My Ikaria: How the people from a small Mediterranean island inspired me to live a happier, healthier and longer life

by Spiri Tsintziras

Three years ago, Spiri Tsintziras found herself mentally, physically and spiritually depleted. She was stretched thin - raising kids, running a household and managing a business. She ate too much in order to keep going and then slumped in front of the telly at night, exhausted, asking herself 'What is it all for?' Spiri's quest for a healthier, more nourishing life took her from her suburban home in Melbourne to her family's homeland of Greece, and to the small Greek island of Ikaria. The people of Ikaria - part of the famous 'Blue Zones' - live happy, healthy and long lives. Inspired by their example, Spiri made some simple lifestyle changes and as a result lost weight, gained energy and deepened the connection to those closest to her. Best of all, she didn't have to give up bread or wine! Spiri's heartwarming memoir, which includes delicious family recipes, will console and entertain anyone bogged down in the daily grind - encouraging you to put your health and happiness first.

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2018

About the author

Spiri Tsintziras is the author of Afternoons in Ithaka (ABC Books, 2014) and co-author of the best-selling title Parlour Games for Modern Families (Scribe, 2009), which won ABIA Book of the Year in 2010 and has been translated into Italian and Chinese, and converted into an app called 50 Fun Games for the Whole Family. Spiri's Tribal Tomato blog on food, family and connection, which explores similar themes to those explored in Ikaria has attracted more than 5000 followers.

Reviews

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this book in April and halfway through had to put it aside. I got so caught up in the emotional struggle Spiri was going through as there were to many parallels with my life and the pain was still to close to the surface. I finally finished it in August and am glad I did.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of the book finds Spiri feeling constantly tired. Her increasingly busy lifestyle was wearing her out. Balancing the pressure of being Mum to two children, a wife, a business owner and running the home is a battle and Spiri was eating the wrong things, not doing enough exercise and generally not taking care of herself.

When Spiri finds out that her Iron and Vitamin D levels are low and her blood sugar is just borderline she realises that unless she wants to become diabetic she needs to do something about her lifestyle. She begins to make changes, inspired by what she's read about the Blue Zone island of Ikaria, but it's not until she actually visits the island that she realises just how important their healthy lifestyle is.

Blue Zones are areas of the world where people live much longer than average, there are five Blue Zone areas in the world: Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Loma Lida in California and Ikaria in Greece. The six shared characteristics of people living in the Blue Zone areas are:
Put Family first
Don't smoke
Semi-vegetarian - the majority of food eaten is plant based
Constant moderate physical activity
Social engagement - integrating with the community
Moderate alcohol intake
Spiri was able to visit Ikaria, it was a huge step for her to travel to Greece alone, leaving her family behind, but it become something that she was obsessed with.

My Ikaria is her story of that journey and the time that spent on the island. Her writing is sublime and for someone like me, who is passionate about Greece and all things Greek, this book was such a joy to read. Her descriptions of the island and the people who live there are superb. This was more than a journey across the globe for Spiri though, it became a life journey too. Listening to the islands, spending time with them, living like they do all became so familiar to her and she was determined that she would continue this lifestyle when she returned to Australia.

I really enjoyed Spiri's story. Her writing is warm and friendly, such a joy to read. It's a book that will make the reader think about their own lifestyle and how we can all change things for the better.

[Marcos Malumbres · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book giving a personal comparison between living the Western life (including Australia) versus life in a Mediterranean island. Ikaria is one of the five blue zones (healthy longevity) and the author (Greek in origin) tries to revisit her origins traveling to the island. A good opportunity to also investigate the reason for the healthy longevity of Ikarians and improving her own life. I love the writing style, present tense, very direct and effective.

Reading on the style of life in a Mediterranean island is very inspiring for everyone. However, I think the introduction is too long and the chapters dedicated to the island (about 13 out of 40) result insufficient. I would have love more details on the island, its inhabitants, more personal details, curiosities, facts, a bit more research, more data, a more profound description of the scenarios, etc.. The author was fortunate to visit its mountains, villages, forests and beaches, and I would have appreciated a more colorful description of these paradisiac scenarios.

In any case, I thank the author for this refreshing book and I congratulate her for her writing style (and her origins).

[Rania T · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The smell of a good soufiko raises the dead" Ikarian proverb. Though this is not mentioned in Spiri Tsintziras's book, it nonetheless is a traditional vegetarian dish served on this island that she chose to explore as part of her personal growth. Being Greek myself, many parts of the book were relatable, especially growing up with immigrant parents who left their poor villages for Australia and the sacrifices they made for their children, in order for them to have a better life. But truthfully, like the writer, the older I get, I too am starting to get back to more traditional ways of doing things, and regret sometimes not paying attention when mum was in the kitchen or dad out in the garden cultivating natural food. But otherwise an interesting exploration of the island of Ikaria, one of the world's Blue Zones and the interesting people that inhabit it from the author.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book, My Ikaria is part memoir, part self help and part cook book.

Spiri is a proud Greek woman with a lovely family and a successful business. However, as she approaches middle age, she begins to focus on her health and wellbeing. 

Through a wake up call at her local doctor, Spiri is awakened in her love and desire to visit the Greek Island of Ikaria. 

Ikari has significant numbers of people with higher than normal life expectancies and is known as the island where "people forget to die".

It takes three years from inception for Spiri to get on that plane. A reminder to all of us that life is not about the destination, but the journey where real growth occurs. 

From a deeply personal place we travel with Spiri as she uncovers secrets to happiness and healthy living. Her tips for wellness are profoundly valuable and make us reflect on our own life satisfaction. 

The final pages compile a collection of traditional Greek recipes of good, hearty and healthy food. I'm so inspired, that I can't wait to make dolmades for my own little family.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I enjoy these naval gazing, change my life type of books and sometimes they just annoy me! But I enjoyed this one as it was more practical. The author is Australian born of Greek parentage. She feels stuck in a rut and happens across an article about the Blue Zones, in particular Ikaria. I read The Blue Zones long ago and found it fascinating, so was very keen to read this Australian book about someone implementing its findings.
I liked this book, as I said, as the author is practical. It is all about making slow, small changes within the life you already live. For most of us, it is not feasible to spend months away from home to 'find ourselves'! So the ideas in this book are totally doable for us all. Such as the author decided to not buy foods with ingredients her yiayia (grandmother) wouldn't recognise.

[Sarah Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever felt dissatisfied with your life, even though you know that you have so much to be grateful for? Feeling run down? Exhausted all the time? Worried about whether or not you are a good wife/mother/writer/person? Should you be earning more? Doing more? And when did you become so fat? Sound familiar? It sure hit a note with me. Spiri's well-written, heartwarming, and often entertaining memoir looks at her experiences managing modern life, and her voyage of discovery to find the key to a successful and happy life. Enter the Ikarians, the people of a small island, said to be among the longest living people in the world. Do they hold the key? Or is the solution closer than you think? A wonderful and inspiring read.

[Catherine Sdorra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

I love reading travel stories and loved reading about Ikaria, there lifestyle and the food they eat. I am a big fan of the Mediterranean diet. The book was written well.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it a second time while on retreat at Thea’s Inn in October