The secret of living to 100: this new book reveals what it takes to reach a ripe old age - If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians - Book Review

Natural Health, Dec, 2002 by Francesca Forrest

Spotlight

If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians BY NEENAH ELLIS; CROWN PUBLISHERS; $22.95

THE CENTENARIANS FEATURED in this book divulge the secret of their long lives. It isn't dieting or exercising, but rather cultivating strong relationships with others. In the words of Harry Shapiro, who at age zoo has never had a major illness, "To live long you need a heart full of love."

Author Neenah Ellis learned this secret when she interviewed the elders for a National Public Radio series that aired in 2000. The stories she found and recounts in her book are moving. There's 103-year-old Roy Larkin Stamper, who remembers homesteading in Indian Territory and confides to Ellis his deep desire to remarry. As a result of his radio appearance, he actually did remarry; an 80-year-old woman who heard the interview struck up a correspondence with him that led to their union. And there's Abraham Goldstein, 101, who still tutors students in contract law, and Ruth Ellis, 100, a black lesbian who opened her home to gay black men and women at a time when they had no public place to socialize.

Over the course of the book Ellis explains how hearing these stories changed her view of growing old--and to some degree silenced her own fear of aging. And she shares her realization that the centenarians are offering much more than living history lessons; they're offering insight into how to live a meaningful, happy life.

In Brief

Fed Up! BY WENDY OLIVER-PYATT, M.D.; MCGRAW-HILL; $21.95

"You haven't failed dieting, dieting has failed you!" So declares Oliver-Pyatt, a psychiatrist and recovered dieter, in the introduction to the book that she wrote to help readers escape the downward spiral of yo-yo dieting and achieve genuine fitness. Not only does dieting hurt your body, writes Oliver-Pyatt, it harms you emotionally. The opening chapters of this helpful book explore the reasons why you diet, but not much is new here: The media creates unrealistic body images, stress can cause weight gain, and so on. So you may want to skip the first third and start in immediately with her "10-step no-diet fitness plan." Here I found her advice inspiring, from throwing away your scale to learning to enjoy feeling hungry. The book also considers some important but neglected food-related topics, like male eating disorders and how to inculcate healthy eating habits in your child.--Emily Wolff

Meditations from the Mat BY ROLF GATES AND KATRINA KENISON; ANCHOR BOOKS; $14

This book of 365 short essays, one for each day of the year, promises to draw you away from your hectic life and help you relax. Gates, a yoga instructor, and Kenison, an editor and yoga practitioner, are the authors of these intensely personal meditations. Each one opens with a quote followed by two or three thought-provoking paragraphs. The quotations come from a range of sources, from ancient yoga texts and rock songs to Christian mystics. And the meditations are equally eclectic. There's a funny one about flat feet, for example, but there are plenty of others on more weighty topics, like the value of bewilderment and the importance of letting go. --Stephanie Afonso

The Mood Cure BY JULIA ROSS; VIKING; $24.95

Ross, a psychotherapist and pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology, explains that moodiness begins when the levels of natural mood-boosting chemicals, like serotonin and endorphins, drop too low. For relief from 'depression, anxiety, irritability, and bad moods in general, she recommends altering your lifestyle (for instance, get more sun and exercise) and avoiding "bad mood food" (like sugar and white flour). She promises that supplementing with amino acids will make you feel better in just 24 hours. And as your mood lifts, she writes, you'll experience some pleasant side effects (you'll be less likely to crave unhealthy foods and, if you're overweight, you'll lose that extra weight). To aid your nutritional rehab, she has included a chapter of "good-mood menus," like Thai Coconut Milk Soup and Trout Filets with Sauteed Spinach. --Kate Sage