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Post by violet on Oct 31, 2010 20:50:03 GMT 11
The Blue Zones: Lessons for living longer from people who've lived the longest by Dan Buettner.
The author is a journalist and longevity expert. I've only flicked through the book thus far, so I can't comment critically on the contents.
However, I like the little bits at the back, which give guidelines to follow.
The first one is to get moving. He calls it Move Naturally. He's not talking about marathons, but about daily, low impact activities, like walking and gardening. He suggests strategies like getting up to change the tv station rather than using the remote, using a broom instead of a leaf blower, and not forcing yourself to do exercises you don't like.
Lesson 2 is to eat only until 80% full.
Lesson 3: Plant Slant. Avoid meat and processed foods. Eat some protein with every meal, but not much. Eat less meat.
Lesson 4: Grapes of life. Drink red wine in moderation. (I loathe the stuff.)
Lesson 5: Purpose Now. See the big picture.
Lesson 6: Down shift. Take time to relieve stress.
Lesson 7: Belong. Participate in a spiritual community.
Lesson 8: Loved ones first. Make family a priority.
Lesson 9: Right tribe. Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values. He gives the Seventh Day Adventists as an example here.
I've seen a few references to Seventh Day Adventists throughout the book, including their grain-rich diet.
I'll write more when I've read more.
Elisa
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Linda
Moderator
~Exuberant Seachanger~
Posts: 2,524
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Post by Linda on Nov 1, 2010 12:20:27 GMT 11
Sounds interesting, Elisa. I'll be interested in hearing more as you read. A couple of things come to mind....our tv is so old....it was made before tv's had remotes. And...I don't like doing any exercise...so I guess that lets me off of the hook ;D I can see where most of the others would be very beneficial though. I too don't like wine...but I've heard a piece of high-quality dark (high cocoa content) daily is good. For me too, I do feel better when I eat meat. The homeopath and naturopath confirmed this as well (but chicken and fish mostly). I've also been concentrating on better quality beef. I sometimes wonder if it's not all the added junk to our meat that is the cause of the troubles usually linked to meet. I look at my dad (84) and his older sister (87) and their younger sister (76)....all in great shape (live on their own, have all their faculties, have a great quality of life, still drive, travel a lot) etc., and they all grew up on a farm/continued on their own farms throughout all their adult lives...eating lots and lots of red meat. The things they did stay away from though, were processed foods (ready made things) and chemicals/antibiotics/growth hormones etc. added to their food supply. Eating until only 80% full I would think would be very beneficial (now....to make myself do this), as would the other things mentioned. Looking forward to hearing more .....
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Post by violet on Nov 1, 2010 13:09:19 GMT 11
He nominates walking and gardening as exercise, not necessarily gyms (which I loathe!); it's moving that's good. Living on a farm - which requires a lot of daily physical activity - and eating unprocessed food as your Dad and Aunts would, is exactly what he's talking about.
I'm with you on the dark chocolate, too. ;D
Other books I've read have gone along the same theme: food is so readily available, and is so highly processed, that we're overloading our bodies with junk and calories/kilojoules.
One thing that occurred to me today is that if I kept a spreadsheet like yours, Linda, I'd have to include a section for "treats" because I cannot keep track of the amount of sugary stuff I eat. A row of chocolate is fine, ten rows over the course of the day is not. Sadly. ;D
He specifically mentions tofu and nuts as being good sources of nutrients, however some nuts are fattier than others and should be eaten in smaller quantities.
From memory, those higher in kilojoules are brazil nuts, cashews and macadamia nuts.
elisa
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