Greek Islanders Live Over 100 Years: The Art of Living a Long and Healthy Life

What about Tinder? Does that work on Ireland? Tinder? Yeah. Tinder? Yeah. You know like the app where you date people? Oh my gosh, no. Who doesn't want to live a long and healthy life? My name is Niklas Ekstedt and I run three restaurants. My greatest passions are food and health. Since I recently crossed the 40-year-old mark and it feels like I'm in the middle of my life. Thoughts of living for as long as possible run through my mind more frequently. There are six mythical areas in the world where it's common that people live to become 100 years or more. These places are called the Blue Zones. How come you get so old in these places? Who are the people living there? How do they live? What do they eat? And what is the secret to a long and healthy life? I have decided to travel the world and visit the Blue Zones to get answers to my questions. This is the first time I cook breakfast for a 100-year-old man. Kaffe. Look at that! Cheese! Are you kidding me? She has her own radio show? You have sex up to a high age as well. Are you done for today or are you going to do more work? No, no. I've already been here for two hours. You are hipsters. Yes, but we started it. Hopefully, I will come back knowing how to live to the magic age of 100 or even more. What you're saying, actually, is that my diet can change my gene? Yes, exactly. But you believe in the devil? Yes. Bye-bye. It's just difficult to understand. I mean, he's born in 1915. It's one of Greece's most peculiar islands. Located in the eastern and windiest part of the Aegean Sea, as far from the Greek mainland as you can get, the island population is about 9,000 people. The people on Ikaria live on average about 10 years longer than other inhabitants in the European Union. And I want to find out why. This is the first time I'm in Greece and the second time I'm on a scooter, but it's an amazing island. I mean, the ocean, the smells, the mountains, just stunning island. And I'm going to meet Tia, who knows everything there is to know about Ikaria and the cooking and the lifestyle here. So excited about this. Look at that view. That blue color is amazing. I wonder if she's awake though. I mean, apparently on this island, they don't really care much about time. So we'll see if she's awake. Looks like a bed and breakfast or something. I'm Niklas. Welcome to Ikaria. I'm Tia. It's very nice to meet you. Wow. This is your place? This is my place, yes. It's a restaurant? It's a restaurant and we have rooms. It's like an inn, a gathering place, a little bit of everything. Are you hungry? Yes. Would you like some breakfast? I'd love some breakfast. Okay. Yeah, let's do it. All right, we'll go have some breakfast then. Great. Tia Perikos owns and operates Tia's inn and restaurant in the village Nas. Like the rest of the islanders, she doesn't own a watch. You know how you talk about American time, Greek time, things like this? No. All right. So in America, everything, probably Sweden is also the same, I'm sure. If you're supposed to be somewhere at 12 o'clock, you're there at 5 to 12, yes? Mm-hmm. Okay. In the States, pretty much the same. In Ikaria, we don't have this. If I'm going to be meeting somebody around noon, I might be there 12, 15, 12, 30. Not for a doctor, for airplane. For this, we're okay. But it's not because we're lazy or because we're slow. It's because time isn't an enemy for us and it's not the boss. It's more of a guide. Dr. Calliope Catti is a senior specialist at Evidolos Health Center Hospital in Ikaria. She's part of the research team that studies longevity on the island. So when you compare Ikaria, you compare it to the United States. Why is that? I was born and raised in Michigan. Really? Yes. My mother's family came from Ikaria. My father was born in America, he was American. So I'm second generation American born of Icarian descent. But now you live here? Now I live here, yes. After high school, I started coming more and more and spending more and more time. And I felt more at home here. I like the lifestyle, the culture, the way that people think. And we've been here now for about 25 years. Oh, wow. Yes. So now you're more Greek than American or? Probably a little bit of both. Yeah. Yes. But I'm more Icarian. Okay, that's different. No, no, no, I don't know. Okay, so this is different. Yeah. If you go back in history, Ikaria was very isolated. Even now, it's not so easy as you saw on your trip coming over. I imagine that. So yes, of course, we're Greek. Don't take it this way. But because we were isolated, we had to depend on each other so much. And we had to come together and work together. If you're building a house, I help you. If I'm putting in grape vines, you help me. So we learned to help each other, work with each other and support each other. And we still have this tradition of supporting. Yeah. So what do the Greek, what do the people on the mainland of Greece think of Icaria? That we're different. Yes? Yes. We are a bit different. We have, oh goodness, this is sometimes hard to explain. We have a different pace. But everything gets done. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yeah. I'll give you an example. Yes, please. There was two Icarian men who are painters. They came here to have their lunch break. They had some beer. They ordered some food. They sat for an hour and a half. There were some other people from a different country sitting nearby. And they say, are these men done with work? I said, no, they're taking their break. What do you mean they're taking their break? I said, well, yes, they're relaxing, having their lunch break. And how long do they take their lunch break? Oh, I don't know, because it's hot. Maybe they take longer. And then we had a discussion. I said, yes, but they don't punch the clock. Maybe they work until nine o'clock at night. You know what I mean? This is the thing. So this is what people don't see. Because their perspective of work is at an office, nine to five. Yeah, exactly. And we don't have this perspective. No. So tell me a little bit more about Icarians. What are they like? We're a little bit more relaxed. We don't stress as much about the little things. For example, if I'm driving down the street, I'm going this way and you're coming this way. And I stop you because I have something I need to tell you. If a car comes behind me or a car comes behind you, they're going to wait a few minutes because it would be considered very, very rude to beep their horn. Really? Yes, because if it happens to them, I will wait. But if you sit there for 10 minutes talking, also, this is rude. OK, you can't go crazy with it. The relaxed and no stress attitude on Icaria to most likely contribute to that heart disease and high blood pressure occur more seldom here than in the rest of Europe. Icaria is also one of the last regions in Europe where people, most people take a daily siesta. And scientists have proven that this can lead to lower blood pressure and less heart disease and also better working blood vessels. It's also probably very contributing that people here eat a lot of green leafy vegetables. And herbs, which contains, for example, a lot of nitrates. And the nitrates help to soften the blood vessels. And that could, for example, lead to that you get more oxygen in the brain and that better healing of wounds and actually also to better and increase sexual ability. You know, I want to become a little bit more Icarian. If you can take some parts home with you, that'd be good. So tell me a little bit more about my day. What will I do? Today, first of all, I'm going to send you off with my husband. I don't know when you're going to come back, but you're going to go with him for a while. No watch. No watch, no. And you're going to see what's in season, what's growing, whether it's herbs or greens. I have no idea. Great. But whatever is available, you're going to bring some home. Yeah, and do some cooking. And we're going to do some cooking. Great. Yes. So you have to work for your food. Imagine if it could be this quiet on the roads in Stockholm. Imagine that you would not get hung at immediately when you dream away at a red light. Tia is your your wife? Yes, my wife. Yeah. How did you meet? Long time ago. Coming to Korea for they have family. And one day we see. One day you met? Yes. Yeah. Love at first sight. So-so. Ilyas, Tia's husband, is born in Ikaria and works as an organic farmer and winemaker. Okay, so we're picking some herbs now? Yeah, we have many herbs around here. This is fennel. Oh, it's fennel. Wild fennel. Yeah. Look at that. Look at that, how beautiful. So what is this? Radish. Oh, it's like a radish. And in the wintertime, we cut the leaves. They boil a little bit. We make a salad. We mix it. Ah, okay. Okay, yeah, yeah. It's like a bitter salad. Yeah, with the oil and it's good. They clean the blood, you know, and they're good for the liver. Okay. And now they start to making the flour. So we cut that one. If somebody drink too much. Yeah. Oh, it's a good hangover. Yeah, yeah. It's a hangover medicine. Yeah, yeah. So who taught you this? Like which ones to pick and not to pick? Not exactly taught him, but I experienced from my child. I see my grandmother, they collect. My mother, my father and my neighbors and after we know. Yeah. But it's also, I mean, these are also super good for you, right? I mean, as you said, they were different. You pick herbs for different reasons, right? If you eat every day, it's nothing gonna happen, you know? Yeah. So your lifestyle and the way that you cook and pick your herbs is very similar to your grandmother's. The food is the same. It's pretty much the same. Yeah. And so how old do you think you'll be? Do you think you grow to be 100? I hope. Yeah. And if you drink wine, yeah, it's good. It's better. Yeah. As a chef and a food lover, I mean, this is heaven. Because in these days of super farms and so many domestically grown products, I mean, just coming here to this small little hill, picking these wild herbs and these onions is, yeah, it's amazing. I can't wait to come back and cook this. Let's go back to Thea. It's amazing that so many on the island grow their own vegetables and make their own wine. Most of them are self-sufficient and it feels like traveling back in time. I understand that you can earn a few years of life if you do not have access to fast food chains and live with a total absence of everyday stress. Thea! I got the whole half of Ikeria with me back. Fantastic. Now we can have some dinner today then. Yes. So what are we cooking? Actually, we're going to be cooking sufico. It's what? Sufico is a traditional Ikerian dish. It's a vegetable dish. So it's everything that's in the garden in summertime. Okay. Okay, and as we're cooking it, I'll tell you more about it. Okay, perfect. We have to get you to work. Yes. And who's this? Sorry. Oh, this is Athena. Hi, Niklas. Athena is the head chef here. Okay, cool. She's an awesome cook. If you want authentic Ikerian food, she's the one. Perfect. She's the one. She knows the Ikerian cuisine. So these are the vegetables we're cooking? These are the vegetables that we're going to be cooking. So you called it a sufrito? No, we call it sufico. Sufico. And hold on, I have to get another knife. Daxi. Daxi, what's that? Daxi means okay. Daxi, okay, great. Everybody thinks it's a taxi, but it's not. Daxi? Daxi. Daxi is okay, I love that word. And the problem with Greek, right, is that you say ne for yes. Right. You say no for yes. Ne is yes, ne. Ne. So ne is yes. What is no, then? So if you want to do, just with a facial expression, if you want to say no, you do this. If you want to say yes, you do this. No. Daxi, Daxi, Daxi. Don't worry, you'll be fine. First, you're going to start with the eggplant. This is the first time I've ever started a vegetable dish with not the onions. No, the onions are going to go afterwards. Really? Yes, the eggplant takes a little bit longer to cook. So we're going to start with the eggplant. Okay. So this is a summer dish, as we say. And we sort of layer it and just leave it on a low heat. Okay. She says we're going to keep you, you're good in the kitchen. Okay. And now you want these on top? Ne, ne is yes, yes. Okay. Sorry. And salt? A little bit of salt, yes, on top. And now the olive oil. And that's the most important ingredient in this dish, right? You can't do this with any other oil. You can't have a house without olive oil. Okay, so just straight on the stove? Straight on the stove. It's a low heat. I mean, this is a great dish. Anyone can do this back home as well. It takes 10 minutes to prepare. So the diet on this island has recently got a lot of attention because it's super healthy and good for you, right? And why is that, do you think? What's the main reason? Oh, I think that be, I think it's because so much of our food actually comes directly from the earth. You drink kombucha? No, we don't drink kombucha. That's good. You drink wine, right? We drink lots of wine. Look at that. You like that? This is, look at how beautiful that is. So you have several kinds of wild greens in there. You have wild fennel in there. And this is going to be boiled now for a salad. This is one of the most basic parts of our diet, is the wild greens. And see what I mean? Again, there's like 10 different varieties of greens and leaves and who have different nutritious values. You're right, yes. And we just like it. It tastes good together. Yeah. I must say, I love this type of cooking. There's so many ingredients and everything is foraged wild. It's, it's this, this idea of cooking like this is something that you really dream of as a chef. Okay, so it's 10 minutes on this? About. And this one is? About 15 minutes. Okay, good. But there's no clock in the kitchen. I can't see a... No, of course not. And you don't use an egg clock? An egg clock? A timer? No. Yeah, a timer, no? No. And no one's wearing a watch? No. Okay, so now she's telling us how we know when the hotel is open. So it's not 10 minutes. Okay. There are no minutes. There is no time on Ikaria. So this is the famous wine from Ikaria? Yes, this is actually my husband's wine. So you can tell me what you think of it. Oh, it's great. Very light and refreshing. So all the cooking here is vegetarian or you use some meat sometimes? We have meat also, but we have so many vegetables, you know. We have a lot of vegetables and there's so many different ways to prepare beans that we do here in Ikaria. So every day we have one basic bean dish and we'll always have other bean dishes or bean salad. We eat a lot of beans in Ikaria, yeah. You come back to the beans all the time. We do eat a lot of that, yes. You are hipsters. Yes, but we started it. Thank you for this amazing meal. Thank you so much for showing me. It was truly delicious. And if you need a commis... She thinks you also. Yeah, if you need a commis in the kitchen, if you need an apprentice, someone to help you out. You can come in August. Yes. When it's high season. I love wine and here at Ikaria, all families make their own wine. Now I'm on my way to one of the island's largest wine producers, Afeyana's Winery. It's run by Nikos and his wife Maria. Finally some wine. Nikos! Hello. Oh, hello. How are you? Hi Niklas. Fine, thanks. Welcome. Thank you. So your wife works with the vines as well? Yes. Yeah? Yes. Okay, good. So it's a family business? I have two children, a boy and a girl. Yeah. Both of them like this job. All right. Study in France. Okay. In Bordeaux? In Bordeaux. Yeah. This is a spa? No, no. This is a spa for grapes. For the fruits. Okay. This is a place which put the grapes inside the press with our feet. So it's the first process in the winemaking? Yes. So you put all the wine, the whole grapes and everything in here? Separate the stems. Okay, the stems. The skin, juice and the pips. For red wine or? Both of them. Yeah. Does the granite actually do anything to the juice? Yes, if you see all the land, this is the geological phenomenon of Icaria, the granite. Give a high percentage of potassium. Okay. Magnesium, vorium and don't give at all calcium. So what you're saying pretty much is that this stone adds things to the wine? When you taste the wine then we speak especially for this. But do you think that, I mean this is the wine that the locals have been drinking for generations, right? It's a similar process to what they did. So pretty much when they talk about Icarians that they have a very healthy lifestyle and they live long. And that's why we're here. That's one of the reasons, right? So you say that wine is one of the reasons? Yes, I believe it because... But it's not any wine, it needs to be the wine from here. Yes. Are there any other additives into your wines when you make the process? No, no. You don't put anything other than grape juice into your wine? Nothing, only juice. Okay, so maybe for viewers who don't know wine, this is very exceptional because 99% out of all the wines in the world have maybe 30 to 40 additives into them, would you say? A lot more. Yeah, more. So up to hundreds of additives in a modern type of wine. But your wines on this island have zero. Yes, yes. This is a very different type of wine. Correct. The Icaria wine is well known for almost 3 000 years and was actually mentioned by the founder of modern physics, Hippocrates, as a spirit of life. The Icarian wine cannot really be compared to most mass-produced industrial wines of today. It's completely natural and has no additives in it. And it's also very high in a compound called resveratrol, which is well known and researched for its healthy characteristics. Of course, it's a fact that alcohol is not healthy, but for the people of Icaria that doesn't seem to have a huge impact, probably because of their healthy lifestyle in general. People here live a very active and healthy lifestyle. My wife, she tells me that the only time I'm really happy is the moment I'm opening a wine bottle. Which I don't know if it's a good thing, but... Oh wow, that's great. It's very unfiltered, right? That's why it has this color. That's great. Unfiltered, un-fine. A natural wine. Yes, and the sulfate which is contained came by the yeast. Okay. By the wine yeast. It's natural, added to the wine. Yes. And that makes it last longer? Yes. Doesn't go bad. And also, look how thick it is. Yeah, it's like honey. It is not common for the white wine because the fermentation is natural. Yeah, but so in other drinks and in other beverages, people are very used to having an unfiltered orange juice or beer. But in wines, people are used to a clear drink. Yes. But actually, this is the original wine. So people need to get used to this. Correct. How do you find this wine? This is an amazing wine. It actually reminds me a little bit about, I would say like an orange wine almost. It has skin contact, right? A small percentage. And it has peaches and all types of amazing things. Ah, it's good. Thank you very much, Nikos. This was an amazing afternoon in so many ways. Nice to meet you. Yeah, see you very soon. Good luck with everything. Bye-bye. Bye. Maybe this is a good thing that my scooter don't start after a couple of wines. Maybe I need to be walking. I had heard that they drink a lot of wine on the island, and it made me a little confused, since wine may not be the healthiest beverage. But now, with this knowledge, I understand it's really different from the wines that most people drink, with more than a hundred additives. Now I have spent almost 24 hours on this wonderful little island, and I have already found an inner peace. It's the kind of calmness that is hard to find in my hometown Stockholm. Always time and dates to keep track of. Plenty of work. Taking your children to school and other activities. I would probably do good in putting down my phone and taking off my wristwatch from time to time, to live more in the present. Now I am on my way to the mountains to meet with Giorgio Stenos. In the mountains, you'll find the oldest people on the island. Giorgio's have been producing honey since he was 17 years old. Today, he's well over 80, but still works every day. How are you? You good? We're gonna go and get some honey. Okay, we're going this way? Oh, my God, the bees. I help my family, myself, and I get a pension from the state. How old are you? I'm 87. You're 87 years old and you're still working? What can I do? I eat and I have to work. I wonder which way this goes. Are the bees very aggressive here? Does this actually work? There's tons of holes in this. It's okay? I'm closing my one. I don't want any bees in here. Okay, let's go. No gloves? There's so many. So you never thought of retiring at 65? I want to be an active member of society. I feel like I did when I was 40 or 50. I do the same jobs. I have the same relationships with people. I go to my retreats. Everything I did as a child, I do the same now. There are many people who are retired. It's not because they worked on the island and got a pension or because they worked outside the island and came to the island as retirees. But it's so important because they continue to work. They all have a country. Even though they have their salary, their pension, they remain active. They don't retire and stay at home, but they want to continue to work. Both women and men do the same. I admit that there are many who say that and are proud, but I don't know if it's because of women. Most men are proud that they are sexually active. Oh yeah, it's super heavy. It has honey. It's just honey and it's very dark, dark honey. Is it ever dangerous? Do you have any thoughts about longevity on the island? Why it's so present? I believe that this is also a part of the human mental health. When people don't exist as a group of people. But it seems to me that the people on the island are very aware of nature and how everything is in touch. I mean, if the bees die, we die. Einstein said this many decades ago. He said that if the bees die, life will be four years. And I'm afraid, with the pesticides that are being used now, that the bees will die every day. And they are really in one with their products and the produce that are produced on this island. And of course, without a lot of bees, there won't be any small farms, there won't be any flora. So it's stunning, really. Me and many other Swedes count the years until they finally retire. Here at Ikaria, you work as long as you can and feel good enough to work. It seems more healthy than sitting in a retirement home. I'm now on my way to Maveriano Monastery, where a large village party is being organized today. I will meet with Eleni, who's going to tell me more about the strong solidarity on the island. Eleni. Welcome. Thank you. How nice. Nice to meet you guys. Yeah, this is my crew. Eleni is born and raised in Ikaria and has a great local knowledge. Okay. So what's going on here today? There's a lot of activity. Well, yes. Today is the first of May. Do they celebrate it as a Labor Day, as you do in other countries? The Labor Day, we do celebrate the Labor Day, but not here. Here is actually a celebration, a spring, a flower celebration, if you want to get a name of it. And they get some incomes from here, from this day, and the incomes are for the village. Okay. With this kind of incomes, they help here, the monastery, to do some work, to repair things, because it's a very old one and it needs reparation. And also, other money goes to the village to make roads, to repair a bridge, even to help a family that needs financial help. Okay, so it's a type of charity. Yeah. So everyone's helping out. So this lady over here, she's peeling some onions. Yes, I think she needs some help. Yeah, that's good, good. We're going to help her out. Hello. Niklas. Candy handshake. Thank you very much. It's nice to meet you. She's Mrs. Alexandra. You squeezed my hand really hard. I know, I'm sure. That was cool. Yeah. Can I help you? Of course. She wants to help you. No, thank you. No. Yes. No. She came to help. You will cry. No, no, don't worry. I'm a chef. Tell her I'm a chef. I'm a chef. One thing that has led to a very strong sense of solidarity on the island of Ikaria for thousands of years, actually since the Roman era, is the fact that dissimilar people have been deported to the island from the mainland. At the same time, Ikaria is a very remote and isolated rocky island in the windiest part of the Aegean Sea. The people here have always needed each other to cope with everyday life, and this can still be spotted in the very unusual, non-materialistic approach to life which people have here on the island. People here do not really ask what you do. They ask who you are, and money and status is not so important, and there are not really any big inequalities when it comes to class or gender. The women in Ikaria have a very special position in the society. Ah, I like this. So the woman has a strong position in the family or in the society? In general, in society, in family, they are always respected. So you don't really need a feminist movement on this island because the woman has already a strong position in the society and in the family. It was very, very weird to know that women have to fight for their rights. For their rights. Yes, and... That's interesting. You see here, if you go to the mainland, you will never see a woman in a coffee shop playing cards, smoking, having coffee or a whiskey or a chipotle or something if you go in Greece in the mainland. Here, there are, they go everywhere. They go out even from the very old times, even by themselves. So I would like to ask her how old is she? I usually don't do this to women. If she doesn't want to answer, she doesn't have to. 77. 77? Yeah. So does she think that she's going to live to be 100? What does Alexandra think is the reason why people live long on this island? It's a combination. One thing is the natural life that we live. Another thing is the work. She's working a lot. Yeah. She doesn't stay on a couch or she moves around naturally. We use a lot of olive oil. The vegetables and all we get from our gardens, it's organic. Even the wine, the alcohol that we are consuming is organic, it's natural. Yeah, it's a natural wine, yeah. Yes, and it's a matter of socializing. Yeah. So a healthy lifestyle, you move around a lot, you eat organic. Yes, you drink organic also. You drink organic. And I'm quoting, I'm quoting the doctor yesterday, so this is not me asking, I'm quoting. And she says also that you have sex up to a high age as well. Mrs. Cate told that. Yes. She knows about it. I mean, so right now they're prepping for the party. Yeah. What time will the guests start arriving? I think one to five. And you don't have a clock either. No, I don't. I know what time about it is. What time is it now? It must be about 11.30, 11, 11.30. But you're guessing now? Yes, I'm guessing. Does he know what time it is? Do you know what time it is? Ah, he has a smartphone. It's 12 o'clock. 11.30, we're just 30 minutes wrong. But it didn't change anything. No, it didn't change. Actually. No, it changed nothing. So how often are there feasts like this? This village, they are doing twice here, twice per year in this area. Yeah. First of May and 25 of March. And I think they have one or twice panegyria, the big fiestas, in their village. Okay. Which is in the mountain. Okay. So every village has their own feast, but they don't have it at the same date, so they spread it out. No, no, they spread it out, yes. So there's always time for a party. Yes. Okay, wait, wait. I need to wrap this up. There's pretty much a party every second week. Yes. You drink wine every day. You have sex until you die. And you hang around with all your friends. Yes. And all the food is organic. Yes. You see, I'm moving. And tell me that you live in North Europe. I'm moving. That's the tongue. What's the best part of the animal? I think it's the brain. Yeah. It's like butter. Yeah. And with a little bit of salt and pepper. That's your favorite. Yes. The brain. Yes. Yes, of course. I've been waiting for it the whole day. Yeah, I like. You like brain? Yeah. Everybody likes the brain. Cheers. Cheers, guys. Cheers. Happy New Year. Cheers. Thank you for your hospitality. Happy New Year. Why did we bring it? Come on, man. The brain? Yeah. It's very thick, very heavy. A little bit like butter, but with a very heavy tone. Maybe not the most delicious thing I've ever had, but... Wine, I think it's better than the brain. Yeah, right. You can't compare. What is it? This is the tongue. Yes. I think I prefer the tongue from the brain. Really? Yeah. Imagine if me and my neighbors could pull together such a party to raise money to help families who need it. In Sweden, three people would probably show up at the thing like this. We keep to ourselves and would never dare to ask for help. It would be nice if we could change that. I mean, I think I can get used to this. I mean, get a little bit tipsy in the afternoon, eat a goat head, socializing with some friends. So, yeah, that's it. That's all. I'm heading back home. Thank you very much. Cheers. I really enjoy the life of Icaria. The incredible and friendly people and the great hospitality. Everything felt so real. The food, the wine, the culture, and most of all, the people.