Whether it is the Abkhasians of the high mountains of Southern Russia, the Vilcabamba Viejos of the Andes, the Burusho of Northern Pakistan or the Okinawans off of Japan, they all once shared commonalities the rest of the world might benefit from. Imagine a society where old age is revered, where the most common afflictions associated with old age simply don’t exist. With remarkably healthy aged populations, these centenarian civilizations thrived for thousands of years experiencing uncommonly good health in contrast to the rest of the world. While their popularization in the mid 1900s brought inevitable change, prior to outside influences these cultures enjoyed unparalleled vitality. Let us explore some of their secrets.
These civilizations thrived over the centuries with considerably good health despite reaching advanced ages, many well in to their 90s and beyond. All renowned for high levels of enthusiasm and athleticism, the elderly were so robust they might be mistaken for someone half their age. Not only did the elderly show few signs of slowing down or of deterioration such as loss of memory, hearing or vision, but even the quality of their skin, hair, muscles and bones remained vibrant until a very old age. In many of the elderly of these regions, they enjoyed their youthful looks well in to their 80s when grey hair might finally prevail. Each culture was also remarkably healthy and free of disease, the same conditions that plagued the rest of the aging world such as constipation, incontinence, heart disease, dementia, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, asthma and others remained virtually unheard of as well as the drugs that treat them. While life in these societies was very primitive for the most part (no plumbing or electricity) compared to our own with only the Okinawans enjoying any modernization, these societies flourished in tight-knit communities where the elderly as a group of society were respected, even revered, where age was celebrated and viewed as beautiful, where the idea of a senior living facility or a nursing home was, and in some cases still, is incomprehensible. Instead, the older a person the more beauty full, the more wise. Elders were seen as useful and full of life experience and knowledge; the role of the elderly was honored and served to support and guide others as active members of the community. Seniors never retired but physically worked hard to earn their living. They were not expected to be feeble or decrepit but instead anticipated a life of vigor, sexually vitality and physical strength.
One of the main distinctions between these cultures and modern civilization is the societal view of the elderly. The west can be said to suffer from ‘ageism’, categorized with racism and sexism, it is a form of social discrimination against a person based upon their age. Ageism is permeating modern culture and the belief is so strong it might actually undermine the health of an inevitably aging population, a populace that everyone, if they live long enough, will join the ranks of. As a whole, most see old age as undesirable in the modern world. The elderly are often viewed as useless and are not expected to remain vital but instead to regress. Self image and esteem naturally decline in countries with an obsession of eternal youthfulness. The elderly often adopt feelings of being unattractive, worthless and weak. Besides the societal expectation of the aged being so completely unique, the common denominators of all of these cultures is that they were also active and viewed and utilized food as fuel, regarding it in a very different way than the majority of industrialized counties who use food for pleasure and perceive it as entertainment or art, more than for nutritional sustenance.
These centenarian cultures did not have the same fuel resources as our own, hence food was closer to its natural form and rarely cooked. This not only conserves resources, but retains the maximum nutrient value of the food. We might call it whole food. Many of the grains they consumed were closer to the ancient grains and naturally lower in gluten like buckwheat, millet, rice, corn, quinoa, and barley with minimal wheat. Grains were often soaked before cooking and legumes were also often soaked for days and eaten raw when sprouted. When they steamed vegetables, they used a minuscule amount of water and then consumed the left over broth with their vegetables. Their levels of protein and fat were relatively low compared to the rest of the industrialized world with Viejos and Burusho deriving 99% of their calories from plants while for the Okinawans, closer to 98% and for Abkhasia, closer to 90%. Interestingly enough, despite a much higher daily output of calories, on average all of these cultures consumed less than 1,900 calories per day. They viewed food as nourishment and maximized its value by eating the majority of food in its organic state. They considered overeating to be dangerous. Besides Okinawa that enjoys a fairly temperate climate throughout the year, the other cultures were isolated in remote mountains and endured harsh winters. A mainstay of Hunza were dried apricots throughout the cold winter months. In fact, for all of the cultures, the majority of calories came from carbohydrates while 20% or less came from fat (plant derived sources such as avocados, nuts and seeds, rather than saturated animal fats, margarine or oil which were unheard of) and protein intake accounted for only 10% – 15% of the overall calories and most of it was plant-based with less than 10% coming from animals for the Abkhasia and 2% or less for Okinawans and 1% for the Viejos and Burusho. The mountainous cultures consumed a fermented kefir-like beverage from goats, cows or sheep while Okinawans enjoyed more sea fare. The majority of the food was not stored but harvested just prior to consumption with the exception of fruits that were dried for winter. Meat when consumed was freshly slaughtered, not cured and the fat discarded. In all of these long lived cultures, the diet contained virtually no table salt, no sugar, no refined flour, no processed foods, and they were all free of obesity and the occurrence of disease was the exception not the rule.
Beyond lifestyle, perhaps the most valuable lesson to take away from these cultures is that wealth was not measured by how much one accumulated but rather by how much one gave of one’s self. Self-less people were the most highly respected and regarded members of the community. Wealth was measured by friendships and love, not by pocketbooks or property. Those that had more shared generously with others. And while death eventually comes to all , in days gone-by for these long-lived civilizations it came by accident or in sleep and rarely though the suffering of a deadly disease that was and is so prominent in the western world. While the history of these simple people is inspiring and their lifestyles intriguing, living among them as they once lived is not an option in modern times. As one might expect, the repercussions of exposure to the outside world have been vast. The living standards of the past are a fading memory preserved only in history books. External influence has changed the very fabric of life for the new generations who now often indulge in a diet laden with refined sugars, fat and animal products and whose youth do not even enjoy the same vitality their elders once did. Moreover, with no caution given to birth rates, overpopulation has stretched natural resources beyond their capacity. Tourism and commerce have replaced agriculture. The plague of materialism and ageism has also extended its reach in to these once remote civilizations now easily accessible by all.
While we cannot relive the past, we might take some hints from the ancient ways of these centenarian cultures and change the prevailing attitudes the west typically holds on the elderly and on aging, starting with self first. One might envision celebrating the advancing years in honor of the wisdom gained from life’s experience, enjoying better health and living a long vibrant life as opposed to one that is riddled with disease and take the steps to make that happen, to exercise more often, eat a plant-based diet, practice holding a good mental outlook, join a community cause or group, or take more time to commune with nature. These centenarian cultures demonstrate that consuming a diet of more fresh fruits and vegetables, devoid of oils, consuming plant-based fats and minimizing animal products can result in a longer happier life. The secrets to health and longevity serve as steps we can all take to improve the quality of our life and the quality of those around us. We can experience more happiness by taking better care of ourselves and of each other. In so doing, everyone comes out as winners. Live a compassionate life. Let us all remember that Love is the Way! Let us treat our neighbors as we treat ourselves sharing our bounty with others rather than competing for more. For the more we have, the more we have to share. May we live as these ancient cultures did, measuring our wealth in friendships not in possessions. As our loved ones grow old, let us treat them as we would like to be treated and encourage them even in their senior years to live a more harmonious healthful existence. May we all grow old gracefully together.
“We may not all have it all together but together we have it all.”
-author unknown
Sources and Recommended Reading:
John Robbins, Healthy at 100: How you can at any age dramatically increase your life span and your health span. Ballantine Books, New York, NY, 2007
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease and is solely for the purpose of sharing information.
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