What are the Secrets to Longevity? – 8 Factors to Consider

What are the Secrets to Longevity? – 8 Factors to Consider

What are the secrets to living a long and functional life? Does the secret lie in your genetic make-up, diet, your activity level, how much you sleep, how you handle stress, your mindset, whether you smoke or drink, or how sociable you are? Well, if you said yes to all of these you are most likely correct. In this article I will explore why some people reportedly live a longer, and good quality of life whereas others who are not so fortunate seem to suffer from illness or debilitating disease much earlier than they should, thereby breaking down the systems in their body, causing a shorter life span or a life of poor quality in their later years. So, let’s look at what the fountain of youth really is about.

1. Let’s first talk about something that may surprise you. This fact has been reported by Dr. Sanjay Gupta and has been reported by other researchers as well. We will give this point to be the first and foremost in terms of importance. It seems as if people who have a purpose or passion in life, something that they wake up in the morning thinking about and go to bed at night with thoughts of, creates people who live a long life. The Japanese call this “ikigai” meaning that they have this sense of purpose. There is also a secondary benefit in this; your brain is working more if you have a purpose or a passion in life. Exercising the brain contributes to living better at an older age.

2. Genetic factors contribute 25% towards your overall longevity.

3. People who live to a ripe old age are active almost every day. Not necessarily an active exercise program, but walking, movement of some kind throughout their years. They don’t sit still for long.

4. Sleep does affect how our bodies function. In some European countries people go to bed at a very late hour and get up at sunrise. But in the afternoon they catch a nap for a few hours. This appears to be very effective for a long life.

5. People who eat more natural foods, foods that are not processed live longer. In America we are eating large portions of processed foods that have been chemically altered. We do yo-yo dieting and don’t get enough of the natural nutrients that we should. Fast food restaurants have become very popular causing us as a nation to become fatter and less healthy. Also the portion sizes for our servings are much larger than most other countries.

6. Social contact is another factor that seems to keep people happier and healthier, hence a longer life span. There have been studies done in some Mediterranean countries, such as Greece and Italy and the older people get together all the time. They visit each day and it is the usual thing to eat together and visit. We know that when we feel appreciated and loved we thrive. Many of these older people live in smaller villages and are more supportive than we are with each other, especially in larger cities.

7. Moderation is another key to living longer. If you eat and drink in moderation you can stay off the fad diets and you are not always trying to play catch up with your weight and your health. Red wine is healthy for you, in moderation. Alcohol does not have the same benefits as red wine. Smoking is definitely something we should not be doing if we want to live a long, healthy life. Smoking can cause many diseases.

8. You have heard the saying, ‘stop and smell the roses”. This is one more factor to be aware of if you want to live, say to be 100! Studies have shown that people who are able to go with the flow, don’t let life events get the best of them fare far better than others. So if it’s hard for you to do this, try some meditation, yoga or visual imagery.

So think about these factors and how they might affect your life span. Everyone wants to live to a ripe age but we also want to be functional at that age as well.

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How to Follow a “Longevity Diet”

American society today, and heck, every other society, seems to be obsessed with not only improving their level of health and happiness during their life, which is but a flicker, but also with promoting longevity.  

We all think that by living longer, it will allow us to live a fuller, more realized life and will only enhance our existence if we know that we’re going to be around for a while to realize our dreams, see our families grow up and change, and enjoy being with those that we love and cherish the most.

Of course, as you know there are several fairly simple things you can do to ensure that you will make it into your octogenarian years and beyond, perhaps even into your centenarian years, without so much as blip in your health.  

That’s the American dream, to live a full, long, prosperous and healthy life, and why not?  It’s the secret desire of all of us to prolong our lives, especially if we happen to be people who are generally happy with the way things are going and we are just sort of curious to see how things end up.

One of the key elements to increasing your longevity is your diet.  Of course, there are genetic factors that enter into the picture which are not fully within our control, such as predisposition toward certain kinds of cancers and other life threatening disease which not only can shorten our life span, but also lessen our quality of life in general.  

But what about those factors that we can control, like diet and lifestyle that can very well overcome any genetic shortfalls, and propel us into those long-lived categories of people that everyone seems to admire?

That’s what we’re going to talk about today, the factors that you can control to prolong your life, and make it a healthy and happy life at that. There is mounting, compelling evidence that several factors in the type of food you consume, and more particularly the amount of food you consume, is the single most important factor, besides genetics, that help your body to live longer and stay in good shape.

Several studies have shown that people on exceptionally low calorie diets live longer pretty consistently.  The reasons for this are at this point a hypothesis, but the general feeling is that the body is free of the burdens of processing and digesting a lot of different foods, and that energy instead is put into the health and vitality of your organs.

This isn’t to say that you should starve yourself, as severe calorie restriction results in a whole set of health problems including heart failure and potassium imbalances on it’s own, but people who are consistently consuming just over one thousand calories a day enjoy greater health and longer lives with less disease.

It also makes sense because the foods that are generally considered healthy are in fact also low calorie. Foods such as vegetables, fruits, and natural whole grains are naturally lower on the calorie scale, and therefore take less energy to digest, while also lending to your body’s nutritional needs by giving it vitamins and minerals that are vital to bodily functions.

People who are on low calorie, nutrient dense diets have much less body fat. Excess body fat has been linked to a whole host of health problems that cut the life short and also cut into your quality of life. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, digestive problems, and a whole host of other serious and life threatening problems are linked to excess body fat, so it’s no wonder people with less body fat enjoy longer lives and much more energetic and healthy states.

Limiting alcohol is another key to the longevity diet.  Alcohol is not only calorie dense, but it is also loaded with sugars which put the whole blood sugar balance out of whack.  Alcoholic consumption has also been linked to weight gain, cancers, heart disease, mental disorders, and diabetes as well, and therefore is another “food” product that can take years off your life.  

To state the obvious, alcoholic beverages are also extremely hard on your organs, as your organs cannot easily process them, most notably the liver takes a beating, and the liver plays a very important role in detoxifying your body and keeping you free of disease and health issues.  

A diet for longevity should also limit the consumption of meat.  Meat is also very hard on the digestive system, and only lean white meats and fishes should be consumed, and they ideally should only be consumed a few times a week, fish being the preferred choice due to it’s optimal vitamin and fatty acid content.  

Red meats have been linked to tons of health problems, and they also happen to be high in fat and calories as well, so they should be consumed in moderation or not at all.

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