May You Have Long Life

May You Have Long Life

The rewards of mixing Chinese traditions with Western science

By Carole Fleck

July-August 2006

When he was 6, Maoshing Ni fell from the roof of his three-story home in Taiwan and spent the next month in and out of a coma. His mother and his father, a doctor of Chinese medicine, nursed him back to health using healing practices that dated back thousands of years. He vowed that when he got well he would become a doctor and spread the knowledge that he credits with saving his life.

Today, Ni practices Oriental medicine and is a licensed acupuncturist in Santa Monica, Calif. He is making good on his promise with a new book, Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100, which combines traditions from the East with scientific advances from the West. Published in June by Chronicle Books, the paperback offers short, fun-to-read notes on food, herbs, the environment, lifestyle and relationships.

A few tips adapted from the chapter on food:

Eat less, live longer. Ni surveyed centenarians around the world and found that most follow the \"three-quarters\" rule: They stop eating when they are three-quarters full. Studies have shown that a reduction in caloric intake can increase life expectancy in animals—why not humans?

Eat like a king by day, like a pauper by night. Research shows that when you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast or lunch, you tend to lose weight and have more energy. Eating the same foods at dinnertime tends to increase weight, blood pressure and heart disease.

Tea time. Tea is the beverage most commonly enjoyed by centenarians. The free radical-inhibiting property of tea is more potent than that of vitamin E, and tea is a proven preventive and treatment for hardening of the arteries.

Bone up on fish. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish, along with other nutrients, protect blood vessels from plaque, reduce inflammation, prevent high blood pressure and help maintain good respiratory health. Populations with a diet consisting mainly of fish, fresh fruits and local vegetables experience little cardiovascular disease and are in general healthier and live longer.

Sweet potatoes: Not just for holidays. Sweet potatoes and yams are packed with more beta carotene and vitamin C than carrots, more protein than wheat and rice and more fiber than oat bran. Eat them year round.

Chew on this. Each time you take a bite of food, chew at least 30 times before swallowing. Your stomach won\\\'t have to work so hard to digest the food, and important vitamins and nutrients will be absorbed more readily.

Slim down with soup. One simple dietary change can help fight obesity: People who eat one or more bowls of soup each day lose more weight than those who eat the same number of calories but go soupless. A nutritious soup that is low in salt rehydrates as it nourishes and helps to flush waste from the body. Homemade soup is best, since canned soups are usually loaded with salt and chemicals.

Bad bubbles. Many beverages with bubbles, such as sodas, contain phosphoric acid, which diminishes bone mass and increases the risk for osteoporosis.

The apricot advantage. Apricots have high levels of carotenoids, antioxidants that help prevent heart disease, reduce \"bad\" cholesterol levels and protect against cancer.

你能长命百岁吗？

你能长命百岁吗？

中国传统与西方科学结合所带来的好处

                                     Carole Fleck

倪茂信（音译）6岁时，他从台北三楼高的家里掉了下来，接着断断续续地昏迷了一个月。他的爸爸和妈妈，还有一位中医师，运用了一种几千年流传至今的复建方法来照顾护理倪茂信恢复健康。他发誓，当他恢复健康后，他会成为一名医生，还会宣扬那些救他一命的知识。

今天，他是加利福尼亚州的Ssnta Monica注册针灸师，并且施行东方医术。他在一本新书中发表了“长寿的秘密：上百种方法让你活到100岁”，而他也也实现了他在其中提出的结合东方传统和西方先进科技的承诺。在6月出版的Chronicle Books的平装本中包括了有趣味的关于食品，中药，环境，生活方式和人际关系的短文。

以下几个提示是改编自食物部分的一个章节：

吃得越少，活得越久。倪茂信调查了世界各地的百岁老人，他们多数遵循“四分之三”的规则：当他们感到四分之三饱的时候就停止进食。大量研究表明，减少热量的摄入可以增加动物的寿命——人类又何尝不是呢？

白天吃得像皇帝，夜晚吃得像贫民。研究表明，当你每天在早餐和中午进食蛋白质和脂肪，你就更倾向于减肥和获得更多的能量。但如果你在晚餐吃相同的食物，就更倾向于增加体重，催高血压和引发心脏病。

下午茶。茶是百岁老人所享用的最普遍的饮料。茶抑制自由基产生的能力比维生素E好要强，而且它还对动脉硬化具有很好的预防和治疗作用。

鱼的精髓：鱼中的omega-3脂肪酸，协同其他营养物质，一齐保护血管避免出现斑块，减少炎症反应，防止高血压和帮助维持呼吸系统的健康。饮食以鱼，新鲜水果和本地蔬菜为主的人们一般都很少心血管疾病，他们一般都能活得健康和长寿。

地瓜：不应该只在特殊日子出现。地瓜和土豆比胡萝卜含有更丰富的β胡萝卜素和维生素C，比大米和小麦含有更多的蛋白质，比燕麦含有更多的纤维。让他一整年都伴随着你吧。

咀嚼。每一次当你要咬碎食物，在你吞咽之前请至少咀嚼30秒。这样你的胃就不用费那么大力气去消化这些食物，而且那些重要的维生素和营养会更容易被人体吸收。

用汤来瘦身。一个简简单单的饮食的改变就能帮助你战胜肥胖：那些每天喝一碗甚至几碗汤的人比那些摄取相同热量但极少喝汤的人减掉的重量更多。一碗有营养的汤必须是低盐的，这样他才能再次水合化来滋养我们的身体和排除体内的毒素。家里煲的汤是最好的，因为罐头汤里通常含有很多盐和化学物质。

无益的泡沫。很多饮料都有很多泡沫，例如苏打水，它其中含有的磷酸会减少骨的质量和增加患骨质疏松症的风险。

杏的优势。杏中富含的类胡萝卜素和抗氧化剂能有效预防心脏病，降低“坏”胆固醇的水平和防癌。