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

John Robbins
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 12, 2006
Why do some people age in failing health and sadness, while others grow old with vitality and joy?

In this revolutionary book, bestselling author John Robbins presents us with a bold new paradigm of aging, showing us how we can increase not only our lifespan but also our health span. Through the example of four very different cultures that have the distinction of producing some of the world’s healthiest, oldest people, Robbins reveals the secrets for living an extended and fulfilling life in which our later years become a period of wisdom, vitality, and happiness. From Abkhasia in the Caucasus south of Russia, where age is beauty, and Vilcabamba in the Andes of South America, where laughter is the greatest medicine, to Hunza in Central Asia, where dance is ageless, and finally the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa, the modern Shangri-la, where people regularly live beyond a century, Robbins examines how the unique lifestyles of these peoples can influence and improve our own.

Bringing the traditions of these ancient and vibrantly healthy cultures together with the latest breakthroughs in medical science, Robbins reveals that, remarkably, they both point in the same direction. The result is an inspirational synthesis of years of research into healthy aging in which Robbins has isolated the characteristics that will enable us to live long and–most important–joyous lives. With an emphasis on simple, wholesome, but satisfying fare, and the addition of a manageable daily exercise routine, many people can experience great improvement in the quality of their lives now and for many years to come. But perhaps more surprising is Robbins’ discovery that it is not diet and exercise alone that helps people to live well past one hundred. The quality of personal relationships is enormously important. With startling medical evidence about the effects of our interactions with others, Robbins asserts that loneliness has more impact on lifespan than such known vices as smoking. There is clearly a strong beneficial power to love and connection.

“We all have the tools to live longer lives, and to remain active, productive, and resourceful until the very end,” Robbins writes. Healthy at 100 strives to improve both the quality and the quantity of our remaining years–no matter how old or how healthy we might currently be–and to reverse the social stigma on aging. After reading this book, we will never think about age–or life–in the same way again.

“John Robbins has inspired millions of people with his eloquent, clear, compassionate, and insightful guidance on the path to health and fulfillment. Healthy at 100 may be his finest work to date. If you are interested in extending your health span as well as your life span, read this book! Healthy at 100 is a masterpiece.”
–Dean Ornish, M.D., president and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, author of Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease

“This is a remarkably open and heartfelt book full of wisdom and love by an extraordinary man who has been teaching us how to live more healthy and compassionate lives for over twenty years now. John Robbins has created a new vision of aging for American society.”
–John Mackey, CEO, Whole Foods

“John Robbins is one of the most important voices in America today. He cuts through nonsense like no one else does. He gives hope like no one else does. His words are lifelines for both the body and soul. This book can literally save our lives.”
–Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love and A Woman’s Worth

“Healthy at 100 is a marvelous blend of wisdom, hope, courage, and common sense. John Robbins gives us caring, science, and inspiration–a beautiful diet for the heart.”
–Jack Kornfield, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock, author of A Path with Heart

“As the low-carb diet craze is gone, John Robbins proposes a far healthier approach that leads not just to a healthy weight but also to a joyful and fulfilled life. Healthy at 100 is packed with informed and heartfelt wisdom.”
–Jorge Cruise, author of The 3-Hour Diet, creator of JorgeCruise.com

“John Robbins inspires me on every page. His unique experiences and viewpoints were the reasons I wanted him to be in my film Super Size Me. This book only reinforces my faith in him as a thought-provoking humanitarian.”
–Morgan Spurlock, producer and director of Super Size Me


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

How do the Abkhasians of the Caucasus Mountains, the Vilcabambans of Ecuador and the Hunzans of Pakistan live to a very old age while enjoying full physical and mental health? Robbins—who famously rejected his Baskin-Robbins inheritance to pursue a healthful and compassionate lifestyle that he would eventually trumpet in his bestselling Diet for a New America—explains that all three cultures eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and other natural foods that are low in calories, protein, sugar and fat. They cherish their children and their elders, foster a positive mental attitude and place a premium on vigorous and constant physical activity that is built into their daily routines. Industrialized nations, on the other hand, fear and loathe the aging process and disrespect the elderly. Their citizens often lead stressful lives, stuff themselves with processed foods and drive everywhere. As Robbins challenges readers to give up bad habits and adopt smarter routines concerning food, exercise and work, he distills the familiar philosophies of Dean Ornish and other gurus and serves up some hippie-dippy pap ("Dance in the moonlight"). Yet his advice is mostly commonsensical and scientifically sound, and readers seeking that elusive fountain of youth would be wise to listen up. (Sept. 12)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Robbins has moved on from his career as a successful ice-cream manufacturer to a zealous devotion to encouraging his fellow Americans to eat better. Here he examines selected data from four diverse cultures renowned for the numbers of centenarians among them. Robbins contends that the reason for these long lives lies in food and lifestyle issues. He sets store by organic foods, small portions, and lots of heart-stimulating exercise, the attributes he finds in common among all these old people despite their vast geographic remove from one another. Robbins' arguments would be strengthened if he presented more rigorous life-expectancy statistics about the general populations in which these elders flourish. Does every person in these societies live to 100? If not, what are the differences between the elders and the rest of their own societies? Advocates of globalization will cringe at Robbins' negative assessment of the inroads of world culture on formerly isolated societies. He stands on much firmer ground when he advocates greater respect for the elderly, their experience, and their wisdom in contemporary, youth-obsessed Western culture. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (September 12, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1400065216
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400065219
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Robbins is the author of No Happy Cows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Food Revolution, and the co-founder and co-host of The Food Revolution Network, http://foodrevolution.org.

He is also author of the international bestseller DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth, THE FOOD REVOLUTION: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World,The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less, HEALTHY AT 100: The Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World's Healthiest and Longest-Lived Peoples, THE AWAKENED HEART: Meditations on Finding Harmony in a Changing World, and RECLAIMING OUR HEALTH: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing.

John's work has been the subject of cover stories and feature articles in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, Chicago Life, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and many of the nation's other major newspapers and magazines. His life and work have also been featured in an hour long PBS special titled Diet For A New America.

The only son of the founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, John Robbins was groomed to follow in his father's footsteps, but chose to walk away from Baskin-Robbins and the immense wealth it represented to "...pursue the deeper American Dream...the dream of a society at peace with its conscience because it respects and lives in harmony with all life forms. A dream of a society that is truly healthy, practicing a wise and compassionate stewardship of a balanced ecosystem."

Considered by many to be one of the most eloquent and powerful spokespersons in the world for a sane, ethical and sustainable future, John has been a featured and keynote speaker at major conferences sponsored by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Beyond War, Oxfam, the Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, the United Nations Environmental Program, UNICEF, and many other organizations dedicated to creating a healthy, just, and sustainable way of life. He is the recipient of the Rachel Carson Award, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, the Peace Abbey's Courage of Conscience Award, and lifetime achievement awards from groups including Green America. The widespread media attention he has received has included numerous appearances on national shows including Oprah, Donahue and Geraldo. When John spoke at the United Nations, he received a standing ovation.

John serves on the Boards of many non-profit groups working toward a thriving, just, and sustainable way of life. He is the Founder and Board Chair Emeritus of EarthSave International (earthsave.org), an organization dedicated to healthy food choices, preservation of the environment, and a more compassionate world.

John's life is dedicated to creating an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on this planet. He lives with his wife Deo, their son Ocean and his wife Michele, and their grandsons River and Bodhi in the hills outside Santa Cruz, California. The Robbins' offices and home run on solar electricity.

For information about John, for access to his articles and posts, or to sign up to be notified of his future posts and events, visit http://www.johnrobbins.info, or join the Food Revolution Network at http://www.foodrevolution.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
195 of 198 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
At one time, I was a research scientist who studied both biochemistry and physiology in graduate school. Now, I work in the psychology area with an emphasis on integrating psychology, the world's wisdom traditions and the mind-body connection. I am well read in a variety of subject areas, I read ravenously in general and I've reviewed a lot of books on Amazon. Therefore, when I say this is a GREAT book and that I had difficulty putting it down, this is not faint praise. I actually do believe this should be a bestseller!

The core of this book is the study of four cultures who have a history of producing long-lived people. Specifically, it looks at the Abkhasia of the Caucasus, the Vilcabamba or Ecuador, the Hunza and the centenarians of Japan. It also discusses the China Study in some detail, which was the largest anti-cancer provention study ever undertaken. In short, the books discusses what these cultures have in common and provides informed opinions about the reasons they experience such long longetivity.

The whole book is punctuated by interesting facts by authoratative individuals, organizations and other studies. This lends credibiility to the author's argument for eating more whole grains, less calories, increasing the consumption of vegetables and fruits, going organic and leading an activity life that includes walking, regular exercise of other types and meaningful relationships.

One of the more beautiful and poignant premises of the book is that ALL of the cultures mentioned above revere older members of the society and a positive attitude toward aging that is lacking in our society. Mr. Robbins also repeatedly mentions the importance of close relationships and leading a meaningful life. In fact, he cites some sources that suggest that is a more determenent of health that even smoking and other bad habits.

What makes this book especially good is that it compares and contrasts our cultures values, attitudes toward the aged, perspectives on aging and dietary habits with other cultures where senility, heart disease and lingering chronic illness is virtually absent. It makes a strong argument for a vegetarian or near vegeterian diet, but not in a dogmatic way that is offensive. I also think it is a social useful commentary because it asks the right questions about whether we are caring for, honoring and fully leveraging all the valuable things that older people have to offer. In fact, he directly points a finger at how Western culture often disowns and disempowers older individuals and gives examples of this from the media, movies, etc. In our society, it isn't OK to age and seems to have an affect on how we age.

I have read a number of books on aging and the aging brain by some recognized authorities in the field and what seems to be emerging from their work is that we tend to age in the way we expect to age. It also appears that healthy relationships are a KEY component to aging gracefully, which is directly in opposition to current culture trends of increasing isolation, compartmentalization, etc.

Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5 focus on the following areas: 1) Food; 2) The Body-Mind Connection; 3) The importance of love; and 4) the Human Spirit. These sections take the concepts that were developed in section one and look at the larger implications to the society and individual living within it.

If you are looking for a credible book on aging gracefully with dignity, hope and a chance for a healthy life, you will enjoy this. If you are interested in the influence of culture and beliefs on health, you will find this book an indispensable and informative read. I wholeheartedly recommend this fine and credible book to anyone looking to understand how we age, how we can maintain our health throughout the aging process and the cultural forces that keep us stuck in unhealthy patterns.
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79 of 85 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This book scores 100 out of 100 September 29, 2008
Format:Paperback
OVERALL: A must read for all homo sapiens who want to live a happy life, not just a healthy one.

PROS:

* Quite rational and measured. Robbins constantly tempers his enthusiasm for the four healthy cultures he examines. He refrains from idealizing them, which strengthens his argument. He doesn't gush over their way of life and points out their shortcomings (e.g., lack of refrigeration, dirt floors, poor telecommunications, etc...).

* Adds two components that he didn't mention much in his previous books: exercise and love. He's always focused on diet, but now he spends more time talking about the importance of exercise and creating a loving community.

* He's less dogmatic about being a vegan. He admits that the longest lived people in the world (the Okinawans) eat fish regularly. His concerns are how fish have more mercury than ever and that we've over-fished our waters.

* Well researched and documented. As usual, Robbins cites his sources for those who want to dig deeper. He's professional.

CON: His argument that the gaps between rich and poor is the predictor of a nation's health is weak. I would have liked to see more evidence of that.

CONCLUSION: I love this book and recommend it to anyone. I've read 3 of his books and this is the best so far. It's balanced and persuasive. He's matured and become quite wise.
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55 of 58 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! March 30, 2008
Format:Paperback
This is a great book which reviews four cultures which achieved health at old age. But it goes beyond the historical perspective and cites recent studies which support the lifestyle and dietary approach of these four cultures.

The book led me to read other books which support this mostly vegetarian, whole grain approach to achieving good health as one ages. I was led to The Spectrum by Dean Ornish, The China Study by Colin Campbell, and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn. They are all excellent books. But having read Healthy at 100 first they had much more meaning to me.

I was motivated to try the Esselstyn program even though I am in very good health at age 72. And without even trying I have lost 10 pounds in three weeks. This was not a real objective of the trial, but it is a nice side benefit. I was not overweight, but feel that my new weight is what I would like to maintain. I was also impressed with how easy it was for me to adjust to the vegetarian diet, although I tried to avoid eating a lot of meat before.

I was also motivated to try the vegetarian approach by the high percentage of people whose first sign that they have heart disease is the incident that causes their death. I also was impressed to learn that the four cultures discussed in the book also significantly avoided many other diseases that we have come to think are a natural part of aging.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars Not What I expected
This book it pretty much all conventional wisdom without much scientific support. It was quite repetitive as well. Some good perspectives.
Published 2 months ago by Ted
5.0 out of 5 stars good book
I read a lot of health stories, mostly online. This was a good book, well researched and presented objectively. Great author.
Published 3 months ago by Jeff Hand
5.0 out of 5 stars The most important book you can read
Healthy at 100 is the most important book you can read. It is more than a factual record of how people live long and health lives, it is a philosophy of how one should live. Read more
Published 4 months ago by John Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars an additional note regarding Healthy at 100
This book has been well reviewed here so I will not repeat any summary of the book but will add that I thought it was well worth reading. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Brian Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Wonderful well balanced approach to life... no matter how long you live... written with lots of references and as always, in Robbins' style...with love and compassion...
Published 6 months ago by Shillina A Reaser
4.0 out of 5 stars Want to live longer? read this
Though I am not too keen in living here on this earth for a century, living longer is one of my targets in life, for me and for my family. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Chris Bailey
5.0 out of 5 stars if only more people knew about this..
a terrific book, explaining how easy it really is to be healthy: the right food, the right attitude, being active... to sum it up. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Sophia S. Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Best good advice/good health book I've read!
I love Healthy At 100. It offers good advice for daily living, while promoting the health ideas I've always believed in! It just makes sense. Awesome book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by holli
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting reference
First of all, this should be an excellent birthday gift, especially for the seniors who are longing to live a even healthier live in their golden years----- everybody should like... Read more
Published 7 months ago by YY
4.0 out of 5 stars Book review of "Healty at 100"
To have regular exercise, a healthy diet mainly on vegetarian food, a life with positive thinking ,and an expression of love and concern to the people around us are essential... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Edward
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