Tag Archives: health and longevity

Superfood Ingredients

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Diane

Your body is a remarkable machine. Put the right fuels into it, whole, local, fresh, unprocessed, chemical-free foods found right in your grocery store, and it will run like it should. Give it optimal nutrition, and it can protect itself and help prevent illness. We have researched the global food market and nature’s gardens to discover which foods provide the healthiest benefits – the foods that are shared across tables in the world’s key Longevity Hot Spots.

Here is a list of many of the foods we will use in the recipes to come.

Acai berries	Ginger
Apples	Goji berries
Apricots	Green tea
Avocados	Mushrooms
Blueberries	Red Wine and Resveratrol
Beans	Soy
Brassica vegetables	Spinach
Buckwheat	Sprouted Foods
Chocolate (cacao)	Sweet Potatoes
Chlorella and Spirulina	Tomato Paste and Tomatoes
Cinnamon	Turmeric
Flax	Yogurt
Garlic

Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek
Longevity Researchers
www.ALongerHealthyLife.com
(619) 743-4263
Email Us

Posted in Recipes for Longevity | Tagged eating for longevity, foods for a longer healthy life, foods for longevity, health and longevity, how to eat for a longer healthy life, recipes for longevity | Comments Off

The Long Lived People Eat Nutrient Dense Foods

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Diane

In order to live a longer healthy life, the long lived people consume nutrient dense diets, consisting of foods that their bodies are able to absorb and utilize the most nutrients from. Dr. Joel Furhman in his book Eat for Health created the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) which is a score assigned to whole foods that contain the highest nutrients per calorie.

The ANDI Score goes from 1 to 1000 with 1 being a soda pop. The top ten foods that our bodies will get the most nutrients from per calorie are Kale, Collard Greens, Watercress, Bok Choy, Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Mustard Greens, and Parsley.

Unfortunately, those are the foods that Americans, and Western Culture in general consume the least of … yet by no small coincidence, they are the very foods we see the long lived people consuming again and again in our travels to the longevity villages.

So, what can you do? Start adding greens in your morning fruit smoothie, if you only add in a small amount to begin with you will not taste the greens and within a week you will find yourself craving more greens, reaching for more salads over processed foods and noticing a change in how you look, how you feel, and you will find the extra weight melting off your frame. Watch for our favorite longevity recipes, including green smoothies beginning next week.

Beginning now, ask to substitute greens as a side with your dinner or lunch at a restaurant instead of fries or coleslaw. At a buffet, fill your plate with dark leafy greens and top with raw fruits and vegetables, tofu, beans or rice. Skip the processed foods and foods smothered in sauces.

By making this small change in your daily diet, looking for the low calorie, nutrient dense whole plant foods to fill your plate instead, you will be headed down the path to longevity like the long lived people … remember “By birthright we are all entitled to live A Longer Healthy Life!”

Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek, Longevity Researchers www.ALongerHealthyLife.com

Posted in Eating for Longevity, Longevity Lifestyle Habits | Tagged ANDI Chart, ANDI Scale, ANDI Score, dark leafy greens, Diane Haworth, foods for a longer healthy life, green smoothies, health and longevity, live longer, longevity, longevity diets, longevity recipes, Michael Varbaek | Comments Off

Okinawan Secrets to Longevity Include Practicing Yuimaaru

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Diane

Michael and I are in Okinawa Japan this month studying the lifestyle and habits of the long-lived people here. Today we are in the village of Ogimi where there are more people living to be over a hundred than anywhere else in the world. The warm and smiling faces of the people here invite us to learn their ways and are open to sharing what has been passed down for many generations, including the practice of Yuimaaru which translates roughly to “warm-hearted and friendly cooperative effort.”

You may see Yuimaaru when a neighbor needs help with repairing his roof, harvesting his crop, or celebrating a special occasion. Many people from the village will come together to help in the effort, “many hands make light work,” but perhaps key to their longevity is it provides a chance for social interaction spending time with others and for friendships to blossom.

Yuimaaru is also apparent when large groups of the long-lived women in Ogimi get together to simply cheer on school children from the village in sporting activities. They are often not related to any of the children in the event, but will come out to support and mentor and spend time with the children of the village.

It is the very act of being a part of something greater than yourself, a mutual aid and reciprocity that gives comfort, joy and peace of mind as we age, especially to those who are living alone. By practicing Yuimaaru, the long-lived Okinawan never feel isolated or alone. This in turn gives them yet another reason to get up every day and celebrate their journey in life.

We can practice Yuimaaru in our daily lives by volunteering our time, helping others in need in a group or club effort, joining a non-profit organization in our own community or in our church. Begin today implementing the habit of Yuimaaru in your daily life, and you will not only add years to your life, you will live A Longer Healthy Life.

Diane Haworth and Michael Varbaek, Longevity Researchers www.ALongerHealthyLife.com

Posted in Longevity Lifestyle Habits | Tagged health and longevity, live longer, long healthy life, longer healthy life, longevity, longevity habits, longevity lifestyle, Okinawan longevity, Yuimaaru | Comments Off

“Hari Hachi Bu” Can Help You Live Longer

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Diane

By eating until you are 80% full you just may outlive your peers, and as an added bonus, you will likely feel more energetic, and delay the signs of aging like wrinkles, hair loss and mental decline. You may also significantly lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and cancer.

The first studies done at Cornell University in the 1930’s showed a link between eating fewer calories and longevity and today more than 2000 studies have been conducted that consistently show the same. As a rule, a 30 percent reduction in caloric intake corresponded to at least a 30 percent increase in life span in these animal studies. In Okinawa, Japan, residents of the island boast over three times the number of centenarians as their counterparts on the Japanese mainland. This population of long-lived robust Japanese support the theory that restricting caloric intake will also slow the aging process in humans.

The Okinawans consume about 30 percent fewer calories than other Japanese and they not only live longer, they have significantly lower rates of chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, and in addition lower rates of cognitive decline compared with other Japanese. So what can you do? Do as the Okinawans do in the cultural calorie counting habit of Hari Hachi Bu, the practice of stopping eating when you are 80 percent full. This strategy works as a good way to lose extra weight and maintain a healthy base weight as it takes the stomachs stretch receptors about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it really is, and about 20 minutes after eating you will feel full.

Eat a whole food diet that is plant-based. Chose to eat more nutritionally dense calories in the form of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, dark leafy greens, sprouted nuts, seeds, grains and fermented foods. The rewards of making this simple change are immense, including renewed feeling of vitality, the slowing of the aging process, and the postponement or prevention of chronic disease.