of Mount Hermon Missionary Baptist Church in Belleville. Ferrell invited Blue Zones to speak with his congregation about making healthier choices.
“It overflowed to other areas of the community, and we love being there when others say, 'Yeah, I wanna do something for me and the people that I care about,'” Tritten said.
The infrastructure of Ypsilanti also brings about complications beyond the program's control, Tritten said. There is a major highway running across Ypsilanti that could be affecting residents' health, he said.
A 2014 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publication reported that people who live, work or attend school near major roads appear to have an increased incidence and severity of health problems associated with air pollution exposures related to roadway traffic.
Washtenaw Optimal Wellness has partnered with the A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality Initiative to do what it can to create community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030.
“We focus on the things that can be changed, like making healthier choices easier," Tritten said.
Anyone looking to participate in the Washtenaw Optimal Wellness Blue Zone program can take the Healthy Living Pledge and find more information on the organization's website.
