100 Year Old Athlete: What's his diet?

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Health Benefits of eating Wild Caught Fish

Traditional Okinawa =  one of the world's "Blue Zones"

"While the average life expectancy in the United States is 76.4 years, it’s 84 years old in Japan – and five times as many people from Okinawa live to be 100 years as their peers in the rest of the country" (Link). The traditional Okinawan diet includes soy, beans, sweet potatoes, green tea and fish (among other foods).

How much fish do Okinawans eat?

"The traditional Okinawa diet actually only includes three servings of fish per week. Consuming these omega-3s boasts many anti-inflammatory benefits, including supporting healthy blood pressure, heart health, and brain function" (Link).

Omega 3 deficiency problems:

Now let's look at a single case study of a long-term raw vegan who had a stroke (anecdotal evidence, I know). When they looked at his blood, they found that his omega 3's were incredibly low. Here's the video.

At about 30 minutes into the above video, Mr. Norman discusses how algae supplements are often inferior, simply because it's hard to find the deep sea types of algae that salmon often eat. Also, hexane is often used in processing the oil from the algae. Of course, some algae supplements are better than others.

Humans have eaten fish throughout history, evidenced by our need for omega 3 fatty acids, B12, iodine and many other foods. Sure, some people do great on a vegan diet. However, others do far better eating our ancestral and "species specific" diet that includes some animal products (such as wild caught fish).

Here's a link where RFK talks about eating Northern Pike on a daily basis.

1) Eating wild caught fish can improve mood. Wild caught fish is high in B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, iodine and Omega 3 fatty acids. All of these things work together to improve mood (Link).

2) Eating wild caught fish can improve libido. (Link)

3) Eating wild caught fish can improve your eyes. (Link)

Do you like whales? 

Did you know that whales eat roughly 5,500 pounds of fish per day (link)? Now that you know this fact... do you still like whales? I guess my point is that eating your ancestral diet (for health reasons) does not inherently make you "evil."

Dick Van Dyke, 89, Explains His Longevity

"Keep Moving" - Dick Van Dyke

photo link

People Who Live to be 100 While Eating Junk Food

We've all heard the stories about people who live to be 100 while eating junk food, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. But here are a few things to consider about these stories:

• The Stress Factor: The oldest living person on record is a woman named Jeanne Calment, who lived to be 122. Calmet lived a low-stress life, marrying a wealthy man when she was 21 years old, never having to worry about money throughout her life. Instead, she spent most of her time enjoying her favorite activities such as cycling, swimming and laughing (Link).
• The Exercise Factor: If somebody lives to an old age on a junk food diet, it is important to also look at their lifestyle. More often than not, people who live to 100 have lived active, not idle lives. One large Swedish study found that simply walking or swimming regularly can add up to two years to your life (Link). 
• The Duration Factor: For a person who lives to an old age when eating an unhealthy diet, it is important to consider, when did this person's unhealthy lifestyle begin? Most traditional cultures include enjoying family meals together rather than hitting up McDonald's every day. Fast food culture is a relatively new phenomenon, and it is very possible that this person didn't adopt an unhealthy diet until later in life.
• The Luck Factor: While some people can walk across a mine field without stepping on a mine, these people are generally the exception to the rule. National Geographic published an in depth study called the "Blue Zones", which focused on the longest living cultures in the world. All of these cultures ate mostly unprocessed, plant based foods. Also, the oldest living Americans happen to be Seventh Day Adventist vegetarians, outliving other Americans by an average of 7.3 years for men and 4.4 years for women (Link).