Living a long, healthy life is often the result of consistently prioritizing healthy habits like exercise, social interaction, activities that curb stress, and\u2014last but not least\u2014good nutrition. In fact, only about\u00a025 percent of the variation in human lifespan\u00a0is influenced by genetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2033If you want to live longer, improve what you\u2019re eating and start moving your body more,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>said\u00a0Dr. Linda Shiue, an internist and director of culinary and lifestyle medicine at Kaiser Permanente\u00a0in San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what does it really mean to eat for longevity? As with most things, the answer is nuanced. There\u2019s no single diet that will absolutely add years to your life. But, certain eating patterns, and some specific foods and food groups, have been shown to curb risk of age-related chronic disease and promote physiological processes that support healthy aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even when we know which foods are good for us, it can be hard to figure out the right balance of healthy options that give us a better chance of living longer \u2015 and hard to find sweets that are good for us when the craving strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, with the help of three longevity-minded nutrition experts, we break down the way key nutrients impact longevity, plus 12 foods that could add healthy years to your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no official definition of a longevity food, but for the purposes of this article, the term refers to foods that have been associated with longer life or reduced mortality, reduced risk of chronic diseases that lead to early death, and improvements in biomarkers related to chronic diseases such as cholesterol, blood sugar, inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune function. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While longevity foods come from a variety of different food groups (which is key for promoting overall nutrient diversity), one overarching principle of diets linked to long life is that they consist predominantly of whole or minimally processed, nutrient-dense plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and smaller amounts of quality animal foods such as omega-3 rich fish, according to\u00a0Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, CSSD<\/u>, a plant-based sports and performance nutrition coach based in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFrom the research, we know this type of eating pattern is linked to longevity, but there are likely several reasons why,\u201d says Sass, adding that this \u201cmay include maximizing nutrient intake, optimizing gut microbiome composition and immune function, reducing inflammation, improving mental health (which, in turn, affects physical health), and improving sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All vegetables are packed with nutrition, but\u00a0cruciferous vegetables\u00a0like broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are powerhouses at helping you live longer. That\u2019s because they are rich in anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-aging phytonutrients, said\u00a0Dr. Mark Hyman, an author, family physician\u00a0and director of the UltraWellness Center\u00a0in Lenox, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re also an important source of magnesium, a mineral responsible for more than 600 enzyme reactions, Hyman said. Furthermore, cruciferous vegetables\u00a0are\u00a0rich in folate, a B vitamin critical for DNA methylation \u2015 the process that switches our longevity genes on and off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s really no upper limit on how many cruciferous vegetables you can eat, but a good rule is to cover about three-quarters of your plate with them,\u201d Hyman suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nuts offer healthy unsaturated fats, fiber, micronutrients, and antioxidants\u2014and walnuts, specifically, provide the highest levels of heart-healthy\u00a0omega-3 fats\u00a0and\u00a0antioxidants. \u201cOne\u00a0study\u00a0that tracked over 7,000 men and women for nearly five years found that, compared to non-nut eaters, those who consumed more than 3 one-ounce servings of nuts per week had a 39 percent lower overall mortality risk,\u201d says Sass. (This reduced risk jumped to\u00a045 percent\u00a0when those nuts were walnuts.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try it:<\/strong> Add nuts to oatmeal or smoothies, snack on apple slices with nut butter, or sprinkle nuts on salads, stir fries, and cooked veggies. You can also combine walnuts with sauteed minced mushrooms as a meat alternative to fill corn tortillas, suggests Sass. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, herring and mackerel are quality sources of protein and the essential omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, Hyman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEating salmon twice a week is enough to\u00a0cut your risk\u00a0of heart attack, arrhythmia, stroke, high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides,\u201d he explained. The\u00a0omega-3 fats\u00a0in fatty fish also protect against inflammation, an underlying cause of virtually all chronic and\u00a0age-related diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it comes to your health, not all oils are created equal. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants and polyphenols like oleuropein, Hyman said. Oleuropein is particularly good for anyone who wants to live a longer life, because it has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective and neuroprotective properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust a half-teaspoon a day of extra virgin olive oil can\u00a0significantly lower the risk of death\u00a0from cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, respiratory diseases and cancer,\u201d Hyman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Green tea, particularly matcha (which consists of whole ground green tea leaves), is a great source of vitamin C and polyphenol antioxidants like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), says Miyashita. Numerous studies link green tea consumption to benefits such as reduced risk of\u00a0Azheimer\u2019s and dementia,\u00a0obesity,\u00a0cancer, and\u00a0heart disease. It may even\u00a0slow skin aging. \u201cIn\u00a0one study\u00a0of older Japanese adults, those who drank the most green tea were 76 percent less likely to die during the six year study period,\u201d says Sass. \u201cAnother\u00a0found that\u00a0among over 40,000 Japanese adults followed, women who drank at least five cups of green tea a day had a 23 percent lower risk of death from any cause over an 11-year period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try this:<\/strong> In addition to sipping hot or iced green tea, consider using brewed green tea as the liquid in smoothies, oatmeal, or overnight oats\u2014or even use it to steam veggies or whole grain rice, suggests Sass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Shiue, berries tend to have a low glycemic load, which means they don\u2019t lead to high spikes in blood sugar \u2015 this can help\u00a0prevent diabetes. Berries have high levels of antioxidants, which help with\u00a0cell repair, including cells in the heart. These qualities make berries an excellent choice for dessert when you\u2019re craving something sweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimchi, kombucha, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut and other\u00a0fermented foods\u00a0are good sources of \u201cbeneficial bugs that help you maintain a healthy gut,\u201d Hyman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Red or purple cabbage, along with other cruciferous vegetables\u2014Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale\u2014are a potent source of sulfur-containing compounds called\u00a0glucosinolates. Research has linked cruciferous vegetables to lower risk of several chronic diseases, including\u00a0several types of cancer\u00a0and\u00a0neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, possibly related to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of glucosinolates. In\u00a0one study\u00a0analyzing data from 134,796 adults, greater fruit and vegetable intake was associated with reduced risk of mortality, and the effect was particularly strong for cruciferous vegetables.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try it:\u00a0<\/strong>For a unique side dish, try\u00a0roasted red cabbage\u2014cut in half lengthwise, then slice each half into several \u00bd-inch thick pieces, drizzle with EVOO, season, and roast until the edges start to caramelize.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Living a long, healthy life is often the result of consistently prioritizing healthy habits like exercise, social interaction, activities that curb stress, and\u2014last but not least\u2014good nutrition. In fact, only about\u00a025 percent of the variation in human lifespan\u00a0is influenced by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":425,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions\/425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/answerfaqpro.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Meaning of Longevity Foods<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
The Best Foods for Longevity<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Cruciferous Vegetables<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Nuts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fatty Fish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Extra Virgin Olive Oil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Green Tea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Berries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fermented Foods<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Red Cabbage <\/h2>\n\n\n\n