Executive Health Secrets of the Amish

The traditional Amish diet is considered by most doctors to be terribly unhealthy.

It is high in fat, sugar, salt and calories.

They eat relatively few vegetables.

They spend much of their time working in the cancer causing sun, don’t partake in modern medical diagnostics and even have bad genes.

And I’ve never seen a gym in an Amish community.

But, they have lower rates of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. They age better and most are able to do hard, physical labor into their old age.

What gives?

According to Dr. Alan Shuldiner, who has led more than a dozen studies of the Amish in Pennsylvania, their genes are not the reason they are healthier. Shuldiner says that many Amish have genes that cause high cholesterol and obesity, while some have a gene variation that actually protects their heart.

In the end, the affect of genes on the Amish’s health is about a wash.

Then what in the world causes them to be so healthy? And what can a busy executive like yourself learn from this group to maintain your health?

First, a little history lesson on the Amish might give us some clues to their health. Most Amish are descendants of a few hundred Swiss-Germans who immigrated to the United States in the early 18th century. They are Christians whose beliefs somewhat resemble those of the Mennonites.

Amish don’t traditionally use electricity in their homes, they own horses and buggies instead of cars and avoid modern conveniences. Their homes have no televisions, computers or other electronic gadgets. In Sarasota, FL (where my wife’s family lives) there is a large Amish population that can be seen getting around town on three wheeled bikes.

The Amish should have higher rates of cancer because intermarriage in their close-knit communities is likely to increase cancer-related gene mutations, according to an article by Vera Tweed. But that is not the case.

An Ohio State University found that Amish adults’ incidence rate of tobacco-related cancers was only 37% of the non-Amish. Their incidence rate of non-tobacco related cancers was only 72% of other Ohio adults. Turns out their risk of skin cancer is lower too, despite the fact that many Amish spend most of their days working in the cancer causing sun.

So, what secrets can a busy executive garner from the Amish to improve his or her health? Here are a few that you can implement even though you probably can’t (or won’t) trade in your laptop for a plow and mule anytime soon.

  1. Move More – Amish men were found to take on average 11,447 steps per day vs 7,605 for their non-Amish neighbors. Increase your steps by taking the stairs, parking in the back of the parking lot, adding a little bit of exercise to your day or (my personal favorite) look into a treadmill desk! You could also volunteer for some of the more physical projects around the office. Everybody loves to see the C-Suiters get their hands dirty!
  2. Live Clean – Most of the reduction in the Amish cancer rate can be attributable to clean living. They drink and smoke less and are less sexually promiscuous.
  3. Eat Clean – Amish eat much more freshly prepared food that the average American. Yes it is full of salt and fat, but their diet is generally less processed and is likely to contain less antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
  4. Supplement – According to one Ohio State study, the Amish take more vitamins, minerals and supplements. They also often use herbs to treat maladies rather than modern drugs.

If you’ve got do just one thing, move more. Dr. Shuldiner considers daily physical activity to be the most important lifestyle trait that improves Amish health. So get out there and get healthy!

If you liked this blog, please share it with your friends and join the conversation by leaving a comment or question on our website.  While you are there you can sign up for email updates, or take our growth quiz.

Thank you for being a part of our values driven community!

Image courtesy of www.Wikipedia.org.    

By: