Looking to boost your personal longevity and increase your life expectancy? A new study published by PLOS Medicine has shown that making some small dietary changes can substantially improve your life expectancy. In fact, this new study indicates that making these changes could add up to 13 years to your life. The earlier in life you make these changes, the better. But seriously, these really aren’t big changes. For most of us, especially if you’re already conscious of your health and what you’re putting into your body, they’re easy to make, and you could literally start tomorrow if you wanted to.
Let’s take a look at longevity and life expectancy
According to Mind Body Green, in this study, researchers used “dietary intake and health outcome data and meta-analyses from the Global Burden of Disease study” in order to determine potential increases in life expectancy based on dietary changes. This data was formulated into a model that is publicly available and easily accessible as an online tool called the Food4HealthyLife calculator. The greatest thing about this calculator is that it doesn’t matter what your age is, it can estimate potential life expectancy increase based on small dietary changes.
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The outcome of the study clearly indicated that eating more legumes, whole grains, and nuts and less processed foods and red meat would increase life expectancy for everyone, irrespective of age or gender.
Better life expectancy is achievable
These small changes can add up to 13 years to your life and are obviously implementable at any age. However, the findings in the study are clear; the earlier you start, the better. If you were to adopt this optimized diet, according to Mind Body Green, your life expectancy would increase by the following.
In your 20s: 10.7 years for women, 13 years for men
Age 60: 8 years for women, 8.8 years for men
At age 80: 3.4 years for both women and men
According to Lars Fadnes, Ph.D., one of the study authors, “Research until now has shown health benefits associated with separate food groups or specific diet patterns, but given limited information on the health impact of other diet changes” however, he adds that this model has successfully bridged this gap.
How to go about following this longevity boosting diet
Even if you are already following a relatively healthy diet, making changes can be intimidating. However, in this case, it really isn’t, and you only need to make a few changes to optimize your diet for longevity.
Legumes, Nuts, and Whole-grains
Adding legumes (lentils, beans, and chickpeas) to your diet is great for a longevity-focused diet. This is especially true if you are vegan or vegetarian. They’re packed full of protein and fiber, which also makes them great for adding more fiber to your diet. They are also great for bulking out lunches and dinners without adding excess calories or carbohydrates. Whole grains are incredibly nutrient-dense and there is a huge range of options to choose from. Rye, quinoa, bulgar, and buckwheat are all classified as whole grains and ancient grains. Unprocessed food is the best way to go when it comes to eating whole grains.
Nuts are also a great longevity-boosting dietary addition. Mostly, they’re high in protein and healthy fats. However, different nuts offer different health benefits. According to Mind Body Green, Brazil nuts are especially high in selenium whilst walnuts are great for boosting heart, brain, and gut health. The majority of nuts are also incredibly high in magnesium.
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Nuts are also a really easy addition to make. Making use of nut butter, granola or pine nut-based pesto is an easy way to include them into your diet. However, once again, the less processing and of course, added sugar and salt, the better.
Eat less red meat and avoid processed meats
Red meat can be described as the meat of mammals that is red when it’s raw. It’s definitely one of the most controversial foods. As humans, we have been eating red meat for many years, and it seems to have influenced our evolution positively. But now, many studies seem to indicate that red meat is no longer beneficial.
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As humans have been eating red meat for so long, our digestive systems are well equipped to handle it. However, the meat that we are eating these days isn’t what it used to be.
The meat we eat is no longer from animals that roam free and eat what is natural to them. Instead, the meat that we eat is largely factory-raised and fed a grain-based diet. The cows we eat are also often fed growth-boosting hormones and antibiotics. Another issue with the meat products that we eat these days is that they are also highly processed. It isn’t just the meat that we eat. Instead, it is “smoked, cured and then treated with nitrates, preservatives and various chemicals”.
Avoid processed foods
They’re particularly bad for you, like most things, when eaten in large quantities. One of the major problems with processed foods is that they’re cheap and tend to taste very good. This, of course, leads to overconsumption, which is where the issues start. Processed foods are often high in sugar, saturated fat, and salt but lack dietary fiber and vitamins and are often simply empty calories.
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One study of 100,000 adults found that increasing your intake of processed foods by just 10% increased your chances of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular diseases by more than 10%.
Another study of 20,000 adults found that eating “more than 4 servings of processed food daily was linked with an increased risk of all-cause mortality”. For each additional serving after four, the risk increased by 18%. There is also substantial evidence that eating processed foods also leads to weight gain.
References
http://158.39.201.81:3838/Food/
https://www.lhsfna.org/index.cfm/lifelines/may-2019/the-many-health-risks-of-processed-foods/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-red-meat-bad-for-you-or-good#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3
