Could the secret to living a long, healthy life be as simple as residing on a Greek island?<\/p>\n
According to the recent New York Times<\/i> essay, “The Island Where People Forget to Die”, the answer is “yes.” Residents of Ikaria, a tiny Greek island in the Aegean Sea, reach the age of 90 at two and half times the rate Americans do, and live 8 to 10 years longer before getting cancer and cardiovascular disease. Ikarians also suffer significantly less depression and about a quarter the rate of dementia.
\nThe island contains a disproportionate number of centenarians (people who live past 100) who seem to enjoy remarkable health and vigor until the end.<\/p>\n
So what’s their secret to extraordinary health? The essay’s author Dan Buettner, who started a consulting firm to research populations where people live longer, says that a multitude of powerful and mutually reinforcing factors account for the Ikarian phenomenon.<\/p>\n
For one thing, the islanders eat foods that boost longevity. Ikarians cook the way their ancestors did for centuries, supplementing the famed Mediterranean diet with lots of local herbal tea loaded with antioxidants. Ikarians eat six times as many beans as Americans do per day, fish twice a week, meat only five times a month, two or three cups of coffee a day, two to four glasses of red wine a day, and lots of olive oil. Daily servings of fresh greens come straight from their own pesticide-free gardens, and they consume very little refined sugar and almost no processed food.<\/p>\n
Yet diet seems to be only one piece of the puzzle. The relaxed way of life and sense of communal support all contribute to what Buettner describes as an incredibly healthy “ecosystem.” Most islanders’ daily routine involves waking naturally, working in the garden, having a late lunch, and then taking a nap. Evenings are spent socializing with family and friends. 80% of men over the age of 65 reported having regular sex. Though unemployment is as high as 40%, everyone has access to a family garden and livestock, and a strong sense of community ensures that everyone’s taken care of.<\/p>\n
In my work with clients I refer to lifestyle factors “primary food,” and as one elderly islander mused, they’re likely more important than the actual food on your plate: “Yes, we do eat better here than in America. But it’s more about how we eat. Even if it’s your lunch break from work, you relax and enjoy your meal. You enjoy the company of whoever you are with.”<\/p>\n
Even in these stressful times, remembering who and what is truly important to us – and remembering to take the time to enjoy and appreciate those things – can be the glue the keeps our lives, health, and sanity together.<\/p>\n
Information courtesy of The Institute for Integrative Nutrition<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Could the secret to living a long, healthy life be as simple as residing on a Greek island?According to the recent New York Times essay, “The Island Where People Forget to Die”, the answer is “yes.” Residents of Ikaria, a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n