Living a Longer Life...The Harsh Reality

There has been a lot of activity around this blog lately from the discussions of the "Secrets to Living a Longer Life" on CNN's AC 360. I have been thinking about how so many of us want to know these secrets...we all want to live longer and be healthy and happy. We see the glowing faces of the centenarians from Ikaria and we want to be just like them.

But, for most of us, living a long life is not going to be a blissful slide into old age on a beautiful Greek island. For most of us, living a longer life is going to mean facing the reality of the mess our planet is in. The reins of responsibility for healing our planet and our economies are in our hands. It is going to require the leadership of healthy individuals who have the wisdom, energy, knowledge and passion for what it takes to live a long, happy life, to lead the world to a place where we all want to live longer lives.

There is no point in living longer if we are sick from breathing polluted air, drinking fouled water or eating food sprayed with chemicals. There is no joy in being homeless or begging for food to eat. There is no comfort in living where the temperatures reach unbearable extremes and bring droughts and floods to the land. There is no beauty when all the trees are dead or chopped down for industrial purposes.

Those of us who choose to live through the crises on the planet right now must accept the fact that we have trashed our home to the point of extinction of wildlife, plant life and possibly human life. We are the ones who are going to have to learn the most important lessons of living a long life.....living a simple life, stress-free, in a pristine environment. We are the ones who are going to have to demand cleaner air and water. We are the ones who are going to have to insist on organic farms to grow our food. We can no longer be complacent about how our governments run our countries. We can no longer sit back and watch the drug commercials on TV and believe that a pill will heal us. We are the ones who are going to have to demand integrity and accountability from our corporate leaders and politicians. It is up to us...those who have a stake in living long, healthy, happy lives to change the world for the better. Face it....the rest of the people on the planet are too sick, asleep, or apathetic. This battle is for the ones who can see the benefits for our children and grandchildren. It is up to us.

What are you going to do?

Friday's meals:
Breakfast: Green smoothie with mango, banana, orange, kale and mint.
Lunch: Mediterranean Salad with arugula, fennel, tomatoes, capers, red onion, sprouts, black olives, lemon juice and olive oil.
Supper: Zucchini spaghetti.

Saturday's meals:
Breakfast: A few power balls (Thanks Olivia!)
Lunch: Salad of daikon radish, red and green peppers, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Supper: Salad with arugula, celery, green olives, adzuki bean sprouts, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
Snack: Apple, orange, and a few cashews.

Photo of hillside in Ikaria by Gianluca Colla.

Sweet Secrets

Anderson Cooper's AC/360 has continued to capture my attention each night on CNN with a brief segment on "The Secrets to Living A Long Life." Dan Buettner is still in Ikaria exploring the tiny island and its people to see just what they consume to live such long lives. Tonight's feature was about the honey they eat. There are apparently 3 different kinds of honey on the island that have varying textures, tastes and healing qualities. There was no where I could find the names of the types of honey or where they could be purchased in the United States. Perhaps the Ikarians keep it all to themselves!

The honey/sweetener conversation is one that is frequent in my household. My husband probably has the biggest sweet tooth in the family and it is always in the back of my mind that someday he is going to become a diabetic. In an effort to get him off all the sugar, I bought some raw honey that I thought might appeal to him. No such luck. It sits on the shelf virtually untouched. Here you can see the jar with the brand name on it. Below is what it looks like inside. The stuff on the top isn't very tasty, but is supposedly loaded with good things for our bodies.

My daughter still uses the artificial stuff and thinks I am the nut case in the family. I prefer to leave the bees alone. They are becoming too scarce and I suspect that our society's obsession with pesticides and herbicides might be to blame. Agave nectar is my preferred sweetener, but I would love to sample the Ikarian honey. If anyone knows how I can find it, please leave a comment.


The Ikarians also favor herbal teas. They gather wild herbs in the afternoon and steep them for an evening tea. They consist primarily of wild mint, spleenwort, purple sage, rosemary and artemisia. Each of these herbs has its own healing properties, but they are all diuretics, which seem to have a dual benefit. First they lower blood pressure and second they naturally detoxify the body. Just add in a little of the Ikarian honey with your tea and you have the perfect brew for a long, healthy life!

Today I had:
Breakfast: Green smoothie of banana, apple, pear, grapes and kale.
Lunch: Citrus Avocado Salad with spinach, pink grapefruit, mineola, Mandarin orange, avocado, sprouts, and my usual agave nectar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and olive oil dressing.
Supper: Chopped mixed vegetables: corn, tomatoes, celery, carrots, shallots, adzuki bean sprouts, red bell pepper with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.

The Body Flex routine continues and I am seeing the results in my clothes.

Secrets to Living a Long Life

Tonight on CNN, Anderson Cooper's co-anchor, Erica Hill, had a short segment on the Secrets to Living a Long Life. Erica did an interview with Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, from the Greek island of Ikaria where the people there routinely live well into their 90s. Tonight's installment focused on a man who is a Greek Orthodox priest in his village. He is in his 90s and attributes his longevity to a plant-based diet. Dan specifically talked about how the priest eats wild greens! He walked down the road and in the space of 5 feet, found 5 or 6 different plants that were growing wild that the priest eats. I think I'll keep up my foraging! Maybe I will move to a Greek island too! I bet that helps towards living a long, happy life.

While I have not read Mr. Buettner's book, I have been hearing about his study of long-lived communities around the world. It seems we can learn a lot about what constitutes good health from these people. You can find out your life expectancy by taking his survey at his Longevity Calculator. If I continue my current lifestyle, I can expect to live into my 90s.

Today I ate:

Breakfast: Ruby Red Ambrosia...juice of beet, carrot, celery, lemon, ginger root, and apple.

Lunch: Lettuce wraps with romaine, cucumber, carrots, and a little avocado.

Supper: Citrus Avocado Salad with romaine, pink grapefruit, orange, Mandarin orange, avocado, sprouts and a dressing of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, agave nectar and olive oil.

Snack: Raw flax seed cracker.

Did not do my Body Flex today. Joints are still very painful.