Blue Zones Project - Hawaii Blog

It was a full house at our very first Blue Zones Project Cooking Class of the year! On January 27, more than 80 guests came out to learn from local chef, Cayenne Carocci, who prepared a couple of delicious "Plant Slant" recipes. She treated everyone's tastebuds to samples of a hearty, plant-based potato salad as well as a kale rainbow salad. Both dishes were a huge hit - satisfying and full of flavor! A big mahalo to everyone who joined us for this fun and informative cooking class. 

Our next Blue Zones Project cooking demonstration will be held on March 23, this time with Chef Malu Miki from Abundant Life Natural Foods. Do you have some culinary questions that you've been itching to ask? Ms. Miki would like to hear from you! Send your cooking demo topic requests to bluezonesprojecteasthawaii@healthways.com.

All cooking demonstrations will graciously be hosted by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) office in Hilo, thanks to Julia Zee, CTAHR’s nutritionist and registered dietician. Watch your email for future event announcements and be sure to RSVP below as space and supplies are limited.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

5 - 7 p.m.

CTAHR Extension Office
875 Komohana Street  
(Second floor conference room)
Hilo, HI 96720

 East Hawaii Schools Health and Wellness Symposium

Save the Date! Come with members of your school wellness team/council members to hear about the resources available to support efforts to keep K-12 students healthy and life-long advocates for a balanced, healthFULL future! 

Brought to you by the Department of Education, Department of Health - Public Health Nursing, and Blue Zones Project. More information will be available in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

On Feb. 17, our Blue Zones Project colleagues, Jana Ortiz-Misiaszek and Carol Ignacio, were given a wonderful opportunity to present in front of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii (JCCIH) Education and Economic Committees. We're excited to see that the meeting resulted in several interested members registering with Blue Zones Project to take advantage of the benefits of implementing a Worksite Wellness program. Improving Worksite Wellness 

Those benefits include: lower health care costs, higher productivity, and ultimately, a better quality of life, all of which can be achieved through small changes in the workplace.

Mahalo to JCCIH for allowing us to share the Blue Zones story with your members! We look forward to working together with East Hawaii organizations and the community to make well-being a priority.

If you are interested in having your worksite achieve Blue Zones Project approved status, please contact bluezonesprojecteasthawaii@healthways.com. 

Excellence in Wellness 

We would like to personally congratulate all Hawaii public schools for receiving the “Excellence in Wellness” award this spring. In East Hawaii, the schools that are being recognized are de Silva Elementary, Hilo Intermediate, Keaau High, Paauilo Elementary & Intermediate, Pahoa High & Intermediate.

The Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) issues the annual award to public schools that score 90% or higher in meeting the DOE's Wellness Guidelines, which lay out a set of standards in three categories: 

1. Nutritional Guidelines
2. Health and Nutrition Education
3. Physical Education and Activity

This year, a record number of Hawaii public schools received the “Excellence in Wellness” award - 84 total statewide. View the full report here. 

On top of going above and beyond to meet the DOE's Wellness Guidelines, many of these schools are working towards achieving Blue Zones Project Approved™ status. We are honored to be working with them on their journey towards making the healthy choice, the easy choice for students, faculty and staff.

Congratulations again to all schools for an outstanding job in making health and well-being a priority!

Go Team Sure Blue! 

Sure Foundation Church in Puna launched its first Walking Moai as part of the Faith-Based Pledge process to become Blue Zone Project Approved. The team walked together in their community near Pohaku Circle, at Lava Tree State Park, and even got up early for a sunrise walk along the beautiful coast of Hawaiian Paradise Park.  

Moai® (pronounced "Mo Eye") Walking Groups are groups of 5 - 8 people that meet at least once a week to walk throughout the community. The small size of the group allows the members to focus on building strong friendships—and those social connections are as vital to well-being as the exercise! 

The word "moai" comes from Okinawa, Japan and means "meeting for a common purpose." In Okinawa, neighbors use moais as support systems to help those in need. Based on this tradition, Moai Walking Groups provide social interaction and support that are just as important to a person’s overall well-being as the benefits of walking.