Photos: iStock.
NOVEMBER 2017 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 23T
he jury is in — and the news
is all good. While genetics
and lifestyle both play a
role in determining how long and
how well you live, research shows
that the way you live your life has
the biggest impact. This means
that, to a large extent, your future
health and wellbeing rests fi rmly
in your own hands.
The evidence has been steadily
mounting since scientists began
researching the ‘Blue Zones’, the
five geographical regions that are
home to the world’s longest-lived
people. These are Okinawa in
Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Nicoya in
Costa Rica, Icaria in Greece, and
among Seventh-day Adventists
living in Loma Linda, California.
Researchers have pinpointed
certain common lifestyle
characteristics, rather than
genetics, that contribute
to longevity — and many
of them are diet related.
Here are the top seven
scientifically proven
ways you can use food
to age well. And none
of them are that hard!Y IT WORKS
ing to eat as many different coloured
s in every single meal will invariably
n eating more fruit and vegetables.
at the recommended seven serves of
fruit and veg each day, your mortality risk improves
by 42 per cent, according to UK researchers.
“The colours of fruits and vegetables — and those
of other foods like herbs, spices and nuts — come
from protective and disease-fighting antioxidants,”
says Ngaire Hobbins, dietitian and author of Eat to
Cheat Ageing. “By making the effort to include a
wide range of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables
on your plate, you know that you’re eating a variety
of antioxidants in every meal.”How to do it Commit to covering half your
plate at lunch and dinner with vegetables in a
variety of colours. And eat whole pieces of fruit
as between-meals snacks. University of Otago
researchers in New Zealand say doing both daily
is an effective way to hit the ‘seven serves a day’
target with minimal effort.t the rainbow
strategy
Cover the
antioxidant
bases with a
rainbow of
fruit & vegWhat you put on
your plate can make
a big difference to
how quickly you age.
Karen Fittall reveals
how to get it right.