Longevity - living longer and living well

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Yesterday was a wonderful day. We celebrated my Nan’s 70^th birthday with a BBQ, an insane amount of food, a huge number of family and friends and a lot of love and laughter. We adored my great Nan, who at almost 92 still has room to try multiple desserts, even after she sampled every other food on offer during the day. Bessie sits in her chair, covered in pink, propped up by her pillows and makes us laugh, reminding us that despite recent declining physical health, she’s still with us mentally. My Nan of course, is always the picture of love, kindness and positivity. At 70 she’s still going strong with no sign of slowing down. She is unlike most of the 70 year olds I come across. It seems to be a mistake to put my Nan and ‘70’ in the same sentence. They are not a fit.

Great Nan and 2 of her kids, birthday
girl Nan + my great uncle Athur

As I was sitting here at my laptop wondering what to write about today, I kept thinking of my nan and great nan, and the long list of family members on both sides of my family who live well into their late 80’s and 90’s while maintaining their mental and physical wellbeing. We’ve certainly lost some much loved people well before their time. We are still mourning our most recent loss. A devastating blow to our family. We for the most part, certainly have good genes, however there is always a chance for something to go wrong, and the odds are that something will go wrong somewhere in every family. So I started thinking about longevity and aside from our genes, what factors have kept part of my family, and other families around the world, living so well into their later years. What keeps them active and fit, both physically and mentally?

Evidence demonstrates that longevity is based on 2 things, genetics and lifestyle choices. It is suggested that around 20-30% of our health and longevity comes from our genes. That’s great news, it means that 70-80% is up to us! Our individual behaviours and environment can alter our life expectancy and quality. Given we can’t switch our genes on and off as we please, let’s take a look at the key diet and lifestyle choices that we can make.

Diet  

We know that diet has a huge effect on lifespan. The dietary guidelines for longevity are really just those for good health. Let’s take a look at some simple recommendations

1.       Eat a Mediterranean style diet. The Mediterranean diet includes all the foods we know improve health. Lean protein, lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds. It’s nutritionally dense and high in fibre. A Mediterranean style diet is really just a healthy diet. It lowers your risk of disease and improves life expectancy.

2.       Eat a rainbow diet. If you’ve been reading my rainbow diet series, you’ll understand that each colour comes with its own set of nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Eating a varied diet ensures you’re getting everything you need to keep you healthy

3.       Avoid sugar and processed food. Increasing longevity is about improving health. You therefore want to avoid doing things that harm your health. True? Sugar and processed crap harm your health. When you eat a junk meal, you’ve not only put ugly unnecessary things into your body but you’ve also missed the opportunity to put good, healthy, nutrient dense goods in. Eating junk means you’ve deprived your body of necessary nutrition. Not the best way to achieve health and longevity.

4.       Calorie restriction. I am not a fan of this term, it sounds a bit harsh, but really all it means is that you eat a diet that is lower in calories. Research shows that those of us who eat less calories live longer than those that over eat. Makes sense right, when you think of over eating or high calorie diets what do you think of? I think of junk food, fatty foods, obesity, diabetes etc. Eating a healthy diet will naturally reduce your caloric intake.

5.       Don’t smoke or drink in excess. In California, the Seventh Day Adventists are recognised as having a particularly long lifespan. Why? Their religion requires that they don’t drink or smoke and are vegetarian. It also apparently encourages them to recreate on the weekends. We know what smoking does to the body. We know what excessive alcohol intake does. Limit your drink to a few days a week and only 1-2 glasses.

Let’s take a look at some foods you definitely want to consider for longevity

Fruit and vegetables – now really, when it comes to fruit and veg, just eat up. For the record, I don’t count potato as a veg, so if it’s your sole vegie choice, rethink. As for the rest of them, eat what you like. I would eat 2 pieces of fruit a day, and unlimited vegies. Try having half your plate be vegetables and eating vegies at at least 2 of your meals. You should easily get enough this way. Mix it up, be adventurous. If you’re not sure what your options are, read my articles on red, orange, yellow, green, black, white, purple and blue foods. There should be enough ideas there to get you started. There are definitely a couple of hero’s however and they’re listed below with the other hero’s.

Fish and seafood – a great source of trace minerals and omega 3 essential fatty acids, fresh fish is a great addition to the diet. Try including salmon, tuna, makeral, anchovies and sardines.

Hero foods

- Dark green leafy vegies like kale, spinach and silver beet. These greens are packed with nutrients and antioxidants. They’ve been shown to reduce inflammation and are alkalising to the body.

- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage. The cruciferous family provide many nutrients and antioxidants and contribute vital ingredients to our detoxification pathways. Our bodies can detox themselves but they need the right foods first.

- Berries – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and things like cherries. Full of phytonutrients these fabulous fruits are fantastic for brain health and inflammation.

- Tomatoes – all colours and varieties. Consume them cooked and raw. Cooked ensures you’re getting the most lycopene, a potent antioxidant. They’re great for the heart and for men’s prostate health.

-Turmeric – this fabulous spice is a great antioxidant and is being investigated for its benefits in inflammation and degenerative disease. Add it to whatever you can. Use it fresh or dried.

- Garlic and onion – Both garlic and onion provide a great array of antioxidants and nutrients involved in our body’s detoxification. Onions are also a great source of quercetin, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory benefits.

- Teas – I assume you know I’m going to put green tea here, but did you know there are fabulous teas in India and Africa, equally as loved for their health benefits. Definitely consider drinking green tea, but why not try the Indian tusli tea, or African Rooibos.

Nutrients

There are some important nutrients to help with the aging process also. You can largely get these through food, or you can purchase them in supplement form. I would suggest there is no point supplementing here if your diet is bad in the first place. Always aim to get diet right first, and supplement what you need thereafter.

Resveratrol – Red wine contains resveratrol, a potent antioxidant. This is not your ticket to drink the bottle after dinner. 1-2 glasses will do it. Again I’d always suggest having alcohol free days.

Alpha lipoic acid – a potent antioxidant that is both fat and water soluble. It plays a role in protecting the brain and nervous tissue, as well as blood sugar regulation.

Vitamin D – Many of us are deficient in vitamin D and given the unbelievable amount of research being conducted into this fabulous vitamin in recent years, I would suggest that we all need to focus on making sure our levels are topped up. See your doctor for a simple blood test to see what your levels are and either aim for more sun or supplement depending on what’s deemed necessary.

Lifestyle factors

Stress

In Sardinia in Italy, men live the same amount of time as women, which is unusual. When studying why, it is believed that it is due to a less stressful environment. This culture is particularly socially intertwined, with families often having lunch together, so recreational time is also high. Stress alters the body’s chemistry. It changes the way our body goes about its business. Short term, this is ok, it’s a genetic response required for survival. If you’re being chased by a lion, you want your body to kick into stressed mode. It’s not the time to be relaxed. However long term stress is not necessary, although common in today’s society. With our long work hours and go go go mentality, we may not be getting enough relaxation time to help our bodies wind down, to de-stress. Spending time with family and friends is a great way to relax, but it also fulfils the basic human needs of companionship and belonging. Who wants to be 100 and sitting at home by themselves every day? Both of these factors are important for longevity. What could you do today to relax a little more?

                                                               Nan feeling the love

                                                           

A reason to wake up

Having a reason to get out of bed in the morning is vital for longevity. How often do you hear of elderly couples who when one dies, the other dies relatively soon after, despite being in good health? Quite often after retiring from the workforce, one’s health begins to go down hill. Why? They’ve lost their reason to get up. Not to mention it may have been a good source of social interaction for them. In Okinawa Japan, people get up every morning to perform activities such as going fishing. This has been shown to have a huge impact on the cultural longevity. Take an interest in life. Develop hobbies and participate in activities that make you happy, that give you excitement. What’s your reason for waking up? If it’s currently to go to work, you may have a problem down the track.

Be positive

A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic found that optimists reduced their risk of death by as much as 50% when compared to pessimists. Managing your stress levels, maintaining a social and recreational life and having a reason to get up every day should hopefully give you everything you need to have a positive attitude. Life can be tough and certainly as we age they can seem to get harder. Keeping a positive attitude helps you deal with what may be and funnily enough, aids your stress levels, your social life and your reason to get up every day!

Keep the brain active

 If you don’t use it you lose it! We know that doing things like reading, playing games like sudoko and doing cross words as we age helps to keep the brain active. Simply having hobbies and doing activities that you enjoy may be enough. Mental decline is one of the saddest parts of the aging process. Look after your brain, use it, love it, and make the most out of it.

 

Keep the body moving

Increasing your activity levels can have dramatic results on your longevity. It reduces your risk of multiple diseases and helps in the maintenance and management of any illness. Maintaining physical strength and fitness as you age means you’re less likely to fall, and if you do you won’t hurt yourself as badly. You’re also more likely to be independent as you can continue to perform basic tasks unaided. Keep your body in good condition, as the saying goes, it’s the only place you have to live.

While we can’t change our genes, we certainly have a huge amount of control over how well we age and how long we’re here. As I look at my Nan and Great Nan, I see they do all these things. They certainly both eat good, healthy diets, they were physically active most their lives (my Nan still is), they have a great social circle and family around, they’re positive happy people and they’ve never stopped using their brains. I only hope I age with as much beauty and grace as they both are. I wish the same for you too.

Chris