What to eat for longevity

Last Update: December 4, 2024. To be added: Sources to studies.

Please keep in mind that these directives are not dogmatic and not set in stone. They are contextual, however.

This is what you can do

1. Include more vegetables in your diet

This one is so well-known yet so underrated. Including more vegetables in your daily diet will provide you with a variety of important nutrients. Eating veggies makes you more satiated. This will prevent overeating on less healthy foods. It's the most effective thing you can do for positive changes in the long run.

2. Eat more cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower or brussel sprout have cancer-preventing properties and contain important vitamins and minerals.

3. Always include greens, but...

Not all greens are created equal. While you can (and should) include kale in your daily diet, make sure you limit your weekly consumption of spinach and mangold. These greens contain high amounts of oxalic acid. This acid can lead to health problems, such as kidney stones. It can worsen your nutrient intake and can even be deadly in very high amounts.

4. Eat more fruits

Unless you're fructose intolerant, make sure you eat at least 2 servings of fruit per day. Fruits provide you with important vitamins and secondary plant substances. Their anti-inflammatory properties can prevent certain diseases.

5. Eat berries every day

Berries are among the best foods you can include in your daily diet. To reap the benefits of variety, include blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and more. Berries are high in antioxidants, can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, improve brain function, may be protective against cancer and protect against diabetes. Blueberries have been shown to improve artery function for up to 24 hours after consumption.

6. Add nuts and seeds

The body needs fat, so nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fats. 3 Walnuts contain enough Omega-3 for the day and flaxseeds improve digestion. Brazil nuts contain selenium (important for vegans who don't get it otherwise) and can lower cholesterol.

Limit cashew nuts and almonds, though. While they are a great source of magnesium, they also have a higher oxalic acid content.

7. Beans and legumes for protein

Even today, a lot of people still wonder where plant-based eaters get their protein from. Beans and lentils are great protein sources, contain fiber and have a positive effect on gut health.

8. Whole grains are a great staple

Unless you're gluten-intolerant, include whole grains in your daily diet. Not only are they a great source of complex carbohydrates, which regulate blood sugar beneficially. They also contain important minerals and are satiating and tasty.

9. Less meat and fish

Animal products such as meat and fish contribute to diseases like heart disease, stroke or cancer. Quality is of great importance. Most people won't be able to afford the happy grass-fed organic beef that is probably less detrimental to your health than cheap meat that comes from factory farming and is full of antibiotics.

The oldest populations in the world sometimes eat small quantities of meat. So it's a good idea to reduce meat and fish consumption, or cut it out completely.

10. Less dairy products

Dairy has similar carcinogenic effects and can also contribute to atherosclerosis, the clogging of arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Yes, fat cheese is tasty and pizza tastes just amazing with it, but it's nothing one should eat in excess.

11. Less oil

You've probably heard that olive oil is healthy and part of the Mediterranean diet. Studies have shown that it actually leads to a decline of artery function after consumption. So the protective effects that are always contributed to olive oil are not because of the olive oil but despite it. In a Mediterranean diet, people consume lots of vegetables with olive oil, and those veggies have the protective effects.

It's no surprise that other cheap plant oils should be avoided, too. Heating oils turns them into trans fatty acids, which we talk about below.

Get your good fats from nuts, seeds and avocados and you're good to go.

12. We need to talk about processed food

Reduce the amount of processed food you consume. It's crucial to think differently about what you consider food. The food industry has led us to think that processed shit in plastic bags can be considered food. But it's not. It's crap and it's making us sick.

Michael Pollan has a nice rule in his book "Food Rules": Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

13. Trans fats are the enemy

Reduce trans fats. That is almost every oil that has been heated. Cookies, chips, fries and all the other junk food that tastes amazing will inevitably hurt your arteries and make you sick in the long run. They cause atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes and cancer.

14. Hidden calories or liquid sugar

Look out for hidden calories and reduce sugar, especially in beverages.

15. Artificial sweeteners are not your friend

The problem with artificial sweeteners (yes, even those in your favorite protein powder) is that they evoke the same insulin response in your body as sugar. Some of them, Sucralose for example, have been shown to cause cancer. They are not a free ticket to indulge in sweet taste.

16. Water and Tea for staying hydrated

Drink 3–4 liters of water daily, if you can. Coffee and alcohol don't count. It has been said that coffee dehydrates you. Others claim it doesn't. To be safe, don't count coffee in and you should be good to go.

Drinking lots of water in a short period of time, like more than one liter per hour, can lead to excess loss of electrolytes with urine, so don't overdo it. And drinking 6 liters at once can actually lead to death.

17. How do you react to coffee?

Coffee is humanity's favorite drug. Some people don't have a problem with it, but if you're reacting sensitively to it, try to quit coffee completely. For some people, this cures their anxiety and improves sleep significantly.

18. Alcohol

New studies show that there's no harmless amount of alcohol. Do you really need it? Are you a social drinker? Or is it a reward for you? Try to find out what fuels your alcohol habits and see if you can reduce or leave it out completely. It's no shame to grab an alcohol-free beverage with your friends instead.

19. Supplements: Only what's necessary

Vitamin D, especially during winter, if you don't live near the equator and don't get a lot of sun exposure. If you live in a northern latitude, get around 15 minutes of daylight exposure a day and supplement 2,000 International Units of vitamin D.

Vitamin B12 if you eat fully plant-based.

Creatine is beneficial for sports performance and for regulating homocysteine levels if you eat plant-based.

Omega-3 (algae-based) for brain and heart health.

Iodine can be important for vegans who don't use iodized salt.

Other than that, you probably don't need any other supplements, unless you have a proven deficiency and your doctor tells you so.

20. Try intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting is a great tool that can help people lose weight, manage cravings, be more focused (when your body isn't busy digesting food) and regulate blood sugar. Experiment with which time frame works best for you. You could eat for 8 hours and not eat for 16 hours, which is the most common form.

You can also skip eating for one day of the week and eat normally for the rest of the week. It depends on your body and what works for you.

Eating only one meal a day can work for some people, but others find it too hard to keep up. They could also struggle with getting enough nutrients, or they start overeating in the evening.

Try to skip dinner instead of breakfast if you can. While skipping breakfast is very popular, studies have shown that if you eat the majority of your calories later in the day, your cholesterol levels actually go up. If you eat most of your calories early in the day, then you have the whole day to move and utilize some of them. So skipping dinner is more beneficial in terms of cholesterol.

Discussion

Some people only eat meat and nothing else. They seem to thrive on a carnivore diet, since they suffer from an autoimmune disease or something else. While the research seems to be shallow on this, I didn't want to leave this unmentioned.

As with any elimination diet, it can be useful to cut out almost all food for a short period of time and reintroduce foods as you go to see which ones you can eat without a problem and which cause symptoms. Please note that there are no long-term studies as far as I'm aware of.

It could be that some people just thrive on eating plant-based and others thrive on meat-only because of the way their bodies handle food. Maybe there's no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how we eat. I feel like I have to say this because otherwise half of the internet is going to roast me.

However, when it comes to longevity, I'm skeptical that a carnivore diet is a sustainable, long-term solution that can be recommended to most people. That being said, I'm happy for everyone who found relief from unwanted health conditions and I'm not here to tell you what to eat. Just make sure to consult a doctor before trying some crazy shit you read on the internet.

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