Inside a Blue Zone grocery store, where eating healthy is made easy and cheap

• I visited a grocery store in the longevity Blue Zone of Loma Linda, California.

• The food there was more affordable than Whole Foods, and tasty too.

• A few favorite nutritious items were the coconut "chunks of energy" and the lentil soup.

In America, healthy eating often feels like a luxury item reserved for the rich.

Whole Foods is begrudgingly nicknamed "Whole Paycheck," and in most neighborhoods it's not practical to expect people to prioritize healthy food in their diets, because fresh produce is either more expensive than fast food, offered wilted or unripe, or simply unavailable.

But somehow, just 10 minutes down the road from the very first McDonald's location — the virtual birthplace of American fast food — sits a small California town where eating healthy, natural foods is the default for residents. And it's cheap.

The Loma Linda Market is an unassuming, dimly lit concrete building with no flashy signs or freeway billboards touting its wares, but regulars here still know it's a beacon for simple, delicious, nutrient-rich food.

It is in the heart of Loma Linda,  the only "Blue Zone" in the US. Here, most people are Seventh-day Adventists, who are by and large vegetarian and health-conscious. They are all dedicated to staying fit and sharp into their old age, so they adhere to simple daily and weekly protocols.

Diet is a huge part of their lifestyle. Stepping into their market, I could see how their infrastructure makes longevity so much more attainable.

In the Loma Linda Market, there is no meat

Save for some dog food, it's mainly aisles of grains, nuts, seeds, fresh produce, and frozen, veggie-centric meals.

Studies have shown that Adventists vegetarians live longer than meat-eating Adventists, a statistic that has held true in other studies around the world too.

The reasons behind this phenomenon are complex, but it's true at least in part because vegetarians tend to replace meat with heart-healthy and cholesterol-lowering fiber-rich foods, like beans and vegetables, which naturally counteract cancer and other diseases.

Pricey 'superfood' staples like a black quinoa and an almond meal flour are cheaper here

A pound of almond meal flower at Whole Foods? $9.29 for the generic, in-house brand. Here, $7.79 for the same.

The market had varieties of rice I didn't even know existed

Black japonica rice, anyone? The market seemed the perfect place to come to find just about any whole grain in the world.

Studies on people in Loma Linda have shown that their grain, bean, and nut rich diets help them live longer, while also staying more slender and disease-free than other Americans.

In the grains aisle, there were multiple different types of bulgur and oats for sale

Whole grains are fiber-rich foods that can help us lower cholesterol, control blood sugar, and stay full for a while.

But they can be hard to find in many neighborhoods, and many packaged foods that are marketed to us as "whole grain" really aren't.

There's no funny business about the grains aisle in Loma Linda.

The market does include some indulgences, too

Above the bin of raw wheat germ I spotted a long array of chocolate covered nuts (yes, please!) — a healthy, high-protein snack, packed with antioxidants.

There were also vegan and non-vegan cookies for sale, baked in house by Chef Shawn "Grumpy" Wood.

The hot bar has delicious meals packed with nutrients

I tested out the jalapeno tofu at lunchtime one Thursday ($5.50, and deliciously spicy), and also enjoyed a fresh juice from the juicery, with ginger, lemon, and spinach inside (~$4).

On the chef's recommendation, I returned Sunday for the $5 tasting menu, where Grumpy was trying out his latest Thanksgiving recipes.

The fake turkey seasoned with rosemary was more flavorful than many real birds I've had

Though the stuffing was never actually stuffed inside of any animal, I can honestly say it was one of my favorites.

There are also prepared foods in the fridge at the market like flavorful lentil soup in a tomato-rich broth ($3.25) that some customers travel for. Everything I tried from the market was flavorful, without being too salty.

Nutrition experts have studied how adding flavorful spices and herbs to fresh dishes like vegetables can make it way easier to adhere to a healthy diet.

I tried the market's popular lentil soup, and was pleasantly surprised at how well 1 small container sustained me through the day

Lentils are packed with nutrients.

Not only delivering a walloping dose of protein (one cup of cooked lentils gives you about 18 grams), lentils are also rich in fiber, iron, and antioxidants. Plus, lentils feed the good bacteria in your gut, contributing to overall metabolic health.

I snacked on coconut fig "chunks of energy" that the market makes in house, which were delicious

These little chunks lasted me for weeks after I came home, and helped me avoid reaching for candy or chips when I wanted a quick snack or didn't have time to prepare something fresh for lunch.

They reminded me a little bit of a recipe a celebrity trainer shared with me many years ago for healthy, protein-rich breakfast balls. The bonus here was I didn't have to make them myself, and they included figs, which I don't even know where I'd find in my local markets.

If I lived near Loma Linda Market (or something like it), I would probably eat healthier, and spend less doing it

It made me feel both inspired, and kind of defeated, to realize how simple, and yet terribly difficult, this type of healthy eating — which naturally lowers a person's risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and high cholesterol – actually is for so many busy, stressed out Americans.

I'd like to emulate parts of the Loma Linda strategy at home, but I don't have the same regular access they do to affordable key foods and meal shortcuts.

"They've made it something which is practical," local cardiologist Dr. Gary Fraser from Loma Linda University said, referring to the diet, plus easy and cheap gym access, and social support that Adventists derive from their church in Loma Linda.

"I think that that can happen in the broader community, but it probably is a decades-long kind of thing to do."

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated when the $5 tasting menu is available at the Loma Linda Market. It is available on Sundays. The market is closed on Saturday for the Sabbath. 

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