As you may know my new book, ‘The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer” is out, and I’ve been doing a round of TV and radio appearances to promote it. Recently I appeared on KTLA in Los Angeles, where the moderator asked me for my five top tips for living longer.
The challenge- for me- is always to narrow a list like this down to so few items.
I came up with 14 tips but whittled it down to five for the KTLA appearance. But I thought I’d share all 14 with you, in a two-parter here in the newsletter. (For a full list of strategies for living longer and healthier, please see read my book!)
Here’s part one:
- Drink green tea every day
- Eat five ounces of nuts a week
- Drink 4 oz of pomegranate juice every day
- Take an omega-3 supplement every single day
- Walk 30 minutes every single day
- Practice hara hatchi bu
- Make a gratitude list
Catechins in green tea help fight cancer; they’re also effective for boosting your metabolism and helping fight weight gain
A 14-year study of more than 86,000 women in the Nurses Health Study showed that people who ate more than five ounces of nuts weekly had a 35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who ate less than 1 oz of nuts a month.
Pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories- in one study, the antioxidant levels in pomegranate were three times that of red wine or green tea. Since part of aging is due to free radical damage (oxidation), foods rich in antioxidants may delay some of the effects of aging. And one study showed that a daily glass of pomegranate juice can significantly slow the progress of prostate cancer.
The research on the health benefits of fish oil is so overwhelmingly positive that it’s not even controversial anymore. Omega-3 fatty acids improve mood, circulation, triglyceride levels, blood pressure and reduce inflammation, a contributor to every major disease of aging from Alzheimer’s to obesity.
Walking briskly 30 minutes a day may not cause you to lose a ton of weight or look like Mr. America, but it will grow new brain cells, protect your heart, and significantly reduce your chances of dying!
“Hara hatchi bu” is a saying in Okinawa, one of the five “Blue Zones” with the highest number of healthy 100-year olds reside. It means “Push yourself away from the table when you’re ¾ full”. Great advice. We eat too much. Every study on every species tested shows that eating less calories extends life. You don’t have to wait till you’re stuffed to stop eating!
It’s good to remind yourself every day of what you have to be grateful for. Thinking about stuff you’re thankful for takes some of your attention away from anger, resentment and other stress-producing emotions and puts your attention on the good things we often take for granted. Gratitude is a great stress-reduction strategy!
Next week I’ll give you more of my “top tips” for living longer and better!
