Improve Longevity By Following The Gold Standard Diet

Almost everyone wants to add more years to their lives for one reason or another. It may be that they wanted to enjoy more of the company of their loved ones or simply relish further the things in life that they enjoy the most.

In many parts of the world, there are a lot of people who have managed to improve longevity. These people have shown that while genetics may play a major role in life expectancy, their lifestyles can somehow alter this. Those who were able to improve their longevity oftentimes attribute this to the lifestyle changes they made.

Living Longer is Possible

You need not look for the fountain of youth to enjoy a longer life. You only need to make some sacrifices and implement changes in your lifestyle, particularly your diet.

Diet plays a huge role in the quest to improve longevity, and along with it, an improved physical and mental wellness. According to many studies, most of the people who enjoy longer lifespans follow a certain diet. This particular diet has been proven many times to help improve life expectancy.

Mediterranean Diet

Consisting mostly of fruits, vegetables, healthy fats from olives and nuts, pulses, herbs, and spices, the Mediterranean diet is widely recognized as among the healthiest in the world. Moderate consumption of wine is also part of this diet.

While they do eat other types of food like seafood and eggs, they consume these in moderation. They also moderately consume dairy and some fruits like avocados. Their meat and sweets consumption is very much limited.

Research has shown that people in countries like Spain who follow the Mediterranean diet have longer lifespans compared to other places. Many of them enjoy life-expectancies of 82.8 years. This is why the Mediterranean diet has been referred to as the gold standard when it comes to the goal of living healthier and longer.

A new study has also found that the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet include improving HDL-cholesterol levels and reducing blood pressure levels. It also helps in normalizing triglycerides levels and improves glucose metabolism. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A Better and Longer Life

Researchers found that greater observance of a Mediterranean diet can help you have a better and longer life. You can also Mediterranean-ize your meals by replacing conventional spreads like traditional butter with nut butter. Replacing regular oil or fat with extra virgin olive oil to stir-fry vegetables also provides you with lots of health benefits.

For a snack, you can ditch your chips and cookies for fresh fruit coupled with olives and nuts. You can also enjoy a handful of roasted chickpeas. For your Mediterranean diet dinner, you may enjoy an occasional fish on a bed of vegetables tossed in extra virgin olive oil. For side dishes, include roasted potatoes and a shot of pinot noir.