In other cultures, elders are revered and looked to for
wisdom and understanding. The knowledge
of elders is valued as much as a rich inheritance for a young person.
Through studying and looking at Blue Zones, cultures where
people are living past 100 years old with no medications and no real aliments
or health complaints, I come to see that American culture has come up wanting
in the aging process.
It seems that we fear aging and fear plays into the
dysfunction and deterioration of the aging process. What we fear becomes us and may come upon
us. It is important that we believe that
we can be healthy that we can possess health.
From the belief that we can possess health, we will be
empowered to take action in order to take care of our health. We will pay attention to what we eat, learn
what we should look for in food, we will exercise, rest, and eat for health and
not for enjoyment or pleasure.
Don’t get me wrong, healthful eating tastes great….but our
taste buds have become skewed and have grown accustomed to processed foods,
sweets, and unhealthy fats. We have more
and more food cravings, which show our deficiencies rather than our health and
functionality.
Let’s look at one of the blue zones and see what we can
learn. The first blue zone I will have
us look at is Sardinia, Italy. In
Sardinia, there are many people living past the age of 100 in a healthful
manner. For example, Mr. Mura is 102
years old and lives at home with his 65-year old daughter.
Mr. Mura is a staple in their household and he is celebrated as other elders are in Sardinia. Mr. Mura gives wisdom and insight and helps with the daily activities of the household. When he was younger (like 80 years old), he worked as a shepherd, caring for sheep and goats. Mr. Mura, as well as many elders in Sardinia, derive a great sense of purpose out of
building their family and pouring into the generations. This helps to give them a will to live
because of the great purpose and meaning that they find in their family.
Also, in Sardinia, they are not too serious about life. They know how to laugh and enjoy their
lives. Mr. Mura is no exception. He keeps a light, humorous stance on many things that happen in life. Sardonic humor has its roots in
this Italian city.
Two of their most healing foods are their fermented foods as
well as their raw dairy. They enjoy raw
goats milk, cheeses, and raw sheep’s milk as well. Their diet consists of nutrient dense foods
that are not processed in any way. They
eat off the land and eat what is given to them in nature.
America has had an influence, however, and some of the
younger generations who are adopting American lifestyles are gaining weight and
struggling with many of the same health problems facing Americans.
To sum up, in Sardinia and from the life of Mr. Mura, we learn the importance of having meaning in life, incorporating daily exercise, eating raw and fermented foods, as well as finding the time to laugh and enjoy living!
Next week, we will explore a few more Blue Zones to learn
how to incorporate lifestyle changes to our own lives that will help increase
our longevity and quality of life.
