Andrea Frazzetta/LUZphoto for The New York Times
Diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 1976 and given 6-9 months to live, Stamatis Moraitis and his wife left the U.S. and moved back to Ikaria, a mediterranean island, to be close to his family and enjoy his last few months on earth.
He got lots of rest, planted a garden and vineyard, got lots of fresh air and sunshine, ate fresh local food, slept late, took naps, ate and drank local wine with friends at night, and started going to church.
He radically changed his diet and lifestyle.
He slowed down, simplified his life and guess what happened…his body healed! No surgery, no drugs, no chemo. Not even any alternative therapies.
The body creates cancer and the body can heal it. If given the proper nutrients and care.
45 years later, Stamatis was interviewed in his late 90s!
It just so happens that the island of Ikaria is classified as a “Blue Zone”. Blue Zones are areas around the world with the highest percentage of people living past 100. Ikarians live on average 8-10 years longer than Americans. Here’s what Ikarians do:
They eat fresh local food that they produce themselves.
They get exercise working in their gardens and walking up and down the hilly terrain.
They eat lots of olive oil, vegetables, potatoes, wild greens, and six times more beans per day than Americans, like garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas and lentils.
They eat fresh caught fish about twice a week and other meats about five times a month.
They don’t eat cows or drink cows milk.
They drink lots of herbal teas like wild marjoram, sage, mint, rosemary, artemisia, and dandelion.
They consume very little refined sugar. 75% less than Americans.
They spend a lot of time socializing and sharing meals with each other.
And get this. They drink on average 2-3 cups of coffee and 2-4 glasses of wine per day. Wowzers!
Here’s a 3-minute BBC interview with the man himself, Stamatis Moraitis:
In a world full of seductive dietary fads with science-y sounding validity and dietary restrictions, I think we should pay more attention to the longest-living people and what they are actually doing, how they are eating and living.
If you want to be successful, imitate successful people.
The healthiest longest-living people in the world are not Paleo, Vegan, Pegan (eye roll), or Keto. They aren’t low-carb. They aren’t eating for their blood type and they aren’t afraid of lectins.
Across all five Blue Zones, the longest living people eat diets that are 95% plant-based on average. They eat beans and grains daily. They get plenty of fresh air and sunshine. They stay active. And they socialize a lot.
Despite what the best-selling diet gurus are telling you, this is the truth!
If you’re interested in learning more about health and longevity from the longest-living people groups around the world, check out Dan Buettner’s fantastic book The Blue Zones:
The Blue Zones: 9 Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest
Check out my interview with Blue Zones author Dan Buettner here.
Read Dan’s New York Times piece on Stamatis and Ikaria here.
Beat Cancer Kitchen: Deliciously Simple Plant-Based Anticancer Recipes Get it on Amazon here Beat Cancer Daily 365 Days of Inspiration, Encouragement, and Action Steps to Survive and Thrive Get it on Amazon hereI've interviewed over 70 people who've healed all types and stages of cancer. Check them out here. Or use the search bar to find survivors of specific cancer types.
I also created a coaching program for cancer patients, caregivers, and anyone who is serious about prevention called SQUARE ONE. It contains the step-by-step strategies used by myself and many others who have healed cancer with a holistic approach using nutrition and natural non-toxic therapies.
Watch SQUARE ONE Module 1 for free here
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This Post Has 3 Comments
They don’t have stress and GMO’s! I think it’s the GMO’s foods we ear plus the pollution and stress more than what type of food we eat. My great grandparents and grandparents’ generations lived to the 90’s but my parent’s generation fell apart after WWII and died between their 30’s and 60’s except for a few of them but none reached close to 90. What was different? Modern farming with pesticides and herbicides, modern transportation with all the fumes and the stress of a no-show life. They don’t have this on that island.
This story is truly amazing! I live in London for 12 years now, but after my thyroid biopsy came back “suspicious” we have decided to move back to our home country Slovakia. As much I love London, it’s sooo hectic and stressful. We have 3 children who look forward to be close to their grandparents and family. To be able to run free in the fields, have a dog, swim in a lake….it’s like heaven to them :) After I found this website I’ve radically changed my diet, so I am now officially 6days FullyRaw :) next week I am going to hospital to tell my doctor to: “wait and you will see” haha as they told me to have the surgery asap. My husband really supports me, he’s bought me a new juicer (one of those you recommend Chris). Just want to say that…this is really paradox, but after they’ve told me I may have cancer (and “should” feel like my life is going to end) I feel like my whole new life is just starting, and I was dead until now. I feel like reawakened from a bad dream. I had my fears and doubts, specially one day I was feeling very fearful (is it going to work, maybe the doctors are right..what to do God? What to do??) and I have opened my laptop and first thing I saw was (in big capital letters) PROVE THEM WRONG! DO IT
God is with us all x
Wow! Silvia I enjoyed your testimony. So inspiring. I have been juicing most every day for over a year because of hormone problems but fell great. I believe that we can prevent diseases by our diets and lifestyle. Love to communicate with you if your on facebook. You can go to my post
do*********@ho*****.com
Blessings.
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