7 Simple Rules – The Longevity Diet
October 25th, 2009 -- Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »As surprising it may sound, the “secret” to living a long, healthy life can be bought right at your supermarket. By eating right, you maximize the probability that you won’t develop age-related health conditions. Beyond choosing the best foods, – as we have already implicated this fact in our earlier post – eating less can reduce the toll time takes on your body. So how can you make sure you are eating the right foods? Follow these simple rules and you can’t go wrong!
RULE 1: Go For Color
RULE 2: Rely On Real Food, Not Supplements
RULE 3: Avoid Processed Foods
RULE 4: Don’t Be Afraid Of (Good) Fats
RULE 5: Red Wine – in moderation
RULE 6: Green Tea -go for it
RULE 7: Eat Less
RULE 1: Go For Color
We have already dedicated a whole post to elaborating the importance of antioxidants. Luckily, mother nature made it easy for us to spot foods high in antioxidants: They’re the ones bursting with color. Berries help maintain cognitive and motor functioning as we age. Pomegranates have been found to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. And broccoli and brussels sprouts contain compounds that help prevent breast cancer.
RULE 2: Rely On Real Food, Not Supplements
Although there is a big difference between the quality of available supplements, there is still a general rule about them: They have nothing on real, natural food. That’s because the nutrients in real food are working together in a complex way, while supplements are more likely to miss this aspect of delivering the needed nutrients to your body.
RULE 3: Avoid Processed Foods
Processed foods are full of preservatives, chemicals, and added colors — therefore they are not as nutritious. Just think of the example of whole-wheat bread versus white bread. Whole wheat is proven to fight heart disease, because of the fiber and other nutrient contents in it. While from white bread, many nutrients are taken out during processing, and few are put back.
Your body also typically digests whole food more slowly than processed food, which keeps blood sugar and insulin levels from fluctuating rapidly. And because whole foods pack fewer calories per gram, they ward off weight-related illnesses like heart disease and stroke.
RULE 4: Don’t Be Afraid Of (Good) Fats
Unsaturated fats from vegetable oils, nuts, avocados, and fish improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood lipids. That translates into lower risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Healthy fats help make the Mediterranean-style diet — consisting mostly of vegetables, nuts, beans, olive oil, and fish — so superior.
Treating yourself to salmon and other fish that deliver omega-3 fatty acids two to four times a week, along with a small handful of nuts a day, may reduce your risk of heart disease by 30 percent and lower your cholesterol as well.
RULE 5: Red Wine - in moderation
Drinking one glass of red wine a day, four to five times a week (preferably with a meal), has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. That’s because red wine is full of the antioxidants called flavonoids, which are particularly good free-radical fighters.
Consuming wine conservatively will help you reap all the heart-healthy benefits, but you should go easier on the bottle as you age: Alcohol consumption has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
There has also been a recent anti-aging discovery about red wine – some even call it the anti-aging miracle – that you have probably heard of, since it was featured on the Oprah Show, endorsed by Dr Oz, they have talked about it on the Rachel Ray Show, it has been a featured topic on 60 Minutes, and so on… and that ingredient is Resveratrol. Resveratrol has many anti-aging benefits, that has shown proven results in rats that it’s been tested on.
RULE 6: Green Tea
Packed with powerful antioxidants — called catechins — green tea may be the single most life-prolonging substance you can put in your cup. A mug a day will decrease your chance of developing high blood pressure by 46 percent. (A good thing, since 35 million women are currently hypertensive.) Drink more and reduce your risk by 65 percent.
Enough studies have shown green tea’s ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells that the National Cancer Institute is conducting trials on both a tea-based pill and a topical ointment to treat cancerous skin growths.
RULE 7: Eat Less
We have already released an article on How Eating Less Can Prolong Your Life.
Researchers found that women who stayed closest to their weight at 18 throughout their lives had a 66 percent lower risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and gallstones compared with women who put on 11 to 22 pounds by middle age. Another study found that women who gained 60 pounds after age 18 were up to three times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer.
And the best news about the longevity diet — there are enough filling, delicious, life-saving foods out there that you can stay happy and satisfied.
