The world’s healthiest and longest living peoples: what do they have in common?

A Hunzan family 

In John Robbins’ book Healthy at 100, he reveals the secrets for living an extended and fulfilling life by exploring the example of four very different cultures that have the distinction of producing some of the world’s healthiest, oldest people. Although the four cultures may be different and distant from one another, they share surprisingly similar eating habits and lifestyles. The four cultures are the Abkhasians in the Caucasus south of Russia, the Vilcabambans in the South American Andes, the Hunzans in Central Asia, and the people from the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa.

Three of the four peoples live in high mountain regions which they must navigate under their own bodily power. Their method of transportation is on foot and as such not only is physical activity a part of their daily life, but they are not exposed to the environmental toxins associated with industrial societies. Strength, agility and hardiness are especially noticeable in the remote regions of Northern Pakistan where the Hunzan peoples live in decided isolation. These people are natural mountaineers.

Their way of life is less hurried and therefore less pressured than we are used to in industrialized countries. This translates to low stress and increased nervous system and cardiovascular health. They respond to adversity with courage and creativity. They are masters of going with the flow.

They also celebrate aging and hold the elderly in high esteem. There is a sense of sharing and caring for others at all stages of life. Strangely, there is little focus on food in these cultures. They focus on relationships over food. You are invited to gatherings, not dinners, although there is food present. And they practice under eating. Not to deny themselves or go hungry, but to eat to feeling satisfied rather than feeling full.

Interestingly, the Hunzas, who live in a Muslim country, women are not abused or over-worked. They go unveiled, work the fields in trousers, and inherit property. They enjoy an amazing level of freedom. Abkhasians have a unique way of raising children. Parents express disapproval by withholding praise. Because there is no punishment, there is no resentment. As a people, they are respectful of their bodies and the bodies of others. As such, violence and abuse are almost unheard of.

In all four cases, the diet can be described as lacto-vegetarian, but it is predominantly plant-based, with the occasional dairy in the form of fermented goat milk. They enjoy freshly picked produce out of their own fields and eat most vegetables raw. Occasionally they will steam vegetables and consume the liquid that the vegetables are cooked in to obtain the maximum nutrients from the food. Abkhasians pickle some of their vegetables to be eaten in winter months. Hunzas will soak lentils, beans and peas in winter and eat them raw and sprouted or occasionally steamed. Fresh foods are eaten in season and are always locally grown. hey pick fruit off the trees and eat them between meals. They also eat whole grains: The Abkhasians eat as cornmeal porridge at every meal; the Vilcabambans cultivate corn, quinoa, wheat and barley; the Hunzans, wheat, barley, millet, buckwheat, and the hard, pearly seeds of a grass called Job’s tears.

Fats are obtained from nuts and seeds. The Vilcabambans eat avocado, the Hunzas flaxmeal and the Okinawans sometimes eat fish. Not one of the four peoples eats much meat. But when they do it is freshly slaughtered. There is little pastureland but when they do eat meat, it usually from sheep or goats. They get their protein from plants, nuts and beans.There is no processed food, no sugar nor salt.

Because their food is so fresh, there is no risk of pathogenic micro-organisms tainting the food. The result is there is no sickness from infection. The vitality of the soil is another contributor to the long-term health of all these groups. The Hunzans are the leaders in their methods of agriculture. They build fertile terraces with brilliantly designed irrigation systems which divert water from mountain streams. The soil becomes conditioned and enriched with essential minerals. In addition, they put dead leaves, rotting wood and any animal waste into compost to nourish the plants and trees.

Degradation of the soil, air pollution, processed foods, and societal conflicts all lead to a shorter life and health span..Health span is that period of life when we are healthy and free of disease]. Not all of these things are under our control. Nevertheless, what the study of these longest living peoples confirms is that a plant-based diet, daily exercise and fresh air go a long way to enhancing our life spans and health spans.