Healthy Foods and Eating Habits That Will Make You Live Longer
Your diet holds the key to a longer, healthier life. As a parent, you want to stick around long enough to see your children grow up and achieve great things, so make sure you add these life-lengthening foods to your diet.
Salmon
You don’t only want to live a healthy and long life, but you also want to slow down the ageing process. The answer to all of this is omega-3, found in fatty fish like salmon. Research has shown that omega 3s actually slows down the rate at which you age, which is thanks to how they maintain your telomeres (otherwise known as the tips of your chromosomes that become smaller as you get older).
Bright Berries
Bright berries such as blueberries are really great for your health. This is thanks to their bold colouring which is a sign that they contain antioxidants known as polyphenols. Research has found that by ensuring you get lots of polyphenols in your regular eating plan, you can slash your risk of death by 30 percent! Definitely worth adding berries to your morning cereal. You can also gain polyphenol benefits by drinking wine, so go ahead and enjoy that glass with your dinner.
Tea
If you’re used to having fizzy, high-sugar soda with your meals, it’s time to switch to tea. The reason? Black and green teas contain catechins that relax blood vessels in the body. This is good for your blood circulation and heart because it allows for greater blood to enter them. Research backs this up by showing that when Japanese people drank five or more cups of green tea on a daily basis, they experienced the smallest risk of death from stroke and heart disease.
Tofu
If you’re vegan, you’re well on your way to living longer because you’re switching meat for products like tofu. Tofu is especially good for you because it contains soy. Soy is great because it lowers the levels of unhealthy cholesterol in your body. This, in turns, keeps your blood pressure low, so it’s a win all round. You want to look for firm tofu and prove to yourself how non-meat dishes can be fun by baking it with your favourite veggies after drizzling lemon juice, herbs and oils over it.
Beetroot
Not only a delicious addition to your salad and sandwiches, beetroot is great for keeping illness away. The reason for this is that it contains betaine, an ingredient that is known for fighting inflammation in the body. By keeping inflammation out of the picture, you can improve your quality of life.
Nuts
A Harvard study that took place over a 30 year period found that people who regularly ate nuts had a 20 percent lower risk of dying than their counterparts who didn’t consume them. This is because nuts are filled with good fats, which nourish you while cutting your bad cholesterol levels.
Healthy Eating Habits to Pile on the Years
It’s not just what you eat but how! Follow these eating habits to add more health to your life.
- Bring More Plants to the Party
Vegans/vegetarians, you score again! But even if you aren’t a big fan of fresh produce, small changes to your diet can make a huge difference. A study of people in Ikaria found that middle-aged people who made sure they ate a cup of cooked green vegetables on a daily basis cut down their chances of dying within four years by half when compared to people who weren’t eating the veggies.
- Enhance Food Mindfulness
Meditation has been said to be a great way to keep stress at bay, which is great for your overall health since stress is heavily linked to a variety of diseases. You can use greater mindfulness when you eat, too, such as by concentrating on your food – taking the time to enjoy how it tastes, smells and feels – and not eating mindlessly in front of the television. This prevents you from overeating. As a side note, cutting down TV time is also a must as research has shown every hour of TV you watch after the age of 25 steals 21.8 minutes of your life!
- Change Your Approach to the Lunchtime Sandwich
You might have heard how you should eliminate bread from your diet, but what’s much more important is to choose the right kind of bread. Whole grain bread can boost your life expectancy because it’s filled with nutrients and fibre that helps to keep you in good health. In fact, researchers have found that whole grains decrease your risk of premature death from health conditions such as diabetes and lung disease. So, don’t avoid your sandwich for lunch, just make sure that it’s whole grain.
As we all know, food plays an important role in keeping healthy. Just be careful what you increase/remove from your diet, as there have been many fads even recently that have become health myths. Remember that these foods can also be used as part of your beauty regimen, and not only for consumption. As new discoveries in dietary facts are known, new fads will change our way of thinking and living. Your longevity starts with food and your body will be forever grateful.
