#2: The 'Iron Living' Approved Foods
You’d be surprised to know how impactful a single meal can be for your longevity. Just one, single meal has the potential to make you live either a little longer, or a little less. Whether you consume it or not, however, comes down to you.
That said, which foods would have a positive effect on one’s health? The answer is debatable, at best. But based on the research I’ve conducted, I would generally recommend the following:
Plant-based whole foods (to be consumed daily).
Minimally processed animal-based foods (to be consumed in moderation).
Processed foods and excess sugar (to avoid altogether).
I’ll give you my full list below, based on a three-meal-per-day system.
PlantS: Eat Daily
1: Beans and Legumes
Recommended intake: 2-3 servings per day
Beans have always been associated with better health. Outcomes of the largest study testing the effectiveness of beans at preventing cancer found them to be so powerful that experts wound up recommending that they (and wholegrains) be consumed with every meal.
I often say that your plate should be plant-dominant, but it should also include protein. Luckily, beans have both, aside from being loaded with fiber, folate (vitamin B9), and potassium.
Legumes have seldom been a point of contention when it comes to health, too. Most studies investigating legumes have found they are often associated with slimmer waists, lower blood pressure, better blood sugar control (and insulin), and improved cholesterol scores.
Top choices: tofu and tempeh (both high in protein), lentils, chickpeas, black beans, Adzuki beans, green beans, black-eyed peas, snow peas, or green peas. Pastas made with bean flours can be used (in moderation).
2: Fruit
Recommended intake: 2-3 servings per day (1 of which is from berries)
The largest study investigating diet and mortality established an irrefutably positive link between fruit intake and longevity. For this reason, I tend to recommended at least three servings of fruit per day.
If you fancy a play at living long, however, then you need to make berries the centerpiece of your fruit intake. Berries are the healthiest fruits, partly due to their plant pigments. They average nearly 10 times more antioxidants than other fruits and vegetables (over 50 times more than animal-based foods). These antioxidants keep your cells healthy and prevent free radical damage.
Top choices: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Then, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, clementines, dates, figs, grapefruit, kiwi, lemons, limes, mangos, nectarines, olives, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, peaches, pears, plums, pomegranate, prunes, watermelon.
3: Vegetables
Recommended intake: liberal use of green vegetables + 2 servings of crucifers+ 2 servings of coloured).
Leafy greens were found to have the greatest ability to safeguard against major chronic diseases, including up to about a 20 % reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events per serving.
Top choices: arugula, collard greens, kale, spinach, Swiss chard.
Cruciferous vegetables protect us from DNA damage, prevent the growth and spread of cancer, prevent autism, help manage type 2 diabetes, protect us from free radical damage and improve the activity of liver detox enzymes. This property is attributed to sulforaphane (which is almost exclusively found in crucifers).
Top choices: bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, watercress
Coloured vegetables; depending on the colour (different colours = different anti-oxidant pigments) these foods offer their own health benefits. Therefore, go crazy. Add as many varying colours to your plate as possible.
Top choices: artichokes, asparagus, beets, bell peppers, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, onions, purple potatoes, pumpkin, sea vegetables (like nori), squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini.
4: Nuts And Seeds
Recommended intake: 1-2 servings per day (at least 1 from flaxseeds).
Nuts are a favourite amongst the world’s centenarians and are consumed religiously across all Blue Zones.
Simply adding nuts to one’s diet, without any further adjustment, cuts the risk of stroke in half. They also lower the risk of dying prematurely, overall.
Unfortunately, not all nuts get the green light here. This is because, in my opinion, not all nuts share the ideal ratio of omega 3 (anti-inflammatory) to omega 6 (inflammatory).
Be sure to get your fill of these glorious foods from my top choices below.
Top choices: almonds, almond butter, brazil nuts, coconut, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, macadamias, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.
5: Whole Grains
Recommended intake: 1-2 servings per day.
Whole grains contain complex carbohydrates, protein, healthy plant fat, antioxidants, and other health-promoting nutrients. And while many diet experts advise against eating grains, this advice is seldom based on hard data.
There are claims that grains cause inflammation, but well-done studies show that consuming grains in their whole form prevented and decreased inflammation. Many studies, including Harvard’s Nurses’ Health Study, showed that people who eat whole grains daily live longer and have reduced incidences of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and strokes.
In a three-meal-a-day plan, try having your whole grain servings in the first two, leaving the last meal of the day as the meal with the lowest carb content (unless it follows an intense training session).
Top choices: barley, buckwheat, millet, oats, quinoa, rice (white, brown, wild), rye, sourdough bread.
6: Others
Herbs and Spices (use liberally) - Berries are second only to herbs and spices as the most antioxidant-packed food category. These foods are, essentially, a whole pack of anti-oxidants in a pinch. Try to include a variety of them with every, single meal. Add cinnamon to oatmeal, rosemary to potatoes, and so on.
Vinegar (use liberally) - Adding vinegar not only lowers one’s blood sugar and insulin responses, it also helps you feel more full. This is only made possible because of a powerful ingredient found in vinegar. A polyphenol called resveratrol. Many cultures have taken advantage of this and regularly mix vinegar with high-glycemic foods. Sushi rice in Japan, Sourdough bread in Europe…
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (up to 1-2 tsp with each meal) - is pegged to be so healthy, that scientists investigating it have said that “the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet are probably attributed to the inclusion of olive oil”.
Dark Chocolate > 80% cacao (1-2 squares daily) - due to its high content of health-promoting flavonoids.
Quorn meatless fillets (vegan option).
Teas and Coffees (up to 4 cups daily) with nothing added.
Raw Honey (1-2 tsp daily).
Animals: Moderate
1: Dairy
Recommended intake: 2-4 servings per week
Dairy is consumed in many long-living populations, but not ridiculously often. Still, in these populations where longevity is kind of a thing, consumers usually opt for minimally processed dairy, usually in the form of sheep or goat milk. Dairy that is the easiest to digest, while also retaining a decent ratio of protein and healthy fats (including medium-chain triglycerides).
Research has shown that these cheeses enhance the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from other food because of their positive impact on the gut. In addition, owing to the reduced lactose content, they are far more digestible. The lactose content in sheep or goat cheese is about 12 % less per cup (compared to cow cheese), even less when made into yogurt.
Both sheep and goat milk also contain good amounts of pre-biotics which your gut buddies love dearly.
Top choices: Cottage Cheese, goat milk/cheese, gbejna, kefir, sheep milk/cheese, mozzarella (fresh), natural yoghurt, ricotta.
2: Eggs
Recommended intake: 2-4 servings per week
Eggs offer the whole package. Protein, healthy fats, micronutrients, and a whole bunch of anti-oxidants.
Merely eating two eggs per day covered a whopping 10 – 30 % of the vitamin requirement for humans. Egg consumption was even associated with a low risk of cardiovascular disease:
In 2018; the eating habits of 416, 000 people all aged over 50 were examined. Here, scientists found that subjects who routinely ate eggs had a lower risk of death from stroke (- 28 %) and heart disease (- 18 %) when compared to those who did not eat eggs.
Top choices: Pastured eggs, minimally-processed egg whites (to be added to whole eggs. I also tend to prefer hard-boiled eggs.
3: Seafood
Recommended intake: 2-3 servings per week
America has burgers. Mexico has tacos. Malta has seafood. It’s our thing, it’s good for us, and we should be making use of it. On the subject of which people in the world truly lived the longest, pescatarians were the true winners.
Two or three servings of fish, per week, is considered ample to draw in most of the nutritional benefits of having consumed fish, regularly. And which fish are best? None other than the SMASH group (Salmon, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines, and Herring). White-fleshed fish, however, are also good. They tend to be leaner (lower in fat).
Top choices: Anchovies, Herring, Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines and all locally-caught white-fleshed fish.
4: Meat And Poultry
Recommended intake: 2 servings per week (opt for leaner cuts).
Yes, meat. Though ideally not every day. I am an advocate for the use of pasture-raised meats. But most long-living populations consume these foods in low amounts; typically once per week or on special occasions. My choice of meats includes:
Grass-fed beef/lamb; which is a good source of protein, vitamins, and the good things.
Pasture-raised poultry; is an excellent source of lean protein.
When going for meats, always go for grass-fed, from cows having spent their entire life eating what they should be eating. The fat, here, is often tinged with yellow, indicating a greater presence of Vitamin E and essential fats.
Animal sources, particularly beef, acquired from sustainable, regenerative farming methods, fed a natural diet, and touched by the sun are very nutrient-dense.
Top choices: Beef (sirloin, top, round, eye of round, bottom round), Lamb (tenderloin, loin chops, legs), pheasant, pork (tenderloin, loin roast, sirloin), poultry (skinless chicken/turkey breast, thighs), rabbit and venison.
5: Others
High GI Fruit - Bananas (ripe), dates, cherries, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, dried figs, grapes, mango (ripe), papaya, and sundried tomatoes.
Other oils - Avocado oil, coconut oil.
Foods To Avoid
1: Added Sugar
2:Vegetable Oils (corn oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and nut oils).
3: Processed Cereals.
4: Refined White Flour (bagels, commercial bread, muffins, pastries).
5: Fast Foods.
6: Margarine.
7: Fruit Juices (opt for whole fruit instead).
