HEALTH REPORT
TheGreek island of great gut health (and how you can be like them)
O n his third trip to the small Greek island of Ikaria, Go Vita podcast host and CEO of The Wellness Couch podcast network, Marcus Pearce , had a conversation that blew his mind. In Ikaria, the Greek Blue Zone known as “the island where people forget to die,” poor gut health was not a problem. Why? Read on to find out . Is it just me or does it feel like almost everyone you speak to has a gut problem? From indigestion to food intolerances, skin problems to autoimmune conditions, poor gut health seems to be wreaking havoc with humanity. The CSIRO reports that 50 per cent of Australians experience unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, gas and constipation, and one in seven experience distressing symptoms. In America over 70 million people have a digestive disease of some kind. But whilst it’s almost at epidemic levels in the West, traditional cultures like the Greek island of Ikaria has no such epidemic. Each year my 100 Not Out co-host Damian Kristof and I take a small group of people to Ikaria. We stay in the village of Nas and our host is Thea Parikos, owner of Thea’s Inn & Restaurant. Thea hosted Blue Zones co-founder Dan Buettner and the National Geographic team whilst they did their research into Ikaria’s remarkable longevity and quality of life. Ikarians have an average life expectancy of 90 and
experience 80 per cent less dementia, 50 per cent less heart disease and 20 per cent less cancer than the west. “We don’t have a gut health problem on Ikaria,” remarks Parikos. “I know people who would prefer to avoid a certain bean because it sits heavy on their stomach, but not because there’s an allergy or a problem. As far as allergies go, I haven’t heard of any gluten allergies or any other food allergies in Ikaria.” Why is that? Here are three foundations of the Ikarian lifestyle that we know improve gut health. 1. Stress reduction Stress suppresses our digestion, particularly our absorption of nutrients, and a large part of our stressful lives is our busy-ness and tendency to rush. “Ikaria time does seem to flow differently,” according to Parikos. “(In the west) you have all these things to save you time but you don’t have enough time for anything! “For us time isn’t an enemy, it’s not a boss. It’s a guide.” The lesson here is not necessarily to slow down your pace of life or move to Ikaria (although it is an incredible place). Instead, prioritising activities that bring you calm is key. Whether it’s breathing, meditating, going for more walks, spending more time with friends and less time on social media and Netflix, the key is to have calming activities a part of your daily rhythm.
2. SLOW Diet and Lifestyle (including wine, bread, bone broth, fibre)
“We have a very healthy, balanced diet in Ikaria. We have a lot of veggies, a lot of fibre. I think we have
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ISSUE 57 • 2020
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