Sardinia, Okinawa, Nicoya, Loma Linda and Ikaria are home to some of the oldest populations in the world. That is, the average age is well over 70.
Sardinia, Italy - Boasts the largest number of men over the age of 100. This is attributed largely to a plant based diet, physical activity and familial closeness. And, of this small population, men with daughters and men who walk at least five miles a day live the longest. Evidently, sex among the elderly is "rampant" in this region and there's also a very high consumption of the wild herbs parsley, sage and rosemary.
Okinawa, Japan - Boasts the longest living women in the world. Attributed to family and community. Okinawans practice the traditional cultural rule of “Hara hachi bu,” which means eating until they are only about 80 percent full. Typically, most meals are consumed within an 8-12 hour feeding window, the same window also observed in many of the new, Westernized forms of fasting or calorie restriction based diets.
Nicoya, Costa Rica - Nicoyans stay mentally and spiritually fulfilled to age 90 and beyond. Costa Rican people traditionally eat beans, squash and corn, plus tropical fruits. This plant-forward, nutrient-dense diet— and plenty of time outdoors—makes for strong, well-nourished bodies.
Loma Linda, Calif., U.S.A. - The only Blue Zone* in the United States, is also a haven for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, a Protestant denomination. Many avoid meat and eat plenty of plants, whole grains and nuts.
Ikaria, Greece - 1 in 3 Ikarians live into their 90s, often free of dementia and chronic disease. Strict adherence to the Mediterranean diet—eating lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, potatoes and olive oil.
The diagram below provides an overview of what these places have in common. The primary attributes that these places share is: family, no smoking, plant-heavy diet, constant/moderate physical activity, social engagement and legumes (peanuts, chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils and lupins).
There have been hundreds of studies on what it is that helps people to live long lives, but they all point to the same basic factors as outlined above:
Healthy eating: plant based diet
Physical activity: oxidation of the heart
Community & Family: sense of belonging and familial closeness
That's it. A focus on these things will extend your life.
Yes, being overweight literally accelerates the aging process. That's not what you want to hear, but if there's any ONE thing you can do right now to ensure a prolonged life with dignity, autonomy and quality it’s lose weight.
Radical Longevity
But what about people who have lived extremely long lives, those with "radical longevity"? There are people that have lived--in both modern and ancient times--to be well over 100. Is this some sort of superhuman skill? Is it genetic? Did the ancients know something that we don't? The answer is yes and this newsletter is dedicated to finding longevity through the wisdom passed down in ancient texts.
There are many references to different plants and herbs used by the ancients to improve longevity. Bamboo and pine, for example, are evergreen, and emblems of longevity in ancient text.
Other plants and herbs include:
Cypress for longevity, healing, comfort and protection
Lemon for longevity, purification love and friendship
Maple for love, longevity and money
Peach for love, longevity, fertility and wishes
Sage for immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection and wishes
Tansy for health and longevity
Again, the reason for longevity is often attributed to diet, which almost always involves eating more plants.
The following is an excerpt from an essay about nations that were famous for their longevity by Lucian, an ancient Greek historian.
…it is related that, owing to their diet, whole castes of men live long like the so-called scribes in Egypt, the story-tellers in Syria and Arabia, and the so-called Brahmins in India, men scrupulously attentive to philosophy. Also the so-called Magi, a prophetic caste consecrated to the gods, dwelling among the Persians, the Parthians, the Bactrians, the Chorasmians, the Arians, the Sacae, the Medes and many other barbarian peoples, are strong and long-lived, on account of practising magic, for they diet very scrupulously. Indeed, there are even whole nations that are very long-lived, like the Seres, who are said to live three hundred years: some attribute their old age to the climate, others to the soil and still others to their diet, for they say that this entire nation drinks nothing but water. The people of Athos are also said to live a hundred and thirty years, and it is reported that the Chaldaeans live more than a hundred, using barley bread to preserve the sharpness of their eyesight. They say, too, that on account of this diet their other faculties are more vigorous than those of the rest of mankind.
Here’s an excerpt from a text called Solar Biology, by Hiram E. Butler advising women going through menopause on how to change their eating habits to achieve longevity.
It even suggests that women have an opportunity to supercharge life during this period of time:
At the menopause the ordinary periodical waste of the system ceases, the forces are turned within, and the demand for food lessened; so, unless the appetite is carefully restrained, there will be a clogging of the system, or a surplus of vitality which may result in gout, heart disease, paralysis, trembling palsy, and many other diseases or derangements, according to the function or sign in which they were born. In reality, they have simply completed the first or natural cycle of the generative forces which has relation to the procreation of other beings; and if they have lived harmonious lives, they will still possess a life force that will enable them to live longer than they have already lived; and that, in health and vivacity, if they but regulate their diet and control their appetite,—for their system is coming under new conditions,—it is resting from its natural generative uses, and entering upon a stage of higher spiritual being, in which their life forces are building up their interior spiritual and soul nature,—which work may go on even to the renewal of their physical bodies and the restoration of natural potency upon a higher plane; and instances are on record of the renewal of sight, hearing, and youth to all the senses, a return of the natural color to the hair, new teeth, etc.
Catharine, Countess of Desmond, in Ireland, lived to the age of one hundred and forty years, and three times renewed her teeth; and many cases might be cited of vigor and renewal of powers at an advanced age.
It must, however, be borne in mind that at this period the life forces are seeking a new equilibrium, and the habits and appetites must be adjusted to this new condition of the system. Many times ladies will say, "I don't eat anything, yet am getting fat, and don't know what to do: ’tisn't eating that makes me fat," etc. But it is a fixed law in nature, too well-known to be disputed, that unless there is a food supply, flesh will decrease; but in point of fact, these persons have come into a condition where the waste is shut off, and they consequently require less food, and must regulate their appetites accordingly if they would enjoy their due measure of health and strength.
Click here to read the next post: Ancient Longevity Techniques: Diet & The Elixir of Life, Part 2.