Eat Right To Live Longer

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Many people think that how long they live is determined by family history. “If grandma lived to be 90, there’s a good chance I will too,” they might think to themselves. To a certain extent this is true, of course. Genetics certainly do play a role here. But the choices people make over the course of their lives with regard to their health play an important role as well.

In addition to avoiding unhealthy behaviors like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, what we eat can have a significant impact on how much time we spend on this earth. But with all the confusing, contradictory health and nutrition information out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, throw up your hands and just decide to eat whatever, because this “eating clean” stuff is too hard to understand.

It’s all right. Everyone trying to improve their health has felt like this before. Everyone knows that they should eat right, but it’s so hard to know where to begin. In order to cut through all this confusion, we’ve compiled a list of the food types that lend themselves to a longer, healthier life, and the ones that do the opposite. Read up and you’ll have much greater clarity on how to clean up your diet.

 

Eating for Longevity: What’s Hot and What’s Not

As former real estate mogul and now President Donald Trump’s ghostwriter once wrote, “Sometimes the best investments are the ones you don’t make.” What this means is that oftentimes in life, what we choose not to do has just as much, or even more impact on our lives as the actions that we do take. This is especially true for our health in terms of our eating habits. Half the battle of eating healthy is knowing what not to eat.

 

First, let’s talk about meat

Before you get all upset, no one is telling you to go vegetarian. Human beings evolved to be omnivores, so it’s okay to eat meat. But there are certain health risks associated with certain kinds of meat, and this often has to do with how that meat is prepared.

Protein is necessary for health and for having strong muscles. However, taking in too much requires your body to get rid of nitrogen waste which accumulates in the body, which can cause dehydration and put an extra burden on your kidneys. There are certain nitrate compounds in processed meats like salami, pepperoni and ham which are considered carcinogenic, meaning that can increase the risk of developing certain kinds of cancer. This is also the case with hydrocarbon compounds which are found in charred, grilled meats.

You don’t need to eliminate animal proteins form your diet. Just be aware of how they’re prepared and try to eat those forms of meat in moderation.

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