Did you know that Hunza Valley, a small and remote mountainous place in northern Pakistan, is home to some of the healthiest people on Earth? It’s true, Hunzas are said to live well past 100, give birth until 65, and have no “Western” diseases, including diabetes, obesity, heart and liver disease and cancer.
With a Caucasian appearance, Hunzas are strong, robust, cheerful and healthy. Respect, cordiality, and kindness are some of the most important values in this society. Hunzas are always smiling and are rarely stressed-out, which is probably the reason why they don’t suffer from stress-related diseases. With everyday long walks and hard work, exercise is a must for Hunzas.
Diet
Hunzas have two different diets: a Summer diet and a Winter diet.
For example, a typical Summer diet consists of mostly vegetarian foods, with plenty of raw vegetables and fruits, and some whole grains as well. Apricots are particularly popular here, and they’re consumed raw when in the season and dried during winter. Hunzas even eat dried apricot seeds, which are rich in vitamin B17. Some studies have linked the consumption of this vitamin with a decreased risk of various cancers.
As for their Winter diet, Hunzas consume large amounts of sun-dried fruits (mostly apricots) and grains. They also eat some meat, however, here, all parts of the animal are consumed, including the brain, heart, lungs, liver, etc. Dairy (full-fat, of course) is also consumed during winter: milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter.
Hunzas also have traditional fasts, mostly during spring: for a number of days, they will consume only apricot juice.
Mindset
Hunzas are generally quite cheerful and positive. They never stress themselves out over irrelevant things, which is probably the reason for the absence of stress-related diseases. Unlike us, the modern people, Hunzas live in the present. They also practice certain yoga techniques and meditation. Slow and deep breathing with short meditation sessions are simply an everyday part of life here.
Exercise
Hunzas are very active: they travel great distances every single day and walk most of the time, collecting herbs and food. Instead of watching TV and sitting in front of the computer, Hunzas work very hard. In fact, even the children are included in everyday chores.
Try adopting at least some of the Hunzas’ principles and watch your health improve!
