In the (BLUE) ZONE
In search of people who defy aging – living
longer, better lives I BY DR JONATHAN MOCH
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1. Lome Linda, California (USA) 2. Nicoya Peninsula
(Costa Rica) 3. Sardinia (Italy) 4. Ikaria (Greece)
5. Okinawa Island (Japan)
THERE IS A STRANGE BUT COMMON CUSTOM WE
Jews perform when comforting mourners.
We wish them “long life”. In Hebrew, it is
chaim aruchim. Many years ago, an acerbic
elderly man took umbrage to me, saying
this to a mourner immediately after reciting Kaddish for his father, who passed
away many years ago. “Do you really wish a
person a long life,” he thundered. “Go visit
the frail care section of Sandringham Gardens, Our Parents Home...!” I was stunned.
He continued, “Long life indeed! Alzheimer’s, debilitating strokes, loneliness, severe
depression, bed sores, dependent on 24hour care...” I could not answer. My formal
psychiatric training and clinical experience
confirmed his observations.
This brief encounter got me thinking,
deeply, about living a long life. But later,
after inner exploration, wide reading and
witnessing many living good lives past 90
years old, I added tovim (good) to the
chaim aruchim. I now try console by wishing a mourner a long and good life – chaim
aruchim v’tovim.
In other words, we should be comforted
by these three words, and visualise the remaining days and years of our lives as not
just adding years to our life, but adding life
to our years. This is a critical mindset to
living a thriving life. Adding life to years…
Why? How?
22 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 85
My decade of broad-based scientific exploration into long-term healthy living, especially keeping the brain fit and flexible,
discovered two significant concepts that are
worth spreading: neuroplasticity and the
Blue Zone Project. Neuroplasticity, in brief,
is the phenomenon that the brain is changing according to experience. Brain form and
function change throughout life, and living
a life that has stimulating and novel aspects
can keep the brain fit and happy! The famous Nuns Study* in the 1990s suggested
that even a brain anatomically covered in
plaques and fibrils (unambiguous signs of
Alzheimer’s dementia) can be free of its
symptoms, if the brain is “exercised”
throughout the day, from youth. The study
suggests that lifelong learning in all its
myriad forms – reading, writing, learning
new languages, friendships, conversations,
walking, cooking – keeps the brain at optimum condition, building cognitive reserve.
Eighty percent of chronic illnesses are
due to poor lifestyle choices; the rest: victims of the genetic lottery.
Which leads to my ideal form of research:
about 15 years ago, Dan Beuttner was
tasked by The National Geographic Society
(the yellow monthly magazine) to seek out
pockets of people who defied the odds of
aging, living long good lives beyond one
hundred years (called “Blue Zones” because
of how they were originally demarcated on
maps by researchers). His team of scientists
found five areas: in Ikaria (Greece); Sardinia
(Italy); Okinawa Island (Japan), Nicoya
Peninsula (Costa Rica), and the Adventist
community in Lome Linda, California
(USA). From extensive observations and interpretation of reams of data, eight themes
emerged. All raise the odds significantly for
living a long, good life.
As an enthusiastic urban farmer of vegetables and herbs, it is encouraging to note
that all the centenarians tended to eat
plant-based foods, most derived from their
own miniature food gardens. The fruit,
vegetables, nuts and herbs were local, organic, fresh, and seasonal. They ate their
food slowly and mindfully, at a table, with
family and friends, and were involved also
in its preparation – peeling, chopping,
roasting, mixing, stirring. From seed-tofork, direct from the garden to the pot.
Slow food, not fast. Some of these folk,
but not all, enjoyed a glass of red wine
with their main meal.
None of these centenarians had a gym
membership. However, all tended to their
gardens or hiked in the nearby hills; walked
to their best friends; bended and lifted to
cook, clean or dress. They moved naturally,
frequently, often without realising they were
exercising. No smart watches to count steps
or beep to remind them to stand up. No
counting of calories in or out. Just moving
most muscles of the body without awareness
of building muscle strength, flexing the
joints, or stretching tendons.
The Japanese, who hold the international
record for longevity, live on a nearby island,
Okinawa. The islanders have a unique memory disorder: they forget to die! Before partaking of any meal, they say a little blessing:
“Hari hachi bu, hari hachi bu” – loosely translated into English, it comes out as: “Only
eighty percent.” In other words, do not eat
to capacity. The Rambam agrees. Do not eat
more than what is necessary. Leave gastric
space for the dessert, but don’t eat the dessert – a quick, easy way to cut down twenty
percent of calories.
Imagine waking up every morning fresh
and eager to get going. Driven by a purpose,
meaning embedded into actions. It seems
these death-defiers held onto a belief
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BLESS THE HANDS THAT FEED US