Longevity

Is there such a thing as a longevity diet? Studies suggest the answer is yes. Certain groups of people enjoy exceptionally long lives all over the world. Take the lucky people of Okinawa Island, for example. These Pacific Islanders have an average life expectancy of more than 81 years. It is 78 in the United States and the worldwide average is just 67. Some other communities who typically eat vegetarian diets live four to seven years longer on average. The residents of the San Blas islands off the coast of Panama very rarely suffer from high blood pressure and heart disease. Indeed, research shows that their rate of heart disease is only nine per 100,000 people. It is 83 per 100,000 among nearby Panamanians on the mainland. What makes these groups so fortunate? A growing number of evidence suggests that diet is one of the important factors to longevity and healthy living. Here’s what’s on the menu of people who enjoy long and healthy lives. For heart health and longevity, you should eat plenty of fruits and vegetables because they are packed with fibre and nutrients. Fruits and vegetables are also relatively low in calories. Studies show that diets full of fruits and vegetables help people maintain ahealthy weight. They also protect people against cardiovascular diseases. Whole grains like oats and barley are also rich in disease-fighting compounds. Legumeswhich have low glycaemic index are also very valuable sources of nutrients for a good balance of food.

Nowadays, dieticians recommend us to include enough vegetables and fruit as well as 20 % proteins, 60 % carbohydrates and 20 % olive oil, butter and fatin our diet. On the other hand, David Perlmutter suggests in his book titled Grain Brain that we should reduce the amount of carbohydrate consumption to 5 %. He recommends us to follow our ancestors’ diet to lead a healthy long life.He also warns us aboutthe dangerous effects of gluten in grains. Because it is the major cause of many diseases people suffer from on these days. “Hardly a day goes by without someone telling me a story about a miraculous improvement in some form of medical condition when a person eliminates gluten from his or her diet.”

David Perlmutter also points out the importance of doing sport to maintain a healthy long life. He explains why we need to do sports as follows: “Sitting can endanger your health, and not just in the form of minor aches and pains. Recent studies show that too much sitting contributes to a host of diseases - from obesity and diabetes to cancer and depression. A typical office worker suffers from more musculoskeletal injuries than those workers who do daily manual labour. Office workers sit at their desks most of the day. Sitting is as much an occupational risk as lifting heavy weights on the job. The facts are in: sitting literally shortens your life. Your chair is your enemy, and it is murdering your body.”Is it possible for people to live a long life?