7 foods that help you stay young until 70 years old
Harvard Study: Plant-based diets increase healthy aging by 86%, reduce chronic disease and keep the mind sharp into your 70s.
Eating right helps you "age healthily" even after 70
A large-scale study conducted by scientists at Harvard University and published in the journal Nature Medicine in March found that a plant-based diet can prolong life and keep the body, including the mind, spirit and body, in a healthy state into the age of 70 and 75.
The study followed 105,000 people aged 39 to 69 for 30 years. The goal was to assess the impact of middle-aged diet on the aging process.
Dietary scale to help live longer and be more alert
Participants were scored on their adherence to eight eating patterns. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), developed by Harvard researchers, performed best.
People with the highest AHEI scores have:
86% higher chance of living healthy to age 70
The chance of maintaining overall health to age 75 is 2.2 times higher than the group with the lowest score
The study defined “healthy aging” as being free of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and maintaining good cognitive, mental and physical health at age 70 and beyond.
7 food groups you should eat more of to help you stay young until age 70
The AHEI diet encourages consumption of the following foods:
Fresh fruit
Green vegetables of all kinds
Whole grains
Legumes
Nuts
Unsaturated fats (such as olive oil, canola oil)
Low-fat dairy products (in moderation)
These are food groups rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and fats that are beneficial for the heart, brain and immune system.
5 food groups to limit
In addition to foods that need to be increased, this diet also aims to eliminate or minimize food groups that are harmful to health in the long term:
Soft drinks and sugary drinks
Red meat (beef, lamb…)
Trans fat
Sodium (salt)
Processed meat (sausages, cold cuts…)
Cutting back on these ingredients can help reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic problems.
The results of the study suggest that a diet rich in plant foods, combined in moderation with healthy animal foods, can improve overall health and guide future nutritional guidelines. Adopting an AHEI diet from midlife helps reduce the risk of chronic disease and maintain mental clarity and youthfulness into old age.
