FIVE simple changes to your diet could see up to ten years added onto your life, research shows.
The foods we eat every day shape our health over a lifetime and it’s never too late to tweak it for the better.
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In the new study, researchers used existing information on disease to build a model that estimates life expectancy based on diet.
Created by experts led by the University of Bergen, Norway, it shows how many years can be added onto life by switching from a typical Western diet to a healthier one.
You can view the model here.
It showed that 20-year-old men in the US who optimised their diet could live for another 13 years. Women could add on another 10.7 years.
The younger a person is, the more impact switching to a healthy diet would have on their lifespan.
But even those aged 60 could gain an additional eight to nine years, while those over 80 could see an extra three and a half years.
“Understanding the relative health potential of different food groups could enable people to make feasible and significant health gains,” the authors of the study said.
Eating the following foods boosted life expectancy the most, each by around two years:
1. Legumes
Legumes are a rich source of fibre, which most people fail to eat enough of.
The NHS recommends 30g per day, but most adults in the UK only eat 18g.
It adds: “There is strong evidence that eating plenty of fibre (commonly referred to as roughage) is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer.”
Fibre also helps with weight management as it helps you feel fuller and keeps the bowels moving.
Legumes, which are a key source of protein for non-meat eaters, include:
- Lentils
- Peas
- Chickpeas
- Beans
- Peanuts
You can add these to stews, curries and salads, perhaps swapping half your usual meat for some legumes.
2. Wholegrains
The British Dietetic Association (BDA) says: “Evidence is growing that eating wholegrains regularly as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle helps to keep us healthy and may also help to reduce the risk of many common diseases.
“It is not only the fibre in them that has health promoting properties – it seems to be the ‘complete package’ of nutrients that work together to offer protection.”
Wholegrains provide essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and micronutrients like copper and magnesium.
Eating more wholegrains can be easy as swapping your usual rice or pasta for a “whole” version.
This means the grain has not been refined and includes the fibre-rich outer layer, called the bran, and the nutrient packed “germ”.
Look for:
- Wholewheat cereals, such as wholegrain muesli or whole oats
- Wholemeal, granary, wheatgerm or seeded bread
- Rye crackers or crispbread
- Wholemeal flour
- Brown rice
- Wholewheat pasta
- Bulgur wheat
- Quinoa
- Wholegrain cereal bars
- Wholegrain rice cakes
3. More nuts
Maybe your pub snack of peanuts isn’t so bad, after all.
Just under two years could be added to your life if you up your nut intake.
A 30g serving of nuts – a small handful – is around 200 calories and contains dozens of vital nutrients, like selenium, magnesium, calcium and healthy fats.
Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, are protective against brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Eating nuts is good for the heart, research shows, by helping maintain the arteries of the heart, slashing cholesterol and keeping weight healthy.
Raw nuts are the best for snacking on, as opposed to anything salted or sweetened, and each nut has its own nutritional profile.
Some examples include:
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Peanuts
- Cashews
4. Less red meat
Like many studies before, the research suggested those that eat less red meat have a brighter future in terms of their lifespan.
Eating a lot of red (and processed meat) increases your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer.
Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, killing 16,600 people every year.
It’s also linked to heart disease and diabetes – two serious and chronic conditions.
But you don’t need to completely ditch the lasagne or Sunday roast, because red meat is still full of vitamins and minerals that form part of a balanced diet.
Red meat includes:
- Beef
- Lamb and mutton
- Pork
- Veal
- Venison
- Goat
5. Processed meat
Processed meat is often what you find in Brits’ favourite sandwiches, including sliced meat such as ham and bacon.
Like red meat, it shouldn’t be eaten in excess.
There is an increased risk of cancer for every 25g of processed meat a person eats a day, which is about a rasher of bacon or a slice of ham, Cancer Research UK says.
Processed meat includes:
- Sausages
- Bacon
- Ham
- Deli meats such as salami
- Pâtés
- Canned meat such as corned beef
- Sliced luncheon meats, including those made from chicken and turkey
The NHS gives meat recommendations covering both red and processed meat.
It says: “If you eat more than 90g of red or processed meat a day, it’s recommended that you reduce your intake to 70g or less a day.
“You can do this by eating smaller portions of red and processed meat, eating these meats less often or swapping them for alternatives.”
“If you eat more than 90g of red and processed meat on a certain day, you can eat less on the following days or have meat-free days so that the average amount you eat each day is no more than 70g.”