Rawsome New Product! Akea

Five years ago this month, when I was diagnosed with cancer and got my first strong intimation of mortality, I undertook a study of longevity in the hope I might be able to get some. How do we live longer, healthier, productive, enjoyable lives? We can't help noticing that some people live incredibly long, vigorous lives. What are they eating? What are they doing that increases their longevity by so many years?

Several years ago Dan Buettner, longtime National Geographic magazine writer, began wondering why people living in certain spots on the globe live longer, higher quality lives than the global average. On a quest similar to mine, Buettner, an adventurer and endurance bicycler, working with National Geographic, the National Institutes on Aging, and AARP, visited the parts of the world where people are known to live the longest, happiest lives. Eventually he and his team identified 14 places here on our beautiful blue marble that seem to have an abundance of happy centenarians. In The Blue Zones: How to Live Longer from People Who've Lived the Longest he delves into the lifestyles, diets, habits, and characters that make them different and why they live with such quality, generation after generation. One of the Blue Zones is here in the US, Loma Linda, California (in Southern California's "Inland Empire," east of Los Angeles near San Bernardino. One of the main factors for this community -- they are Seventh Day Adventists.) The Blue Zones is a quick, fascinating read, and it includes a personal Blue Zone check list that I found useful.

Of course I couldn't resist quizzing friends who are making a documentary about longevity. Recently they discovered the work of Sally Beare, a well-known nutritionist from Britain, who has been researching exceptionally healthy and long-lived people for many years. Sally has written two books on the subject, and was involved in the development of a product based on the foods eaten in these longevity "hot zones." The product, now being marketed in the US as Akea Essentials. The word akea is a common Sardinian greeting -- the bucolic Italian island of Sardinia is one of the Blue Zones -- meaning "may you live well for 100 years!"

When it comes to food, you know I'm from Missouri (the "Show Me" state), and so I went over the list of ingredients with a fine tooth comb and my suspicion glasses turned up to 11. Processed foods in particular make me wary, and I was pleased to see that Akea Essentials are made from natural, whole ingredients processed at low temperatures to maintain their enzymatic activity. I am always on the lookout for fermented and probiotic foods, because these are often left out of the American diet, but are integral to our healthy flora within our bubble of biology.

Akea Essentials passed my minute inspection, and I decided to try a sample. As a cancer survivor and raw foodist, I am acutely aware of the effect foods and supplements have on my body, and now, having given Akea Essentials a good trial, I am enthusiastic.

Since I wasn't out looking for a supplement -- I don't even much like the idea of "supplements," much preferring to get my nutrients "naturally" -- this synchronistic introduction by my friends caught my attention. I am impressed by the folks producing Akea Essentials, and their attention to detail at every level. I like their product, and I can also be enthusiastic about the way they integrate it into a thoughtfully conceived personal wellness plan that includes a "Blue Print for Life" and their "60 day Challenge."

I want to restate that I'm all about whole plant based nutrition, minimally processed. Nevertheless, I can see how Akea is useful for many folks, and may provide a bridging solution for those getting started on their own journey toward healthy eating. This product is processed (albeit at low temperatures) but its origin is in whole foods (documented superfoods from the hot spots) and has the fermentation and probiotic thing going on. These are all important elements of good balanced nutrition, and often absent in a "standard American diet." So I consider this a product of interest worthy of mention to you.

If you would like to know more, have questions or would like me to send you a sample, send me an email. Or you can go right to the source here.

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