Table Of ContentTo those interested in health, longevity, and good food—here’s to your
youthful vitality!
HEALTH KEY
The recipes in this book have been created to benefit your health in a variety of
ways. Some may be good for your heart, while others promote healthy
metabolism and digestion. As you go through the recipes, you’ll notice that
the benefits of each one are listed below the title. These ten categories and
their benefits include: 1. HEART
Helpful for heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes
conditions, and diabetes.
2. IMMUNITY
Boosts immune system and supports cancer prevention.
3. ANTI-INFLAMMATION
Helpful for arthritis, muscle pain, and other inflammatory conditions.
4. METABOLISM
Increases energy, boosts metabolic function, and assists with weight loss.
5. CLEANSING
Supports the body in detoxification.
6. DIGESTION
Helpful for regularity, absorbing nutrients, and relieving heartburn, gas, and
bloating.
7. BRAIN & VISION
Enhances cognitive function and eyesight.
8. ANTI-AGING BEAUTY
Benefits skin, hair, and nails.
9. GOOD MOOD
Restores happiness and alleviates stress.
10. SEXUAL HEALTH
Supports hormonal health and sexual health for women and men.
CONTENTS
LONGEVITY PRINCIPLES
Introduction
Thrive with Healing Foods
Kitchen Makeover
Eating and Cooking for Longevity
Spice for Life
Menus for Healing
RECIPES
Beverages
Breakfasts
Soups
Salads
Small Dishes
Snacks
Desserts
RESOURCES
References and Resources
Acknowledgments
Index
INTRODUCTION
“The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human
frame, diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”—THOMAS A. EDISON
Today, many doctors and pharmaceutical companies would like you to believe
that you need dose after dose of medical intervention and drugs to stay healthy
and live longer. Centenarians—individuals who live to or beyond the age of 100
years—know this course of action is simply not beneficial. When asked,
centenarians will tell you that the greatest secret to a long, fulfilling life is that
you hold the key to your own longevity. You simply need to listen to your body
and treat yourself with the respect and kindness you deserve! Your body was
designed to last 100 years or more and as a result, you already possess the innate
ability to heal yourself at every level—all you have to do is get out of your own
way. Eating a healing diet of living, natural foods is your strongest ally in getting
out of your own way and activating your own self-healing mechanisms. A
balanced diet truly is the cornerstone to your longevity and healthy food is the
greatest healer of all. It’s time for us all to take the centenarians’ wise advice: we
need to take control of our own health, NOW!
I am passionate about the wisdom shared in this book and the powerful
recipes that I have cherished and collected from long-living centenarians
throughout my life and career. I know the secrets in this book can transform you
in body, mind, and spirit—and support you in living a long, fulfilled life full of
excellent health. Food is not the enemy. Food can be your greatest healer, and
when its power is harnessed with knowledge, you can become your own greatest
doctor. It is my hope that this cookbook will plant a small seed in changing the
way you look at food, which in turn will inspire you to feed your body so you
can thrive as centenarians have done for generations.
Eating to Thrive in the Modern Age: A Call to Action
Americans have a short memory when it comes to food. Not so long ago, we
sourced all our food from neighboring farms and lovingly prepared wholesome
and nutritious meals for ourselves and our families. Nowadays, most adults find
themselves struggling to stay emotionally and physically healthy while
managing busy careers, juggling families, and taking care of other
responsibilities. Unfortunately, on the mental to-do list of the day, most adults
place their personal health last. Instead of making time to shop for fresh
produce, trying out new recipes, and spending time enjoying food with our
community of family and friends, we oftentimes find ourselves racing out the
door, grabbing a cup of coffee and a sugary snack, or bringing home take-out
meals loaded with empty calories and very few nutrients. On any given day, we
fall into bed and wonder to ourselves why we’re often sick or why we always feel
exhausted. We fail to make the true connection: we’re not feeding ourselves well
and our bodies are paying the price.
We often rush through each meal as if it were a chore, thinking of food
merely as fast fuel, rarely enjoying the taste because we are always on the go.
Furthermore, we are living at a time where it is easy to overeat, yet still be
undernourished. Again and again, people eat high quantities of food with far too
many empty calories and far too few nutrients. All of these factors are slowing
down our metabolism and worsening our national health as rates of heart
disease, cancer, and diabetes are all on the rise. The trusted so-called solutions
—fad diets, prescriptions, expensive medical interventions that could be
avoided—further add to the systemic problem, all while depleting our personal
health, energy, and well-being. Taking all of this into account, it is easy to see
that as a nation, we are gaining weight and taking years off our lives. This is a
serious problem that we need to address NOW.
It is never too late to do an about-face and regain control of one’s health! We
have the ability to get back to eating real food that will help our health flourish.
By committing to gradual and lasting change, we can slowly but surely heal
ourselves and regain our instinctive nature to listen to our bodies, eat well, and
enjoy life more. In many other parts of the world, eating is the focus of
LIVING, a time for gathering with loved ones and enjoying a meal together.
Food plays a key role in living la dolce vita—the sweet life. Isn’t that the life we
all dream of?
The longevity recipes in this cookbook come from a world of the past—a
world before our modern agricultural system took control of farming techniques
and food production methods, before corporate marketing executives and
advertisers promoted addictive flavors and the glitzy, persuasive packaging of
foods. But we cannot completely blame the modern world for our woeful state of
health. The choice of what you feed yourself is yours alone. YOU get to decide
whether to subsist on dead, lifeless foods or whether to choose living, breathing,
healing foods.
Initially, you may cringe at the idea of giving up “convenience” foods, but I
want you to consider this: is it really convenient to eat poor quality now, only to
have to spend extra time and money at the doctor’s office a few years later—not
to mention the complete diminishment of your quality of life in the interim? It is
an empowering enterprise to take back control over what you eat and how you
feed your body. A healthy diet is the most powerful tool you have to feel
energized, youthful, and on the path to true longevity.
The Longevity Cookbook Philosophy
My goal for this cookbook is to introduce you to a variety of healthy, tasty food
from around the world. You will find recipes from many of the most famous
“longevity capitals” of the world, including Okinawa, Japan; Vilcabamba,
Ecuador; the Hunza Valley of Pakistan; Sardinia, Italy; and Bama County of
China. The cookbook also features traditional recipes from Canada, Georgia,
Poland, Russia, various Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, and
Scandinavia. With easy-to-follow recipes for breakfasts, energy-boosting
shakes, salads, soups, vegetarian dishes, meat dishes, snacks, and even desserts,
there is something in this collection for everyone.
The simple philosophy of this cookbook is that by following the dietary
wisdom of the centenarians, we can initiate self-healing within ourselves, enjoy
life more in the present, and achieve longevity in the future. There are eight key
components to this philosophy, which are woven throughout this book.
1. EAT FIVE SMALLER MEALS A DAY
The recipes in this cookbook are smaller in size than what we are traditionally
accustomed to in the U.S. My inspiration came from Spanish tapas, the
delightful snack-sized dishes that allow you to eat slowly and savor the food’s
flavor while enjoying conversation with family and friends. The recipes in this
book offer a wide variety of snack-sized items from around the world, which are
easy to prepare, tasty for children and adults alike, and are supportive to your
health and longevity. While the recommended portion sizes of meals are
