When my sister and I were growing up, hamburgers and hot dogs were a staple in our diet. We loved when my parents would go out for dinner because we could have our favorite Swanson TV dinner, turkey with gravy and mashed potatoes. My mom would make BLT sandwiches with Wonder bread, mayo, pork bacon and iceberg lettuce. Today I will occasionally make a BLT with multigrain or Ezekiel bread, nitrate free turkey bacon from Whole Foods, mesclun lettuce and sliced avocado.
We’ve come a long way, baby! Our moms didn’t know about nutrition. We now know how to define anti-aging eating, e.g. how to eat for health and longevity. We also have a lot of information about “superfoods” which are foods from every category that have high levels of disease fighting compounds and/or have shown to exact beneficial changes in the body.
Studies have shown that traditional diets of people living in Mediterranean countries and in Okinawa Japan seem to confer life lengthening benefits. The Mediterranean diet features olive oil, a variety of whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables, mainly fish with little meat and some dairy. The Okinawan diet is fish, carbs mostly from vegetables and rice, a little fruit,tofu and no dairy.
A study tracking older New Yorkers for 4 years found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and that the diet helped overall cognitive performance and memory. It also lowered the risk of heart disease, and many types of cancer. If you choose to follow this diet, half of your plate at each meal should be fruits and vegetables, high protein choices should be fish or white meat chicken, with red meat no more than twice a month, healthy whole grains in moderation.
With regard to the “superfoods” discussed previously, choose from the following healthy choices:
Super grains: barley, black rice, bulgur wheat, steel cut oats, beans and sweet potatoes.
Super vegetables: cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Eggplant, mushrooms, seaweed and tomatoes, kale and spinach.
Super fruits: açaí berries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, citrus fruits, red grapes and pomegranates.
Super nuts and seeds: almonds, walnuts, and flaxseeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds.
Super treat: dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
Stay away from the foods that age us like sugar, salt, trans fats ( in margarine and processed foods) and saturated fats (red meat, bacon, chicken skin).
Dr. Joel Fuhrman, in his book “Eat to Live”, has a bone to pick with the Mediterranean diet because of the preponderance of bread and pasta. He also believes that consuming fattening olive oil in your diet (with 14% saturated fat) will raise LDL cholesterol. He feels if you are thin and exercise a lot, one tablespoon of olive oil is no big deal, but that the best choice for most overweight Americans is no oil at all.
Dr. Fuhrman claims in his book that we can lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks on his diet which permits unlimited raw vegetables and cooked vegetables (whoopee) and at least 4 fruits a day. However, off limits are all dairy, animal products, oils and snacking between meals with limited whole grains and nuts. I keep going back to this book because I believe it is the healthiest way of eating. What nature provides, nutrient rich fruits and vegetables are so beneficial to healthy aging and longevity. It is a commitment.
I actually was a vegetarian for 6 months after watching 2 Netflix documentaries titled “Vegucated” and “What the Health”. They are real eye openers, but I could not even look at chicken or meat let alone put it in my mouth. Unfortunately, I substituted bread and pizza and gained weight. That ended my vegetarianism!
I do follow the Mediterranean diet for the most part. I like the red wine in moderation, which I forgot to mention. I am starting tomorrow to cut out sugar and flour for as long as I can to get rid of some belly fat. No Italian bread, no pizza. Wish me luck! Let me know what type of diet you follow. I welcome your feedback. Let’s talk next week. XOXO Penny
Resources
20 Years Younger by Bob Greene
Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.
Eat Vegan Before 6 by Mark Bittman
Healthy Organic Woman.com by Lynda Goldman
I’m screwed! I love carbs but I do eat veggies and fruit. I always try to eat less sugar and I rarely drink wine and only consume vodka (less sugar). Living in this place really limits your choices but then when I do get a pizza it’s such a big treat. You have always been a healthy eater, much better than I am. I’m worried now about my bones and calcium intake, you have made me realize that broken bones are NOT good. Great blog this week, good info as always. I will try to do better. xoxox love you.
Hi Debby. I feel your pain! Only one day on the no sugar, no flour diet and I am madly craving bread and pizza. It seems to be the only way my stomach gets smaller. I didn’t have green tea before because then I would want something sweet. We can do this!
Thanks for the very informative blog!! I’m going to try to incorporate more of the super foods into my diet! I find that living in NY, the winter is hard to diet and eat healthy. I crave comfort foods like tons of carbs and sugar! Now that the weather is getting nice I need to make an effort to eat less carbs and sugar!
Hi Jamie. I am right there with you. Now that spring has arrived I need to get rid of that winter weight gain. Good idea to try some of the superfoods suggested. XOXO Penny