Ballantine Healthy at 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World's Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples

Inspirierendes, wohlwollendes Buch. Gut zu lesen, gut umzusetzen.

A great book for everyone to read, even if you have no intention of becoming a vegan or vegetarian. It makes you think about your meal choices and how they could be affecting your life and future. It is very interesting to hear about the lives of those in certain places where people live healthy and active long lives.

This book has made such an impact on me that I am buying a copy for a friend. I personally have lost 20 lbs. in 2 months following the regimen, but it is so important to point out a few things: 1. This book is not about "losing weight"; it's about living a lifestyle. As myself and friends often discuss, there is really not a lot of advantage in doing something unsustainable, such as is the case with all of these fad diets, diet pills, HCG, and all the other "I want it now / I want a lot of results for not much effort" approach that most Americans attempt to take. 2. Just because you maintain a healthy-looking appearance does not mean that you are healthy. A poignant illustration mentioned in the book is that of Jim Fixx, a famous proponent of running some 25 years ago that died of a heart attack at 51 (while running) - at least one of his coronary arteries was revealed to have 95%+ blockage from his horrible eating habits. On a similar note, just yesterday I received the news that the ex-husband of my wife's friend had a heart attack at 41. He maintained a fairly slim frame but ate like a horse (on a diet that included a lot of meat and fried foods, desserts, etc). In yet other stories we hear of runners dropping dead at marathons on a regular basis that are seemingly "a picture of health". How healthy are these people really? Have they had any checkups besides a routine physical? What about a full cardiology exam that includes things like ejection fraction, possibly atrophy of heart muscle tissue, saturation and blockage levels of coronary arteries, and others? Any genetic testing?One feature that displaces this away from other health-oriented books is its focus on an overall sense of spirituality, love, and the fostering and maintenance of strong, loving relationships. It is comprehensive and holistic. Humanity does not live in a vacuum. You can present all the latest technical data available in order to run your body optimally, and while adhering tothat data is sure to make you healthier and less susceptible to disease etc., we simply are at our cores social creatures, and needto interact with others frequently in ways that support each other. Multiple studies, as referenced in the book, have been done that show that in some ways, a strong network of loving relationships can overcome even an assortment of detriments combined (job stress, smoking, high blood pressure). A phrase in particular that struck me and left me speechless was "if you prepare a lunch for your spouse, etc. include a love note with the lunch". This exact thing my wife did for me for years and I have never seen that mentioned anywhere else!Other portions of the book completely took me by surprise, such as the marked increase in Japan's life expectancy in only 20 years after WWII, when General MacArthur reconstructed the country's wealth, corporate and landowner structures and essentially "leveled the playing field", dissolving the family dynasties that ran the large corporations, capping maximum pay for business executives, and massively redistributing wealth. Wealth inequality, especially here in the U.S., is taking a huge toll on the populace not only for the obvious reasons, but for health-related reasons.Robbins has done extensive research on medical studies and has a massive bibilography to support his approach. The book has a large bank of reference, but is not excessively technical and should be easily understood by the average person. He has done a great job in that regard to accessibility. Highly, highly recommended.Update: After 6 months eating this way, and referencing this book and The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, I went from 217 down to 182 (I am 6' 1"). My BP is averaging around 110/70 (from before always being around 132/100), my trigylcerides are 58 and total cholesterol is 128. Excellent numbers. I am no longer tired in the afternoons, am not hungry between meals, and maintain a good volume of energy throughout the day. I generally feel much better than before. Thanks so much John Robbins and T. Colin Campbell for your tremendous efforts to inform us all of proper diet, and cutting through the immense sea of misinformation out there.Update: 06.15.13 - After well over a year and still maintaining this type of eating regimen, my trigylcerides are 54 and my total cholesterol is 145. My doctor said that he has hardly seen numbers like that without taking medication (that is a sad thing). My weight has been kept between 167-176 for months and months. I still feel great and have a lot of energy. If you are tired of diet gimmicks and want a true path to success, this is it. Also, for great recipes that fit into this lifestyle I would recommend Rip Esselstyn's highly renowned book "My Beef With Meat". John Robbins, you are my Dalai Lama. I sing your praises everywhere I go.

John Robbins brings diet, health, lifestyle and longevity together in this beautifully written book. It's captivating right from the first chapters, where he discusses the health secrets of the longest lived cultures in the world. There is lots of scientific evidence here, but it never gets in the way of readability: it's a real page-turner. There are also great chapters on diet, exercise and the importance of relationships, all backed up with evidence you'll find fascinating. Who'd have thought lifting weights would radically improve the wellbeing of people in old people's homes! The book might change your whole approach to health and lifestyle, it has done for both myself and a friend I lent it to.

この本が類書と比べて秀でる点は、単に西欧社会において長寿を得るためのノウハウを述べるのではなく、西欧以外の超長寿社会を取り上げ、その長寿の理由を明らかにし、現実の競争社会とそれら非西欧社会とを比較して、我々が取るべき途を論じている点である。その非西欧社会の例としては（１）長寿であるだけで尊敬され、子どもが虐待されることのないアブハジア（２）コミュニティが人々を支えるビルカバンバ（３）資源に乏しい環境で困難に立ち向かう工夫をするフンザの人々（４）低カロリーで高栄養食の沖縄、が取り上げられる。ついで、米国らしく長寿に資する食材にかなりのページを割いているが、後半では、配偶者や友人などのポジティブで豊かな人間関係が寿命に大きな影響及ぼすことを論じる。さらに、米国のような格差社会では平均寿命が短く、比較的格差が少ない社会では平均寿命が長いことを説明し、上記の非西欧社会、ピグミー、ブッシュマンが変質してきたことに警鐘を鳴らす。最後に、人は老いや苦しみや死をを避けることができず、the fountain of youth を見つけることとは、真に生きることだと述べている。食べ物から、社会のありようから、死生観まで、実に幅広い著者の見識が伺える傑作である。付随的なことだが、英文は分かり易く、タイポグラフィーと紙質が良いので、手にとって楽しいペーパーバックだ。