How To Prevent The Risk of Disease

According to the World Health Organization, the top 3 diseases that affected Americans in 2010 were: 

1. Heart Disease
   
2. Obesity (including Diabetes) 
3. Cancer

Daphne Miller, author of The Jungle Effect, has found that epidemiological research shows there are 4 “cold spots” for these top 3 modern diseases. “What is a cold spot?” you may ask. A cold spot is a place or community where there is an unusually low number of people suffering from a particular disease. Research shows the following: 

1. Crete, Greece is a cold spot for Heart Disease.
2. Copper Canyon, Mexico is a cold spot for Diabetes. 
3. Okinawa, Japan is a cold spot for breast and prostate Cancer. 
4. Cameroon, West Africa is a cold spot for colon Cancer.

Why are these places lacking and/or devoid of these diseases? The answer is diet and lifestyle. 

Long-living Cretans vigorously walk everywhere, slowly eat local, fresh foods rich in Omega-3 and antioxidants,  and perhaps most importantly, enjoy partaking of meals together. The indigenous Tarahumara run from place to place and fill up on slow-release native grains and fermented drinks. The Okinawans prepare colorful dishes with hardly any cooking and eat only until they are 80% full. Lastly, the Cameroonians maintain a fiber filled diet with the consumption of unprocessed foods. 

"History shows that the human body is well adapted to an extraordinary range of different traditional diets. Alas, one of the very few diets to which we are not well adapted is the Western diet most of us are eating today." - Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma 

We hope to explore these “cold spots” in Goshen; documenting their diverse diets and lifestyles in hope of discovering and sharing what all of their practices have in common. This knowledge has the power to transform not just the way we eat and exercise, but revolutionize the way we live without experiencing disease and famine.