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Since there was a few posts on health and living long I want to share something interesting.<br />
Both my parents are Seventh Day Adventists and are in crazy good shape in their 60s.<br />
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My dad used to drink hard but the diet has reversed a lot of his party days over the last 20 years.<br />
When he is around people the same age as himself he looks 20 years younger.<br />
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<a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/attachments/44542/" target="_blank">View attachment 44542</a><br />
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I have read before that other than genetics, or living in certain areas, that their diet is the next best thing for living a long and healthy live.<br />
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The basic diet is:<br />
- Balance and moderation<br />
- Not too much of anything<br />
- Pure water, fresh air, and sunlight<br />
- Exercise<br />
- Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and mind-altering substances<br />
- A well-balanced vegetarian diet<br />
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Its pretty interesting to read up on if you are looking into a diet to have really good health as you get older.
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It's not really the diet.<br />
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Ikaria, a greek island that's also a Blue Zone, boasts a <u>much higher</u> life expectancy than other nearby greek islands.<br />
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<b>Of course, they breathe the same air and eat the same foods, so what gives?</b><br />
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After researching Blue Zones extensively, I've come to the conclusion <b>it's the social factor.</b> These places have VERY tight-knit communities where everyone knows each other and they tend to gather around in huge groups outside for lunch AND dinner, with BBQ, cards, wine, and dancing almost every single night (if not EVERY night).<br />
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Basically, they make almost every meal a social event. That in itself is huge for stress relief, which means these people have much lower inflammation levels than someone living in the hustle and bustle of a metropolis. And people tend to be really, really kind to each other rather than flex their insecurities with Ferraris, Gucci, and similarly pathological "look at me!" attitudes. Better mental health = better physical health.<br />
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Additionally, the islands and towns in the Blue Zones tend to have a rather uneven terrain and fewer roads, which means people generally walk much more - and with greater exertion - than someone living in a heavily urbanized environment where they constantly sit on their a$$ all day whether that's at work, in the car, or at home.<br />
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Thus, they exercise more, weigh less, and again, have lower inflammation levels owing to their physical activity. It's fair to conclude that humans really weren't meant to stay in one place much. One's circulation, GI health, lymphatic system, and pretty much all of your F*cking organs need to be regularly revved up to work the way they should.<br />
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<b>But what about the other islands we mentioned where people also enjoy breathing clean air and follow a Mediterranean diet?</b><br />
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Well, those islands are much more urbanized and busy. So the social aspect, the tight-knit communities, and the daily festivities are barely - if at all -present:<br />
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<i><b>"</b>Despite her consummately Ikarian air, Parikos was actually born in Detroit to an American father and an Ikarian mother. She had attended high school, worked as a real estate agent and married in the United States. After she and her husband had their first child, she felt a “genetic craving” for Ikaria. <b>“I was not unhappy in America,” she said. “We had good friends, we went out to dinner on the weekends, I drove a Chevrolet. But I was always in a hurry.”</b><br />
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When she and her family moved to Ikaria and opened the guesthouse, everything changed. She stopped shopping for most groceries, instead planting a huge garden that provided most of their fruits and vegetables. She lost weight without trying to. <b>I asked her if she thought her simple diet was going to make her family live longer. “Yes,” she said. “But we don’t think about it that way. It’s bigger than that.”</b><br />
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Although unemployment is high — perhaps as high as 40 percent — most everyone has access to a family garden and livestock, Parikos told me. People who work might have several jobs. Someone involved in tourism, for example, might also be a painter or an electrician or have a store. <b>“People are fine here because we are very self-sufficient,” she said. “We may not have money for luxuries, but we will have food on the table and still have fun with family and friends. We may not be in a hurry to get work done during the day, so we work into the night. At the end of the day, we don’t go home to sit on the couch.”</b></i><br />
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The Island Where People Forget to Die (Published 2012)
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<div class="contentRow-snippet js-unfurl-desc">Unraveling the mystery of why the inhabitants of Ikaria, an island of 99 square miles that is home to almost 10,000 Greek nationals, live so long and so well.</div>
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