Do you need some help in cutting through all of the confusion about eating well to increase your longevity? These eating habits can also improve your ability to be active and independent:
Eat Your Veggies and Fruit
Research shows only about one in ten U.S. adults eat enough of these valuable foods. To accomplish this, try to make it a habit to eat one to two cups of fruit and three cups of vegetables daily. Spread your intake out by eating a half cup of fruit at breakfast and a half cup of fruit for a snack, and one cup of vegetables for lunch and two cups for dinner.
Here are some suggested ways to achieve this:
- combine fruits and vegetables in a smoothie perhaps made of spinach and frozen bananas and strawberries.
- make a stir fry with fruits and vegetables
- list and prepare the ingredients for a Mediterranean bowl and toss them together for a quick nutritious meal
Eat Lots of Nuts and Nut Butters
They provide healthy fats, plant protein, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, potassium, and magnesium. Eat a quarter cup of nuts or two tablespoons of nut butter.
Eat More Meat-Free Meals
The people who live the longest, healthiest lives live in five regions of the world known as Blue Zones. Search for Blue Zones Cookbook and find many books on the subject. The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 fuses scientific reporting, National Geographic Photography and 100 recipes that may help you live to 100.
Eat Like a Mediterranean
To develop this pattern of eating, consider consuming lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, pulses (beans, peas and lentils), healthy fats from nuts, olive oil and avocado, herbs and spices, seafood a few times a week, moderate consumption of dairy, eggs and wine and limited sweets and meat. A few simple ways to do this would be to have hummus or nut butter on toast, saute vegetables in olive oil, snack on fresh fruits, nuts, olives or roasted chick peas. To learn more about eating like this see our blog post.
Sip Green Tea
Green tea has been dubbed preventative medicine in a cup. Some simple ways to accomplish this would be to sip in place of coffee or tea, use it as a liquid in smoothies or oatmeal, incorporate it into soups, stews, sauces or marinades. Since sleep is so important to health, remember to cut off all caffeine at least six hours before bed.
In conclusion I am enjoying learning how to eat a plant-focused diet featuring plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and to eat most of my calories in the morning. “Dine like a king at breakfast” the saying goes. I don’t mind taking things out of my diet like meat and alcohol because I know this saves the planet, my pocketbook and my health.