While some people focus on their diet to reach goals such as losing weight or gaining muscle, what you choose to eat can also help you live longer—or shorten your life unnecessarily. If your goal is the former, here are ten tips you’ll want to adhere to in regard to your diet:
- Eat your fruits and veggies. This cannot be stressed enough as fruits and vegetables contain a high amount of vitamins and minerals your body needs to survive, as well as to age gracefully.
- Aim for variety. Because each food has different nutrients that are good for you, you want to mix up your diet by including a variety of items in your meal plan.
- Watch your portions. Even a healthy diet can turn unhealthy when you consume too many calories regularly over time. Keep your portions reasonable and you can add years to your life.
- Use herbs versus salts. Too much sodium can raise your blood pressure, so learn to season your food with herbs instead. Juice from limes, lemons, and oranges make great seasonings too.
- Limit your caffeine. While some caffeine is okay, drinking more than a couple cups a day can have an adverse effect by increasing your heart rate and making your blood sugar unstable.
- Reduce your sugar intake. Speaking of unstable blood sugar, eating foods high in sugar on a regular basis not only increases your risk of obesity, but they also raise your likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Stay away from artificial sugar. Artificial sugars are actually worse for you than regular sugar, so you’ll want to stay away from them as well. Instead, satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits and other natural foods.
- Go organic. The pesticides and other unhealthy ingredients in non-organic foods can take a toll on your system, so it is best to avoid them as much as possible.
- Choose real foods over processed. Eating foods close to their natural state ensures that they have as much of their nutrients as they can.
- Cook healthfully. The healthiest cooking options are baking, broiling, grilling, boiling, and sautéing. Also, use olive oil and coconut oil for the most nutritious effects.
Follow these ten tips and you’ll increase your number of years on this earth.
What tips do you generally follow to live a long, healthy life?
