The 10 Best and Worst Foods For Longevity

What Should I Eat?

We are constantly bombarded with health information, but it is often useless information. With just a click of a mouse we can learn all about the current fad diets, or read about the newest surgical weight-loss procedure, or lose weight by using smaller plates, or view an advertisement for the latest low-fat snack, portioned for ‘convenience’ in 100-calorie packages. None of this works.

Nutritional excellence is the most powerful way to weight loss and good health, yet we seldom know just what steps to take to lose weight, be fit, and improve our and our family’s health and well-being.

Eat Well

I have cared for more than 10,000 patients in my career as a family physician. Most of those who walked into my office were sick, overweight and miserable when they came to see me. They had tried every crazy diet without success. What I told them I will tell you now: There is no magic solution to losing weight and achieving optimal health. You just have to incorporate delicious, natural, nutrient-rich foods into your diet and cut back on your consumption of processed foods (including oils) and animal products. The goal of the Nutritarian lifestyle is to give you scientific, logical information about the connection between food and your health. When you begin to incorporate this information into your life, the natural effect will be your good health. But an important side benefit will occur, one that will allow this style of eating to become a permanent change: you will lose weight, keep it off and enjoy it,

The Best and Worst Foods for Longevity

I am often asked to name the most favorable foods to eat and which foods to avoid. As a society, we consume many foods that have almost zero nutritional value. Among these are foods that are highly processed, contain sugar and trans fat, that are made with white flour and loaded with sodium. Examples are commercial baked goods, lunch meats, fried foods, ice cream and soda. These foods are highly addictive, and the addiction to low-nutrient, calorically dense foods in the Standard American Diet has led us to have one of the world’s highest rates of obesity, cancer, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Foods that promote good health, increase vitality, and reduce your risk for illness are nutrient-rich. These are low-calorie, high-nutrient foods you can eat abundantly. These are three super-foods that everyone should include in their diet on a regular basis. They contain the most micronutrients, phytochemicals and other health-promoting compounds. The same foods that keep us slim simultaneously defend against cancer.

Green, leafy vegetables Kale, mustard greens, collards arugula or spinach are examples of foods which can provide us with a profound level of protection against cancer. Don’t forget: chopping, chewing, blending, or juicing cruciferous vegetables is necessary to enhance their anti-cancer benefits.

Non-Leafy Cruciferous Vegetables Eaten in raw and cooked form, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and other similar vegetables contain nutrients that possess unique abilities to modify human hormones, detoxify compounds, and prevent toxic compounds from binding to human DNA, preventing toxins from causing DNA damage that could lead to cancer.

Beans I recommend that people eat beans daily. Not only do they protect against colon cancer, they stabilize blood sugar and reduce appetite. There are a variety of beans to choose from: chickpeas, navy beans, lentils, cannellini beans and many more.

A Simple Guide

To help you in your efforts to achieve optimal health and longevity, it could be helpful for you to review my checklist of the Top Ten Best and Worst Foods For Longevity. This handy guide provides a quick reference to encourage better choices.