Earth’s Longest Living People All Avoid This One Type of Food

No two human beings are exactly the same biologically, but our shared similarities can tell us a lot about basic human goals, like longevity and anti-aging. Different bodies need different types of fuel to achieve optimum wellness; blanket health advice, even delivered in earnest by good people without agendas, almost never applies to everyone.

In a sense, man’s greatest individual challenge in this life is to understand the intricacies of his own body. To learn what works, what feels best, and then to flourish with that knowledge. Nobody outside of yourself can ever prescribe the absolute perfect health regiment because only you can feel the subtle details of your own body humming mightily, or sputtering to a grind.

And yet, because billions of people have navigated these treacherous waters of life over the years, modern society continuously gets to enjoy the fruits of those laborious pains. We get to see the effects of disease on the body, the toll of stress on the mind, and, conversely, the benefits of balance on the soul. Our sample size is infinite and only continues to grow with each generation. We need only seek out those societies which live longest (and with the most consistency) to understand the basic tenets of health.

You see, health is no rapidly evolving technology in which the newest and fastest rule the roost. Health is a divine art rooted in generations of consistency and reverence. It is a mix of the basic and the cutting edge — a divine dance of ancient principles and modern miracles. The key to longevity is not disregarding the billions of lives that preceded us, but rather to discover the links between our ancestors and then build upon that elemental knowledge with our technological advancements.

The longest-living societies on Earth eat what grows naturally in their regions

In short, it is time to stop using technology to artificially sustain us; and instead lean on the magic of the tried-and-true health regiments which have long-protected us, even in the most technologically dire of times.

We can easily study these generational health regiments, which have somehow become esoteric knowledge in these days of GMO farming and food processing. Dan Buettner, author of the book Blue Zones, studied populations in the world with the highest number of centenarians (people who live over 100). Ever since, he’s been trying to then teach the world how to use the lessons learned from these populations.

The five blue zones his team studied most closely were societies in Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Icaria, Greece and the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California. Buettner discovered a handful of similarities from culture to culture, including a very specific dietary restriction that was prevalent across the board.

Each blue zone consciously avoided processed foods like refined carbohydrates, processed vegetable oils, artificial flavors, and sweeteners in their diets. These societies took pleasure in naturally sweet or fermented foods like wine, cheese, nuts, fruit, teas, and coffees over “modern” treats like potato chips, sodas, or prepackaged desserts. Their foods were high in good fats, low in added sugar, and full of naturally occurring vitamins. The kinds of foods that most people eat in a normal day, like fast food that is chocked full of sodium and heavily processed ingredients, never touch their plates in blue zones.

And if you want to really want to take your ancestral diet to the next level, do a little research on your origins. Different types of whole foods grow in different regions of the world. So understanding your evolved biology could go a long way in better refining your own, personalized diet. After all, we all share consistencies, but no two people are exactly the same genetically. Your health is in your own hands.