Eating habits and types of food for prolonging your life

Besides from frequent physical workout, regular medical checkups, and a healthy lifestyle, one thing that just may be the most important to ensure a longer and healthier life is food. The type of food and eating habits you acquire over the years will greatly influence the quality of your health, and, therefore, your lifespan.

What do the numbers say?

Several studies conducted in the developed, western world, have shown that the participants of the study (these were senior citizens aged 70 to 79) who ate more food with a high fat content are 40% more likely in the next 10 years to have health issues, compared to participants who mostly ate healthier food, with a significantly less fat in their diet.

What is “healthy” food, to be exact?

Scientists say that food can be marked as healthy if it contains dairy products with a low-fat content, fruit and vegetables, fish and chicken meat and whole grains. A healthy diet also cannot include high levels of red meat, sweets, and other artificial sugars, high-calorie drinks and fried foods.

Food types most likely to prolong your lifespan

There are many cuisines around the world that can be considered healthy, or at least, healthier than others, especially when modern day fast food is taken into account. Still, it is hard to point out a single cuisine or style of cooking or a single set of food types which can be considered the best to ensure a long life, so the best strategy is to pick out the ingredients and dishes that contain healthy substances which will be good for you.

For a healthy heart, you should eat…

Let’s start with what you should avoid to have a healthy cardiovascular system: saturated fats, found in red meat and dairy products with a high-fat content. To ensure that your heart stays healthy, you should eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, which are relatively low in calories, but rich in nutrients, minerals and fiber. Also, try to consume as much whole grain as possible because they are nutrient-rich and low in calories.

For healthy bones and brain, you should eat…

Your brains will stay strong in the later stages of your life if you consume low-fat dairy products, because of the essential vitamin D and calcium. Also, green leafy vegetables will do you good – they are excellent sources of calcium. If you want to keep your brain as vital as possible, eat as much blueberries and other fruits rich in antioxidants, dark chocolate, and fish.

Eating habits for a prolonged life

It is not just the ingredients; it is the way you consume them is important. Besides from healthy food, good, regular eating habits will make your metabolism work properly and ensure a long life.

Breakfast is important!

Never leave home without your breakfast. Get up a little earlier and prepare yourself a substantial meal, your body will be thankful.

Drink a lot of water

An average person, living in a temperate climate, should keep their intake of total fluids at around 3 liters per day, which means you should drink about 1.5 to 2 liters of water daily.