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Mindspan, healthspan, lifespan, and longevity. These are all terms that are becoming increasingly familiar to us, in our quest for a healthier, happier life. Harvard geneticist Preston Estep is the author of The Mindspan Diet.Β  We’re sharing his top 10 dietary habits of highly successful agers. Read on.

Mindspan diet habit #1.

Eat little or no red meat. Enough said!

#2. Drink tea, coffee, or alcohol with meals.

The latter in moderation.

Mindspan diet habit #3. Drink a fermented appetizer

Include typically apple cider vinegar with vegetables or fish, pickled, or dried.

#4.Β Eat non-enriched white rice, semolina pasta, white bread

And/or white sourdough bread. Yes. you heard right!Β  Importantly, these must be low glycemic index refined carbs, not fortified with iron. Preston Estop explains more on the important role of iron in his book The Mindspan Diet. We aren’t meant to have too much.

#5.Β  Include a moderate to high intake of high-quality monounsaturated fat in your diet.

Here we are talking about monounsaturated fat from olive oil or canola oil; moderate intake of omega-3 fats from vegetables such as lettuce, cauliflower, spinach, etc.

Mindspan habit #6. Eat vegetables

Obviously!Β  But especially your greens β€” and fruits β€” such as berries, tomatoes, avocados, and grapes. For example foods high in phytochemicals. These are also contained in beverages including red wine, coffee, cocoa, tea, and herbal teas, including mint, chamomile, and pennyroyal.

#7. Include in your mindspan diet some fish

This should be a moderate to fairly high intake of preferably wild (not farmed) fish and seafood and definitely not deep-fried.

#8. Β Less milk

For a healthy mindspan, mind your cheese. You can consume moderate amounts of cheese, butter, and sour cream. These choices depend on an individual’s genetic makeup, as explained in The Mindspan Diet.

#9. Eat more beans and other legumes.

Mindspan diet habit #10.Β  Last but not least!Β  Less added sugar and moderate your salt.

About the author of The Mindspan Diet

Dr. Preston Estep

The Now and Future of Maximizing MindspanΒ  Chief Science officer of Veritas Genetics

Preston Estep earned a Ph.D. in Genetics from Harvard University. He is Director of Genome Sequencing and part of the senior management team of the Personal Genome Project at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Estep is a scientific adviser to Volta Labs, Nebula Genomics, Latent Sciences, and other leading startup companies in biotech and healthcare. He was co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Veritas Genetics, a genetic testing and genome sequencing company.

The Mindspan Diet

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Gisèle Wertheim Aymes

Gisèle Wertheim Aymes

Gisèle is the owner of the Longevity brand. She is a seasoned media professional and autodidactic. Her goal? Sharing the joy with others of living in good health, while living beyond 100, You can follow her @giselewaymes on Twitter and Instagram or read her Linked-In profile for full bio details.

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