Foods That Promote Longevity

One of your most basic health principles is to eat real food. This will radically reduce your exposure to the tens of thousands of chemicals added to processed foods, most of which are not even on the label. Health.com recently published a list of 18 foods packed with health-promoting compounds like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals known to play a role in longevity. 1. Pure water - Drink plenty of pure water. I believe the single most powerful intervention you can make for your health would be to stop drinking sodas and juices, and replace them with pure water. Staying well-hydrated can also counteract many common ills, from minimizing wrinkles to reducing your risk for blood clots. Severe dehydration has even been shown to reduce your cognitive function and performance to a similar degree as alcohol, making you more prone to car accidents and other mishaps. 2. Tea - Certain types of tea can also have health-promoting benefits. Green tea, for example, has been shown to lower your risk of heart disease and cancer when consumed at least three times a week. Drinking four to five cups of green tea daily has also been shown to promote weight loss. Participants who drank this amount of green tea for four months lost an average of two pounds more than those who didn't drink green tea. 3. Coffee - while it could do more harm than good if consumed in excess or with added sugar, artificial sweeteners, milk, or creamers — also has an impressive list of redeeming qualities, including longevity. Research suggests coffee can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, dementia, stroke, and certain cancers. It also helps increase the metabolic activity and/or numbers of beneficial Bifidobacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. The caveat here is to make sure your coffee is organic, as conventional coffee tends to be heavily sprayed with pesticides. Ideally use whole-bean black coffee — the darker the roast, the better. One study found that dark roast coffee restored blood levels of the antioxidants vitamin E and glutathione more effectively than light roast coffee. The dark roast also led to a significant body weight reduction in pre-obese volunteers, whereas the lighter roast did not. 4. Red wine - Another beverage that can do harm or good depending on the quantity and quality is red wine, which has been linked to health benefits such as reduced blood pressure, cancer prevention, and anti-aging. Resveratrol is the primary ingredient in red wine that gives it its health promoting qualities, and in my view, there are healthier sources for this potent free radical scavenger than wine, considering all alcoholic beverages also have a neurotoxic influence. Recent research shows that resveratrol, taken in concentrated doses, may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. 5. Nuts - One 30-year long study found that people who regularly ate one ounce of nuts at least seven times per week were 20 percent less likely to die for any reason, compared to those who avoided nuts in their diet. Eating nuts at least five times a week corresponded to a 29 percent reduction in mortality risk due to heart disease; a 24 percent reduction for respiratory disease; and an 11 percent reduction for cancer. Raw nuts are an excellent source of healthy fats, which you need more of once you start cutting non-vegetable carbs out of your diet. They also contain plenty of valuable vitamins and minerals, and make for an overall great snack when energy levels are flagging. All nuts are not created equal though. Macadamia nuts and pecans provide the highest amount of healthy fat while being on the lower end in terms of carbs and protein. 6. Berries - Berries of all kinds contain concentrated amounts of disease-fighting phytochemicals known to boost your immunity, prevent cancer, and protect your heart. They're also lower in sugar than many fruits so they're less likely to destabilize your insulin levels, making them another great contender for a quick guiltless snack. 7. Chocolate - Provided you stick with dark chocolate, gut bacteria will break down and ferment its components, turning them into anti-inflammatory compounds that benefit your health. Research has linked dark chocolate consumption to over 40 distinct health benefits, including longevity. As noted in the featured article: "A 1999 Harvard study of 8,000 men discovered that those who ate chocolate as many as three times a month lived a year longer than those who didn't." The closer your cocoa is to its natural raw state, the higher its nutritional value; ideally, your chocolate or cocoa should be consumed raw (cacao). 8. Wild Alaskan salmon - Research suggests that eating oily fish once or twice a week may increase your lifespan by more than two years, and reduce your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 35 percent. If you want to maximize health benefits from fish, avoid farmed fish, particularly farmed salmon, and even more specifically genetically engineered farmed salmon — especially if you're seeking to improve your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. Look for "Alaskan salmon," and "sockeye salmon," as Alaskan sockeye is not allowed to be farmed. Canned varieties are an inexpensive alternative to pricier salmon steaks. 9. Avocado - Avocados are actually classified as a fruit, are rich in monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy. They also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E, B-vitamins, and folic acid. Clinical research has revealed a number of health effects of avocado consumption, linking it to reduced risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, as well as appetite suppression and improved weight management. It also enhances your body's absorption of other nutrients. Researchers have found it can help optimize cholesterol levels within as little as one week, and contains compounds that appear to inhibit and destroy oral cancer cells, along with others that protect against liver damage. Besides eating it "as is," you can increase your avocado consumption by using it as a fat replacement in baking; add it to soups, dessert whips, and countless other recipes. 10. Coconut oil - Half of the fat content in coconut oil is lauric acid that your body converts into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-protozoa properties. The medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) in coconut oil also produce a whole host of health benefits, including stimulating your metabolism. MCFAs are also immediately converted to energy — a function usually served in the diet by simple carbohydrates — so like avocados, coconut oil is an ideal replacement for unhealthy grain carbs. It can be added to smoothies, or used in virtually any dish calling for butter or oil. When it comes to cooking, coconut oil is ideal as it can tolerate high heat without oxidizing. Vegetables contain an array of antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds. Some plant chemicals can reduce inflammation and eliminate carcinogens, while others regulate the rate at which cells reproduce, get rid of old cells and maintain DNA. 11. Leafy greens - They are basic staples with not-so-basic health benefits. Researchers at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute's Molecular Immunology division discovered that a gene, called T-bet, which is essential for producing critical immune cells in your gut, responds specifically to leafy green vegetables. Those immune cells are thought to play an important role in controlling inflammatory diseases, and may even prevent the bowel cancer. According to the featured article, eating one cup of cooked greens per day cut middle-aged people's risk of dying in the next four years in half, compared to those who didn't eat any leafy greens. Other power players in the vegetable kingdom include the following: 12. Broccali - Broccoli contains dozens, maybe even hundreds, of super-nutrients that support optimal health, including immune-boosting and anti-cancer compounds. Eating broccoli raw, as opposed to cooked, will help protect its nutrients. Broccoli sprouts are an even more nutritionally potent way to enjoy broccoli. 13. Sprouts - Sprouts may offer some of the highest levels of nutrition available, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and enzymes that help protect against free radical damage. Many of the benefits of sprouts relate to the fact that plants contain more concentrated amounts of nutrients in their initial phase of growth. 14. Fermented vegetables - Almost everyone has damaged gut flora these days, unless you're part of the minority that eats a strict organic whole foods diet and avoids antibiotics. Fermented vegetables are one of the most palatable fermented foods that can provide you with a robust dose of beneficial bacteria, which are critically important for optimal physical and mental health. Fermented foods are also potent detoxifiers, capable of drawing out a wide range of toxins and heavy metals, including some pesticides. 15. Tomatoes - Tomatoes are one of the best dietary sources of lycopene, which has been shown to have anti-cancerous activity, and may reduce your risk of stroke. Just remember to consume your tomatoes, whether raw or cooked, with some type of fat, such as olive oil, since lycopene is a fat-soluble nutrient. 16. Cabbage - Cabbage is among the most potent medicinal foods available, and including cabbage as a regular part of your diet, at least two or three times a week, may offer many significant health benefits. It contains compounds that help prevent cancer, as well as high concentrations of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. Eat it raw, lightly cooked, or fermented. 17. Quinoa - According to a 14-year long Harvard study, eating a bowl of quinoa a day may lower your risk of premature death from diseases like cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes by 17 percent. While it's often used as a grain replacement, quinoa is technically a seed, related to chard and spinach. It's high in healthy fats and antioxidants, and is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. Just be sure to soak it for a few minutes, or ideally overnight, before you cook it. 18. Garlic - Last but not least, herbs and spices of all kinds are potent superfoods, so go ahead and spice things up! Garlic is well-known for its healing powers, and studies have demonstrated more than 150 beneficial health effects of garlic, including a reduced risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, and various cancers. Keep in mind that garlic must be used fresh to give you optimal health benefits. To stimulate the process that catalyzes the formation of allicin — which is responsible for many of its therapeutic effects — compress a fresh clove with a spoon prior to swallowing it, or put it through your juicer with other veggies. Controlling Inflammation Is Key for Longevity The running thread linking a wide variety of common health problems — from obesity and diabetes to heart disease and cancer — is chronic inflammation. The key to reducing chronic inflammation in your body starts with your diet, and as you can see, the vast majority of the foods listed above tend to have anti-inflammatory activity. The same cannot be said for processed foods, which as a general rule tend to be pro-inflammatory, courtesy of ingredients like added sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, soy, and processed vegetable oils (trans fats), and can contain some of the tens of thousands of chemicals that snuck through the GRAS loophole and are not even required to be listed on the label, despite the fact they've never previously been tested for safety in humans. Replacing processed foods with real foods can make a significant difference in your overall health and weight, and ultimately determine how long you'll live. Source: health.com, mercola.com, 5/30/16.

31 Foods That Have More Sugar Than a Doughnut

The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend limiting your daily added sugar intake to nine teaspoons (38 grams) for men and six teaspoons (25 grams) for women. I strongly recommend limiting your daily fructose intake to 25 grams or less from all sources, including natural sources such as fruit — regardless of whether you’re male or female. That equates to just over six teaspoons of total sugar a day. The average American, however, consumes about 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day, which is more than three times my recommended amount. There’s simply no doubt that the overconsumption of sugar is fueling the obesity and chronic disease epidemics we’re currently struggling with, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Most people are aware that sugar is present (in abundance) in sweet processed foods like doughnuts, cakes, and candy. Yet, many are unaware of just how much sugar they’re consuming, as it’s oftentimes hidden under other less familiar names, such as dextrose, maltose, galactose, and maltodextrin, and found in foods you wouldn’t necessarily expect. According to SugarScience.org, added sugars hide in 74 percent of processed foods under more than 60 different names! So, needless to say, if you eat processed foods then consuming more than the recommended daily amount of sugar is far easier than you might think. 31 Foods with More Sugar Than a Doughnut: Doughnuts are one of the worst foods you can eat, and they’re also one of the most sugar-laden. So they serve as a good barometer of sugar content. If the food you’re eating contains more sugar than a doughnut, it’s probably not doing your health any favors. There’s more to a food’s nutritive value than its sugar content alone (so eating a piece of whole fruit with 10 grams of sugar is going to offer you far more value than a doughnut with 10 grams), but the point is that even some “healthy-sounding” foods are too high in sugar to actually be healthy. Krispy Kreme's original glazed doughnut contains 10 grams of sugar. Take Part, Business Insider, BuzzFeed, and Mother Jones compiled 31 foods that have more sugar than this, some of which may surprise you. 1. Chili’s Caribbean Chicken Salad with Grilled Chicken = almost 7 doughnuts (67 grams of sugar) 2. Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino = 6 doughnuts (64 grams of sugar) 3. Jamba Juice Banana Berry Smoothie, small = 6 doughnuts (60 grams of sugar) 4. Odwalla Superfood Smoothie, 15.2 ounces = 5 doughnuts (50 grams of sugar) 5. Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake = 4.5 doughnuts (45 grams of sugar) 6. California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Salad = 4.5 doughnuts (45 grams of sugar) 7. Kraft French Style Fat Free Dressing = 4 doughnuts (42 grams of sugar) 8. Dunkin’ Donuts Reduced-Fat Blueberry Muffin = 4 doughnuts (40 grams of sugar 9. Snapple Peach Tea = 4 doughnuts (39 grams of sugar) 10. Burger King Chicken, Apple, and Cranberry Garden Fresh Salad = 4 doughnuts (38 grams of sugar) 11. Craisins Dried Cranberries (1.75 ounces) = 3 doughnuts (34 grams of sugar) 12. Vitamin Water, 20 ounces = 3 doughnuts (33 grams of sugar) 13. Naked Pomegranate Blueberry Juice = 3 doughnuts (32 grams of sugar) 14. McDonald’s Fruit and Maple Oatmeal = 3 doughnuts (32 grams of sugar) 15. IHOP Whole Wheat Pancakes with Banana, 4 pancakes, no syrup = 3 doughnuts (32 grams of sugar) 16. Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, 8 ounces = 3 doughnuts (31 grams of sugar) 17. Starbucks Greek Yogurt and Honey Parfait = 3 doughnuts (30 grams of sugar) 18. Starbucks Blueberry Muffin = 3 doughnuts (29 grams of sugar) 19. Stonyfield Fat Free Blackberry Blend Yogurt = 3 doughnuts (28 grams of sugar) 20. Can of Coca-Cola = 2.5 doughnuts (26.4 grams of sugar) 21. Yoplait Blackberry Harvest Yogurt = 2.5 doughnuts (26 grams of sugar) 22. Tropicana Orange Juice, 8 ounces = 2 doughnuts (22 grams of sugar) 23. Nutella Spread, 2 tablespoons = 2 doughnuts (21 grams of sugar) 24. Campbell’s Classic Tomato Soup on the Go = 2 doughnuts (20 grams of sugar) 25. Dole Mixed Fruit Cup = 1.5 doughnuts (17 grams of sugar) 26. Subway 6" Sweet Onion Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich = 1.5 doughnuts (17 grams of sugar) 27. Motts Applesauce (one cup) = 1.5 doughnuts (16 grams of sugar) 28. Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Fruit and Nut Granola Bar = 1 doughnut (13 grams of sugar) 29. Kellogg’s Froot Loops = 1 doughnut (12 grams of sugar) 30. Prego Fresh Mushroom Italian Spaghetti Sauce = 1 doughnut (11 grams of sugar) 31. Luna Bar = 1 doughnut (11 grams of sugar) Source: mercola, 5/18/16.