This video explores the lifestyle of people in Acheroli, Italy, a village where many residents live past 100 years old. Dr. Deb Ford explains that genetics play a small role, and instead, epigenetics – how lifestyle choices affect genes – is key. She outlines six "heavenly steps" to longevity, inspired by Acheroli's residents: sleep, movement, stress management, positive outlook, diet, and toxin avoidance. The video provides practical tips for incorporating these steps into daily life to improve health and increase vitality.
Key Takeaways
1
The people of Acheroli, Italy, live long and healthy lives, often past 100 years old, with low rates of heart disease, broken bones, diabetes, and dementia.
2
Genetics only account for a small percentage of longevity; epigenetics, or how lifestyle choices affect gene expression, is more important.
3
Prioritizing 7-9 hours of quality sleep is crucial for hormone balance, weight control, mood, and detoxification, mimicking the natural circadian rhythm respected in Acheroli.
4
Embracing natural, consistent movement throughout the day, like walking and gardening, rather than just focused gym workouts, is vital for metabolic health and strong muscles.
5
Practicing stress management through slowing down, deep breathing, meditation, and social connection can lower cortisol, improve thyroid function, and aid in weight loss.
6
Cultivating a positive outlook and strong community connections through friends, family, and gratitude can lower inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and support overall health.
7
Adopting a nutrient-dense diet rich in omega-3s (like anchovies), herbs, vegetables, legumes, and traditional sourdough bread, while minimizing sugar and processed foods, is essential for health.
8
Avoiding environmental toxins like pesticides, plastics, and heavy metals by choosing local, fresh food and natural household products helps protect against endocrine disruption, inflammation, and accelerated aging.
9
Your daily choices, not just your genes, are your destiny for a long and vibrant life, allowing you to create an environment where your body thrives.
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0:00
Good morning and welcome back to today's
0:03
nutrition. I'm Dr. Deb Ford, your
0:05
dietician and doctor of clinical
0:08
nutrition. Every week we're here sharing
0:11
tips and insights on the latest science
0:14
on how to live longer, healthier, and a
0:16
more vibrant life. So over the last few
0:19
weeks, I've taken you on a journey with
0:22
me to that little fishing village on the
0:25
southern coast of Italy, Acheroli.
0:28
One of my most fascinating places in the
0:30
world because a remarkable percentage of
0:34
the population lives well past 100 years
0:39
old. Not just living, but thriving. No
0:43
cataracts. They live on a sea with lots
0:46
of reflection,
0:48
low heart disease. In fact, they have a
0:51
cardiovascular profile of a 20-year-old
0:53
and no broken bones. These centinarians
0:57
walk daily, tend their gardens, share
1:00
meals with family and friends, and they
1:03
even have remarkably low rates of
1:06
diabetes and dementia.
1:09
Well, we've been asking, what's their
1:11
secret? Is it the genetics? No. The
1:14
research shows genetics only account for
1:17
somewhere between 7 and 20% for
1:20
longevity. The real power lies in
1:24
epigenetics.
1:26
How our lifestyle, our choices, and the
1:28
environment turn on the good genes and
1:31
turn off the bad ones. I like to give
1:34
the analogy of your genes are like the
1:37
88 keys on the piano. But epigenetics
1:42
are how they are played. It can be
1:46
chaotic sound or it can be shopan or
1:50
Mozart. It just depends on how we make
1:54
our choices. So that's where my heavenly
1:57
steps come in. Those six heavenly steps
2:00
I talk about in my book, Get Out of
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Hormone Hell. You know, the six steps
2:05
are the really important ones. Sleep,
2:08
movement, stress management, positive
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outlook, diet, toxin avoidance. They
2:14
line up beautifully with what I observed
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in acharolei and it's what we in
2:20
functional medicine should always
2:23
address when we're working to restore
2:26
health. So let's dive in. First one,
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sleep. If you've ever visited a
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Mediterranean village, you know they
2:35
take their time. Shops close in the
2:38
afternoon. People rest. Evenings are for
2:41
long conversations and meals. And if you
2:45
eat out, you are never rushed to turn
2:48
over the table. It is yours for the
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duration. In acharolei, the pace of life
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just naturally respects the body's
2:59
circadian rhythm. And let's be honest,
3:02
we Americans are sleepdeprived. We don't
3:05
get the 7 to nine. We're more likely to
3:08
get five or six. Our culture rewards
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busyiness, late night screen time, and
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early mornings. And that chronic lack of
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sleep, reres havoc on hormones. It
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raises cortisol. It spikes insulin,
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increases the hunger hormones like
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grlin, and lowers satiety hormones like
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leptin. So the translation for that with
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your genes, it makes it nearly
3:37
impossible to control your weight, your
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cravings or your mood as well as the
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ability for your brain and body to
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detoxify.
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But in nature, people naturally align
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with the sun. The day starts out slowly.
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They wake up with natural light. They
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may nap after lunch when it gets really
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hot. and they enjoy restful evenings.
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That just restores energy and it also
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balances hormones and keeps the
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metabolism humming. So my tip, you got
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to start honoring your sleep like your
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life depends on it because it may create
4:22
a bedtime ritual. Turn off those
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screens. Dim the lights. Maybe sip on
4:28
chamomile tea or take some magnesium
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glycinate. Or if you're really
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challenged, try my personal formula,
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heavenly sleep, that I put together. We
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want to aim for we're all a little bit
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different, but somewhere between 7 and 9
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hours where you can naturally wake up.
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You know, a 20 minute nap may help
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sometimes if you need to really improve
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your focus or lower cortisol. Remember,
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sleep is your number one hormone reset
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button. If you want the epigenetic
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benefits of longevity, you cannot
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shortcut rest. Okay, next thing. Number
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two, movement. Oh, notice movement. I
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didn't say exercise. Movement is so much
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more than the gym workouts. It's the way
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you live your life. And in Acharoli,
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movement is a way of life. It's the way
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the city is built. Cobblestones streets
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are not that friendly to cars. If you
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want groceries, you walk. If you're a
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fisherman, you're hauling in nets. If
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you're a grandmother, you climb those
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steps to visit your neighbors, or you go
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shopping for fresh food, or you tend the
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garden. You don't hit the gym at 6:00
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a.m. for a spin class and then, you
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know, sit the rest of the day. You live
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in an environment that requires natural
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functional movement all day long.
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Science backs that up, too. Regular
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lowintensity activity keeps insulin
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sensitivity high. It strengthens the
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bones. It improves circulation. And it's
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keeping those joints flexible and
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lubricated. It's not about burning
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calories. It's about keeping the
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metabolic engine running smoothly. So,
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let's compare that to our lifestyle.
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Sitting at desks, driving everywhere,
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and then collapsing on the couch at
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night. Even if we exercise 30 minutes a
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day, the rest of our day is pretty much
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sedentary. We're missing the mark.
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Sitting is truly the new smoking. So,
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here's what you can do. You just need to
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find ways to weave movement into your
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daily life. Go for a walk while you're
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on the phone. Take the stairs. Do a
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little gardening or yard work. Mowing,
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raking, and planting and weeding. That
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all counts. Oh boy. I don't know about
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you, but that was a big part of my
7:00
summer workout. Park farther away at the
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grocery store. Cars are a big part of
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American life. Walking is wonderful.
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It's also great for the community.
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Walking and evening strolls with friends
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that adds up to a lot of movement every
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week. And in Retroi, there's no gym.
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They don't exercise. They just live
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actively. And I remember my grandparents
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just always smiled and laughed when you
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said you were doing a workout or going
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to the gym. Their daily life on the farm
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was just active. And that goes with my
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clients. I've seen that those people
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that are active every day, boy, do they
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have good muscles and muscles are truly
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the organs of longevity.
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Okay. Third thing, stress management.
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The art of slowing down. Ah yeah,
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stress. If there's one thing that robs
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us of health in America, it is that
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constant state of hurry, worry, and
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pressure. I'm actively working on
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chilling out a little bit because
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chronic stress keeps that cortisol
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elevated. It drives inflammation. It
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disrupts sleep. It raises blood
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pressure. It sabotages metabolism. Oh my
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gosh. And it makes you crave things. But
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ah a chioli life slows down. Meals are
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not eaten on the run or at a desk.
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They're like savored over hours.
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Neighbors gather daily for
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conversations.
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Family ties are strong and there's a lot
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of laughter. Their lifestyle builds in
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daily pauses that naturally downshift
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the nervous system from the fight and
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flight sympathetic to the resting,
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repairing, digesting of the sympathetic
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nervous system. And I don't know about
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you, but I don't see many Italians
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running around with color-coded
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planners, fluorescent post-it notes,
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multitasking three jobs, eating lunch in
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the car. They know the value of taking
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time. And why it matters is that keeps
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that cortisol low. That's when your body
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thinks it's in danger. is going to
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prioritize survival to the next minute
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over healing and all the longevity
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pathways. So chronic stress shuts down
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digestion, slows thyroid function. So if
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your thyroid is not working real good,
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you may want to think about your stress
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level. And also that packs fat around
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the belly. That's why stress management
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is a non-negotiable step when it comes
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to hormone balance or weight loss. So
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bringing a little bit of your home, you
9:54
can start simple, take five minutes for
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deep breathing, inhale four,
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exhale eight
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or also prayer, meditation.
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Step outside. Feel the sun.
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Enjoy the sunrise or the sunset. Journal
10:17
your thoughts at night. Even short
10:20
resets throughout the day can shift that
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cortisol and give your body a chance to
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reset and heal.
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I really want to go back tooli when it
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isn't August, the Italian holiday month
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where everybody hits the seaside for
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what they call their holiday. I'd love
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to just spend time there in the spring
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to really soak it in. Go to mass with
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them. Maybe learn a little Italian so we
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can talk, live with them, have total
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immersion. Oh, I just think that would
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be heavenly. So, you can't underestimate
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the power of this social connection.
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Call a friend, share a laugh, eat dinner
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with family. This kind of stress
11:01
management melts away tension and we
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feel supported. Okay. Number four,
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positive outlook. And also, you got a
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little bit of community and connection
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here. Again, when you spend time in
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Acharoli, you really see that you're
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never alone. The streets are full of
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conversation. People are just gathered
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around the square talking, enjoying.
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Kids are playing out there in the middle
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of the square. Family dinners
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are not just for parents, but they're
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for grandparents. They're for cousins.
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They're for friends all around the
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neighborhood. And one thing about this
11:39
culture, it's medicine. A positive
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outlook doesn't just make you feel
11:44
better. It literally changes your
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biology.
11:49
Optimism lowers inflammation,
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strengthens the immune system, balances
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neurotransmitters, and even supports
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cardiovascular health. Research shows
12:00
social isolation is as harmful as
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smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.
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The centinarians of Acharoli teach us
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longevity isn't just about what we eat
12:13
and how much we exercise, but it's about
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who we share life with. These people who
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are 100 plus now have supported each
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other through World War I, World War II,
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Nazi o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
12:28
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
12:28
o o occupation, food rationing and all
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the stresses that would bring. But they
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thrive together, and church has always
12:37
been the center of the community. Faith,
12:40
purpose, and joy are as essential as
12:44
vitamins and minerals. So, couple tips.
12:49
Cultivate community. Maybe it's a church
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group. Maybe it's a walking club. Or
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simply calling a friend every day and
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hugging your friends. Practicing
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gratitude. Writing down maybe three
13:02
things you're thankful for each morning.
13:05
and smile more because your brain
13:08
responds to a smile with boosting your
13:12
body with endorphins and especially the
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love hormone oxytocin.
13:18
So remember
13:20
both positive and negative both
13:23
pessimism and optimism are contagious
13:28
and think of longevity as a team sport.
13:33
Those people in Acharioli have gone
13:35
through a lot together and we need each
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other. Okay, number five, my favorite.
13:41
Let's talk about this food. The diet in
13:45
Acharioli is a beautiful example of
13:48
nutrientdense
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traditional eating. What stands out a
13:53
lot? They're omega-3s.
13:56
And I've been actively working on this
13:58
myself because I tested low. This is the
14:00
one thing I tested low in. And about 93%
14:03
of Americans are low in omega-3.
14:06
So when I went to Italy, I was
14:08
determined to overcome my great dislike
14:11
for anchovies because rosemary and
14:14
anchovies were two things that stood out
14:17
about their diet. So I ordered them
14:19
every single day until I found a recipe
14:23
that I really liked in this beautiful
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countryside venue where we took a pizza
14:29
cooking class. That of course was my
14:32
eight-year-old grandson's favorite meal.
14:35
Okay. Margarita pizza. So I asked our
14:38
chef Claudio what was his secret for
14:43
these delicious
14:46
anchovies
14:47
and he shared it. It is all about the
14:49
marinade and the herbs. The acharoli
14:53
diet is so rich in these omega-3s
14:57
that they just get them every day and
15:00
they have so many different ways to make
15:01
them. And the the sandy beach that goes
15:04
out maybe two football fields wide and
15:08
long and it is only hip deep. So they
15:12
could just easily walk out with a net to
15:15
catch their dinner. So, they had a great
15:19
diet rich in omega-3s that calm
15:22
inflammation. And that's probably one of
15:24
the reasons why they have low levels of
15:27
heart disease and dementia. And of
15:29
course, their herbs,
15:31
rosemary, fennel, oregano, garlic are
15:35
used liberally. We're talking slow
15:37
meals, slow cooking. And these herbs are
15:40
super rich in the 28,000
15:43
phytonutrients that protect your DNA and
15:47
enhance all of the longevity pathways.
15:50
And of course, lots of vegetables and
15:53
legumes. And sourdough bread. Yeah, they
15:55
eat bread, but it's made from
15:57
traditional lowg gluten flowers,
16:00
fermented naturally, and eaten in
16:02
moderation. Nothing like the
16:04
ultrarocessed high gluten loaves that
16:07
line supermarket shelves. Of course,
16:10
lastly, minimal sugar and no
16:13
ultrarocessed food. That's one of the
16:15
biggest differences. Sweet treats are
16:17
rare, soda's non-existent, and processed
16:20
foods just don't exist in the
16:22
traditional diet. That's a really good
16:24
way of keeping insulin levels low and
16:28
oxidative stress low, and it fuels the
16:31
body with clean energy. No wonder their
16:33
rates of diabetes and heart disease are
16:35
also low. We can bring a lot of these
16:38
into simple swaps for me. Like I'm
16:40
adding a bigger herb garden in my
16:43
kitchen. So I have to harvest the herbs
16:45
or they are going to take over my
16:47
kitchen. So it's an easy way to add
16:49
colorful plants that are rich in these
16:52
phytonutrients. So you don't have to
16:53
move to Italy to eat like acharoli, but
16:56
you sure can eat closer to nature. Sixth
16:59
thing really important toxin avoidance.
17:03
The hidden secret of acharoli diet is
17:06
what's missing from the environment.
17:09
For most of their lives, these
17:11
centinarians were not surrounded by
17:14
pesticides and plastic and heavy metals
17:16
and all the thousands of chemicals that
17:19
we're encountering every day. Their food
17:22
was grown locally. Their fish were
17:24
caught fresh. and household products
17:27
simple and natural. So the key today for
17:30
us is to reduce that exposure wherever
17:33
we can because these toxins are
17:35
endocrine disruptors. They create
17:37
oxidative stress and promote
17:40
inflammation. Your knees hurt. You might
17:43
want to think about these different
17:45
things. They mess with the hormone
17:48
balance. They accelerate aging. They
17:50
increase the risk for cancer and
17:52
metabolic disease. But we can make those
17:55
simple changes every day. It's about
17:57
longevity habits that over time they
18:01
make a difference in how your genes
18:04
express themselves. How those keys on
18:07
the piano are played. Each step powerful
18:11
for protecting your health and promoting
18:13
longevity. Together they can create the
18:16
environment to thrive to a 100red years
18:19
and beyond. Just look at them. It's not
18:21
one or two outliers. It's this whole
18:24
group of people.
18:26
But not all of us can move to Acharioli.
18:28
Would be nice, but we can bring it here.
18:32
Make our area just as heavenly as can
18:35
be. As I close this little minieries on
18:38
longevity, I want to leave you this
18:40
thought. Your genes are not your
18:43
destiny, but your daily choices are.
18:46
Most of you are like me. Early in your
18:49
life, poor diet, lots of antibiotics,
18:52
food sensitivities, all leading to leaky
18:54
gut, hormone disruption, mood problems,
18:57
acne, fatigue, weight problems, overall
18:59
poor immunity. But changing daily habits
19:03
now can make you more like the
19:06
centinarians of Acharoli. We call them
19:09
modifiable factors, but they are small
19:12
daily choices that can help you create
19:14
an environment where your body thrives.
19:18
Your hormones stay balanced and your
19:21
years are not just long, but they're
19:23
filled with vitality. More life in your
19:26
years, more years in your life. Thanks
19:28
for joining me on this journey. I hope
19:30
you've been inspired to take these
19:32
heavenly steps and make them part of
19:34
your daily life. This has been today's
19:37
nutrition. I'm Dr. Deb Ford. Stay
19:40
heavenly healthy, my
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Acciaroli 3
Deb Ford DCN RDN
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Sep 7, 2025
19:43
Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken you on a journey with me to a little fishing village on the southern coast of Italy—Acciaroli. It’s one of my most fascinating places in the world because a remarkable percentage of the population lives past the age of 100, and not just living—but thriving. No cataracts, low heart disease (in fact they have a cardiovascular profile of a 20 year old) and no broken bones. These centenarians walk daily, tend their gardens, share meals with amily, and even show remarkably low rates of dementia and diabetes. In my book, Get Out of Hormone Hell, 6 HEAVENly Steps to Lose Weight, Feel Great and Reverse Aging, we see how Acciaroli is doing all 6 steps and how it plays into their longevity.