Returning to the Old Ways - A Path to Health & Longevity
- Casey Hendrix
- Oct 8, 2023
- 6 min read
Over a decade ago I read a study showing these "blue zones" of people who live in certain geographical regions, who live to be over 100 years old. The concentration of centenarians in these villages were disproportionately higher than other parts of the world. They also had an almost 0% rate of dementia, diabetes and health disorders plaguing countries like mine.
Simply put, the America my grandparents and parents invested in, the one I've grown up in, has slowly but surely led us wrong. And, we're not alone. Most of the world is suffering in the same way. Modern-diseases, such as Diabetes and Heart Disease, and Loneliness (a true killer) are both at an all-time high across the globe.
After battling chronic illness for more than 20 years now, God keeps bringing me back to this scripture over and over again...
Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.
-- Jeremiah 6:16 (traditional translation)
God's message yet again: "Go stand at the crossroads and look around. Ask for directions to the old road, the true and true road. Then take it."
-- Jeremiah 6:16 (The Message translation)
This morning I was in too much pain to attend church, and I turned on a show on Netflix, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. This man basically described what I have been feeling in my heart for the last decade. God really is calling His children back into a place of rest for our souls, which has amazing health benefits. I, for one, am ready to move to the other side of the planet if it means me and my children can get and stay healthy.
The researchers and scientists on this Netflix film project have studied this for decades by visiting the villages and islands around the world where residents are healthier and happier. Some of these blue zone villages they've studied have lost their centenarian population and their high health rankings in a matter of just 25 years! How? Fast food and sedentary lifestyles were introduced into their society.
If you don't have time to watch the documentary, fear not, I took notes! Here are the findings summarized:
DIET:
The blue zones did not eat fast food or take-out. They grew most of their own foods and cooked at home. They all had low-meat, low-dairy food practices to note, with diets high in these foods:
Purple Sweet Potatoes
Tofu
Non-Pasturized, Locally Sourced Honey, and they ate it at room temperature, which was very important in order to receive all the nutrients
Medicinal Wine, the kind made 2,000 years ago, containing all the supplemental properties we pay a small fortune for today in pill form
Nuts
Olive Oil, there was no reference to butter or cheeses anywhere in their diets, but yogurt from goat's milk was a good substitute for sauces and creams because of its probiotic, digestive benefits
Beans/Legumes
Vegetables: like cabbage, kale, onions and root veggies
Black Beans, Corn & Squash, grown locally and processed by hand to make a trifecta of 9 amino acids essential for muscle growth, eradicating the need for high amounts of meat.
Veggie Broth-Based Soups, like Minestrone made from whatever veggies they had on hand. Sometimes they'd throw in a little homemade pasta or some rice
Ink from Squid cooked into an Asian style, broth-based soups, had detoxifying qualities and might help fight dementia
Fish, with maybe the occasional Poultry ... there really are few health benefits to birds, like chicken, except the protein you get from them. But, the oils from the fish give you optimal brain health and fight dementia, postpartum depression and other neurodegenerative diseases/mental imbalances
Sourdough Bread & Homemade Pasta made from homemade starters, actually keep the glycemic index from the meal lower, promoting gut health through probiotic effects. Sourdough, when done right, is a bread made by fermentation of dough using wild lactobacillaceae and yeast. The pasta can be made from organic flours and locally sourced eggs.
Desserts: Many cultures make a thin tortilla version of corn cakes or sourdough cakes, fried in a bit of olive oil, coconut oil or vegetable oil. They eat these with fruit, nuts and drizzled in honey to satisfy the sweet tooth. Not a single bag of processed white sugar in sight.
Jesus Christ said:
“When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
There is far more to your life than the food (bread) you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.
- Matthew 6:16-18, 25-26 (The Message translation)
LIFESTYLE:
These practices were obvious in all of the blue zone areas...
Celebration of a Sabbath: One rest day each week and a life of faith and community
Daily Faith Habits: For example, one lady walked up hill to church every single day to pray. She was 101-years-old with no health problems. One man walked 90 minutes each day to enjoy a glass of wine with friends at a local eatery.
Eating Mindfully: They ate slow and in the company of others & they stopped eating at 80% full
Cultivated Relationships: They took the time to cultivate healthy relationships. Their communities had groups of men and women who would gather daily to work on common projects, volunteer, exercise, cook or fellowship together
Cultivated Family Time: They valued quality, low-key family time over work and sleep. Wealth and saving up for retirement was seldom the goal.
Valued Wisdom of Elderly: Family members of all ages took turns spending time with the elderly members of the family to ensure they did not suffer from loneliness. They took turns caring for them in times of a health crisis. There were no nursing homes in these villages
Active Coping: there might have been many stresses in life they couldn't control, but they focused on those things they could control and kept their minds focused on those things ... such as reading to their children, caring for the elderly, exercising, herding their sheep, feeding their livestock, tending to their gardens or cooking healthy meals
Lived with Purpose: rejected the idea of retirement up until they physically collapsed and died, cultivating a community attitude towards the elderly saying, "you matter and we need what you can contribute"
Daily Walking: especially at a slight incline
Subconscious Exercise: the daily exercise you get from gardening, walking to the market instead of driving, chopping your own wood, kneading your own bread, mending your own fences or taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc
Building Parks & Community Engagement Centers: with sidewalks and public transportation leading from parks and outdoor physical exercise centers to all neighborhoods and suburbs, so residents could have easy access to recreation and fellowship. The goal is to get people out of their cars and away from their desks!
Fun Sports: such as meals followed by dancing, dance classes, pickle-ball, water aerobics, etc. Active, community engagement is vital for health and longevity. Once upon a time, 70% of all American widows and widowers lived with one of their children. Today, only about 30% do. This means single people must actively choose to participate in local community sports, events and churches if physically possible.
Essentially, we need Faith, Community and a What-Would-Jesus-Eat? diet to sustain longevity AND enjoy life while we're here. If I am going to be here 60 years or 100 years, I want each one of those years to be quality years. I don't want to be riddled with pain or disease.
Join me, let's return to the old paths of wisdom, and find rest for our souls. Let's start asking ourselves how we can restructure our minds, our career goals, our shopping lists, our kitchens, our families and our cities to support one another better.
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