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how to live to 100?

Ikaria Island, Greece

Aristotelis Giakas, 87 years old

Nas, Ikaria Island, Greece
 

On the island of Ikaria, we never stop. We walk all day to take care of the olive trees, vines, fruit trees, the garden, the animals, etc. I think healthy food contributes to our longevity, but only in part. The sea air is fresh and the water is pure; it comes from mountain springs and contains no chemicals. Our lifestyle doesn’t make us anxious; unlike people in Athens and other cities. We live with the seasons and the harvest.

Sex is surely the best kept secret of Ikarian longevity. Here, even the centenarians are sexually active and are still very capable! Nothing in the world is more sublime than being ridden by a woman and there is no wrong age to enjoy such bliss. I won’t tell you if I have a lover or not because there is too much gossip on this island, but I can tell you that Mediterranean people are hot-blooded, the men as well as the women!

Nothing is sweeter, however, than making love to your own wife. You feel completely fulfilled, full of affection, happiness and ecstasy. Sex, without the feeling of love, is nowhere near as exquisite. I bitterly miss the time when my wife was alive.


Giorgos Stenos, 88 years old

Christos Raches, Ikaria Island, Greece

The longevity of Ikaria is certainly due to the fact that we eat local, organic, unpasteurized honey every day whose therapeutic properties are amazing.
When I was about 14 years old I read a book about bees and I discovered the incredible contribution of bees to ecology, thanks to pollination. When I was 18, I decided that I would dedicate my life to beekeeping. I could have been content as a honey merchant, but my philosophy is not to exploit nature excessively; I work in harmony with it instead by contributing to the balance of ecosystems
.

The quality and price of honey have changed a lot over time. In the 1950s, sugar was worth almost twice as much as honey. We didn’t know the benefits of honey and it had no value. The pastry chefs used it only to save on the price of sugar. However, the wax brought in a little money because we were still lighting the cottages by candlelight.
Later, many studies have shown that we produce one of the best qualities of honey in the world. I have already tasted American honey and, without wanting to offend anyone, in terms of therapeutic properties, it is no better than corn syrup.