Long live long lives
For the past month, I have been studying the body and life expectancy when linked to religion, food, activity, disease, rest, and stress. As I was reading some of my research today, drinking decaf green tea instead of my regular coffee, I decided to share one of the articles I was reading today - thought it was interesting.
Live longer with advice from the “Blue zones”
An episode of “Oprah” earlier this week looked at some of the so-called “blue zones” around the world, places where people live the longest and are the healthiest of anywhere on earth. The idea is that if we can take some of what they do and make those healthy moves a consistent part of our own lives, perhaps we could live a little longer (and be healthier in our old age) as well.
Costa Rica’s longevity capital
The first stop was the Nicoya Peninsula in the rain forest of Costa Rica. There are lots of very healthy centenarians there, in part because of the excellent hard water, which is full of calcium and magnesium, keeping their bones and muscles strong throughout their lives.
A lot of physical labor still goes into food production there, from clearing fields to raise crops to picking fruit and grinding corn for tortillas, which is a great upper-body workout. In fact, people who live in this region have some of the best physical stamina in the world because they’re always on the move. People eat lots of corn, beans and squash, and there’s fresh fruit almost year-round.
Another important piece of the longevity puzzle in Costa Rica and elsewhere is a sense of community and family ties. Older people live with their younger relatives, and those connections help keep people feeling young and in touch with their surroundings.
Living longer with wine and cheese
The part of the world with the most male centenarians is Sardinia, Italy, and people there thrive on wine, cheese and bread. Of course it’s not just any wine, cheese and bread. The red wine that’s native to Sardinia has some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants around.
The grass-fed cows produce pecorino cheese that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, and whole grain bread is full of fiber and protein. They also drink a lot of goat’s milk, which is easier to digest, and nibble on healthy dark chocolate.
The diet is mostly plant based, with meat serving more as a side dish than the main feature. Sardinian men traditionally were shepherds, which provided them with plenty of low-impact exercise.
The longest-lived Americans
Loma Linda, California, is home to more active elderly people than anywhere else in America, and the main reason for that is that it’s home to 9,000 Seventh-Day Adventists, who don’t eat meat, drink alcohol or smoke. Many are vegans, meaning they’ve also cut out dairy, eggs and other products from animals.
Their deep faith and keeping the Sabbath (Friday night to Saturday night) as a time to reflect on their religion and spend time with family are also a big part of their longevity, residents say. Dr. Ellsworth Wareham, a 94-year-old heart surgeon, says who you choose to be around also plays a part.
“I think if you’re old you should stay away from old people,” he says. Marge Jetton, who just turned 104, would testify to the importance of exercise as well. She bikes on a stationary bike seven or eight miles a day as well as working out with hand weights.
The Loma Linda market is a secret to success too, since it offers plenty of fresh, local produce and vegan ingredients, prepared foods like spaghetti with walnut balls and “beef” satay made with seitan and tons of bulk beans, lentils and nuts.
Okinawa: the shrinking blue zone
Last but not least is Okinawa, Japan, still home to the longest-lived people in the world (though that is changing as the Western diet takes hold). People in Okinawa live about seven years longer than the average American and they have 80 percent fewer heart attacks and cancers than Americans do.
They keys to longevity in Okinawa include having a sense of purpose in life (akaikigai) and a social network (moai). Okinawans traditionally eat lots of tofu, vegetables and fish, and they practice hara hachi bu, or eating only until 80 percent full.
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
