Everyone wants to live forever, but they don’t know how.
Everyone wants to live forever, but they don’t know how.
While the secret to immortality hasn’t been discovered yet, we can give you the next best thing: How to live your way to longevity.
Through a combination of adopting the right diet, environment, and lifestyle, it’s not impossible to live beyond a 100 years old. The world’s several blue zones – which refer to regions in the world where people live significantly longer – are a strong testament to that.
Today, we take a look at some of these blue zones to discover what secrets to life they behold.
Ikaria, Greece
While this quaint little Greek island in the Aegean Sea is well known for its scenic coves and cliffs, it is more famous for its status as a blue zone.
According to the Guardian, apart from experiencing a significantly lower rate of dementia, depression, cancer and heart disease, the residents of this island live 10 years (on average) longer than their peers in Europe and America.
Specifically, one in every three Ikarians lives beyond 90!
So, what’s their secret? One possible explanation is their food. The Mediterranean diet, which consists of olive oil, fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables, is known to have positive long lasting effects on the body.
In a study conducted by the Annals of Internal Medicine, it was found that for women who followed the Mediterranean diet in their 50s, the risk of developing physical or mental diseases in the later stages of their life is significantly lowered by 40%.
Or perhaps, it could be the island lifestyle. Studies on Greek adults have shown that taking regular naps reduces the risk of contracting heart disease by 40%. In an interview with The New York Times, a doctor from the island revealed that most offices don’t even open until 11AM!
Loma Linda, California
Despite being a country known for its fast food, there is one area in America that joins this list. In Loma Linda, California, the people here live 10 years longer than the average American due to a unique reason – their religion.
Loma Linda is a community made up of Seventh Day Adventists, who follow a code of abstinence. This means no smoking or alcohol, very little meat and fish, and lots of exercises. Essentially, they treat their body like a temple.
The people of Loma Linda take their healthy food very seriously. Apart from a Church approved diet that includes mainly whole grain, nuts, vegetables, and fruits, the residents also have a strong dislike of fast foods.
In fact, there was some controversy when a McDonald’s showed up in 2012.
Also, the people understand the value of exercise. While they do not engage in high-intensity workouts, the Adventist Health Survey suggests that simple exercises like daily walks are enough to help your body.
Nicoya Peninsula
For the folks in the Costa Rican Peninsula of Nicoya, their environment forces them to be healthy. It is thus no surprise that the average Nicoyan male is 7 times more likely to live beyond a hundred years-old than a Japanese male.
The water they consume is high in minerals like calcium and magnesium, which only contributes to their already nutritious diet of corn, squash, and beans.
Add that to papayas, bananas and peach palms – fruits which they regularly eat – and you have one healthy human being.
Unlike the urban cities we have covered so far, the peninsula’s natural geography also allows Nicoyans to incorporate exercise into their daily lives.
Being made up of villages in a mountainous region, the people walk long distances to work, church, or even social activities, which ultimately contributes to their high metabolism.
Some also argue that the answer is closer than you think. Preaching a philosophy of “Pura Vida”, or pure life, the residents offer one piece of simple advice: Smile, and be happy.
Okinawa, Japan
Known as the “Hawaii of the East”, the Japanese island is also famous for their diet which has allowed its residents to have the longest life expectancy in the country at 83.4 years.
It is thus also no surprise that this year’s World Health Organisation Report also revealed that Japan has the world’s longest life expectancy at 83.7 years.
According to Bluezone.com, Okinawans are much less likely to die from heart disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer as compared to Americans.
Like the Costa Ricans, one of the secrets to longevity also has to do with your mind. The age-old tradition of farming creates social networks called a moai, which contributes to financial stability and most importantly, emotional and mental health.
The success of the Okinawa diet boils down to what they grow, and what they catch. According to the Guardian, Okinawans eat about three servings of fish a week and consume plenty of squid and octopus which lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.
The island’s agriculture also plays a big role, they have indigenous vegetables like sweet potatoes which are rich in Vitamin E, and Goya which helps to maintain a healthy blood sugar level. In the waters, they cultivate seaweeds which are rich in essential nutrients.
Common Traits: Plant based diets, Active lifestyles, And Strong social bonds
It’s clear that these regions share similarities in their lifestyles. But this is especially apparent in the case of Okinawa, where seafood, seaweed, and local produce play a major role in creating a region that can boast of the longest life expectancy in the world.
While Singapore may not have the luxury of Okinawa’s amazing natural environment to help with our longevity, we can still have the next best thing.
Within the seaweed family, Euglena is a species that has attracted much scientific attention. Its rich heritage includes contributing to US NASA projects and research that won a Nobel Prize.
Euglena is specifically cultivated in Okinawa’s Ishigaki Island for food and health supplement products.
The Next Best Thing
“Euglena P-3” is the health supplement from Okinawa that can help to fill the gaps in our modern Singaporean diet and allow us to be a step closer to the Okinawan miracle.
Containing 60 essential nutrients, it provides you with the 7 key factors to keep your body working, repairing and rejuvenating well.
You can expect Euglena P-3 to help detox your body, increase your energy levels and revitalize your cells, allowing you to recapture your youth.
Check it out here!