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Comment by todd8 | Hacker News Reader

I looked it up. See table 3 in https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2678018

Hawaii has the highest life expectancy of any US State, over 81 years vs some other states that are over 5 years less!

I think that you would have to correct for socio-economic status, which is strongly tied to health outcomes.

Wow, I'm a bit shocked! I was just in Kona, and healthy food (even just basic produce) was really expensive. I had thought to myself that must take a toll.

I missed the farmer's markets while I was there. Did you happen to hit any of those?

I didn't find food too bad except for certain items that aren't common on the Island. Then again I'm from Canada and we have to ship a lot up from Mexico in the winter if it hasn't been frozen.

The Costco in Kona is your friend.

We did not find time to visit the farmers markets, I would certainly hope those were good.

I think what surprised me the most is that imported things with indefinite shelf lives were still quite expensive.

But it's certainly true that I am accustomed to having access to produce & spices that are probably not grown locally in Hawai'i.

Is it possible that expensive food keeps people from eating too much? Overeating can have a bigger negative impact on lifespan than the type of food that you eat. Almost any food can be healthy in moderation.

Healthy food is extremely cheap on the big island. It's literally growing on trees everywhere and the locals make fun of those who overpay for it.

It's true that avocado, papaya, pineapple, and other classically tropical fruits were very cheap. However I found carrots, onions, green onions, garlic, etc were quite expensive at the KTA.

But, I was only a visitor- did not bargain-hunt- and I am only an anecdote of one.

Chinese medicine, for instance, consider onions and garlic generally unhealthy, not something to be consumed all the time or even as part of almost any dish depending on the western cuisine.

Can you share more? I feel like in my quest to learn more about authentic Chinese cuisine onions, scallions and garlic all are incredibly common ingredients.

He's referring to buddhist cuisine. Buddhist philosophy states that pungent herbs or spices alert your senses and fog your brain, preventing mindfulness.

From the wiki:

>In addition to the ban on garlic practically all Mahayana monastics in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan specifically avoid eating strong-smelling plants, traditionally asafoetida, shallot, mountain leek and Allium chinense, which together with garlic are referred to as wǔ hūn (五荤, or 'Five Acrid and Strong-smelling Vegetables') or wǔ xīn (五辛 or 'Five Spices') as they tend to excite senses. This is based on teachings found in the Brahamajala Sutra, the Surangama Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra (chapter eight). In modern times this rule is often interpreted to include other vegetables of the onion genus, as well as coriander. The origins of this additional restriction is from the Indic region and can still be found among some believers of Hinduism and Jainism. Some Taoists also have this additional restriction but the list of restricted plants differs from the Buddhist list.

I actually learned this from Chef's Table S3E01 which is a great intro to Buddhist Cuisine if you're interested in learning more. It seems ironic that the five "pungent" herbs are avoided but fermented vegetables are not.

My grandmother's land is actually used to grow carrots. I don't know how hard nor how good they are though. I think most things can be grown there so you can have a local but still varied diet.

I just came out of some nearly abandonned farming area. Trees full of avocados, mangos, you name it. Makes you think deep.

Tropical climate is really strong so much sun and rain.

Is that possibly because of retirees from the mainland moving to Hawaii?

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