(02-28-2010, 09:44 PM)Eddie Wrote: The myth of Hunza vegetarianism began some years ago, when a western traveler reached their remote realm. He was with them for a short period in late summer, when the Hunzas were eating their garden produce. He didn't stay long enough to experience their meat-eating season.
Aw, now my bubble has burst!

Perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle:
The longevity claims made for Hunzukuts by foreign visitors vary considerably, with the highest estimate being 150 years of age. Renee Taylor writes in her book Hunza Health Secrets for Long Life and Happiness: "In Hunza, people manage to live to over 100 years of age in perfect mental and physical health . . . men of 90 [are] new fathers and women of 50 still conceive." Betty Lee Morales, president of the American Cancer Society and a 2-time visitor to Hunza, reported to the Los Angeles Times (July 16, 1973), "It's an exaggeration to say that they live to be 150 but there's no need to gild the lily. The average age is 90 when they die." Dr. Alexander Leaf, Chief of Medical Services at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, has reliably reported meeting a 106-year-old man who still worked herding goats during the summer months, while "the oldest Hunzukut" was "revered" for being 110. Dr. Leaf also has pointed out that it is "the fitness of many of the elderly rather than their age that impresses me," ...According to the Mir of Hunza, out of a present population of 40,000, 6 men are over 100 years of age and many are 90 years old or more. (Before the 1st road came, there were at least 50 over the age of 100.) In America, by contrast, there are only 3 centenarians for every 100,000 people.
I mentioned the Hunzas as an example of what I consider a healthy diet and lifestyle. I don't know exactly what the truth is about them, but there is a mountain of information about them supporting the 'myth,' often complete with numerical data as cited above. I have read conflicting reports and question their accuracy. Having experienced firsthand multiple occasions in which mainstream media reports were blatantly false, I don't necessarily accept them as authoritative.
(02-28-2010, 10:10 PM)Questioner Wrote: from that book's perspective, eating is merely one more sacramental activity in a life of contemplative devotion.
Yes, I thought the book was beautiful. I prefer it to other teachings attributed to Jesus.