15.EAT MINDLESSLY

Treat your body with respect

Nutrition has a profound impact on practically all the leading causes of disease in Western societies.

—David Servan-Schreiber

WHILE PEOPLE IN MANY parts of the world are suffering from malnutrition, others, especially in the West, are suffering from overnutrition. To those of us in the latter group, not only is food accessible and cheap, its taste is artificially enhanced. The result is that at almost every moment of our life, we are enticed to choose food that is bad for us. Given that we consume more than we should, and that much of what we eat is unhealthy, it is no wonder that obesity is on the rise, as are related chronic ailments such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. To lead a longer, healthier, and better life, we have to be more mindful about the quantity and quality of the foods we ingest.

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「BLUE ZONES」 IS THE term used to identify those places around the world where people live longer and better—places where there are more centenarians than anywhere else, and where more people not only live longer but also remain fully functioning well into their eighties and nineties. Building on the work carried out by researchers such as Dr. Robert Kane from the National Institute of Aging, Dan Buettner and his team from National Geographic studied the Blue Zones with the goal of 「discovering the world』s best practices in health and longevity and putting them to work in our lives.」

Not surprisingly, Buettner discovered that healthy eating ranks high on the list of practices that distinguish residents of the Blue Zones. And there are no great surprises when it comes to nutrition: natural rather than processed foods; an abundance of fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and so on.

But it』s not just the quality of food that matters, it』s also the quantity. In Okinawa, the locals say to themselves before a meal, 「Eat until you are 80 percent full.」 This message, repeated daily, makes them mindful not to overeat. Buettner notes that in the West we typically stop eating when we』re full, whereas in Okinawa they stop when they』re no longer hungry.

In general, the eating habits of those living in the Blue Zones are characterized by moderation. The people there do not go to the extreme of starving themselves, nor do they deprive themselves entirely of all unhealthy food pleasures. At the same time, they do not overindulge as so many of us do. Our body is capable of disposing of unhealthy ingredients present in some foods, but cannot keep up with the excessive intake of the toxins that are present in most modern diets.

I personally have adopted the Okinawan practice of eating in moderation. It took me a few months to change my eating habits, and during that time I wore a wristband to remind myself of the 「80 percent full」 rule and, more generally, to be more mindful of what and how I eat.

Treat your body with respect. Enjoy your food, enjoy abundance, but in moderation—so that you can continue to enjoy it all for many years to come.