Live Longer by Following the Mediterranean Diet

In fact, a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that poor nutrition is among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. About 38 percent of adults eat less than one serving of fruit per day, and 23 percent of adults eat less than one vegetable a day.

So what are most people eating? Pizza, sugar sweetened beverages, French fries, ice cream and chocolate, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. No wonder heart disease, diabetes, obesity, stroke, certain types of cancer and other chronic diseases have become the leading causes of death in the United States, especially as you age. You simply can’t eat these types of foods long-term without your health taking a hit. The good news is that there are many benefits of following a Mediterranean diet. It can help you live longer and enjoy a better quality of life.

In a recent study on longevity and the Mediterranean diet published in the journal Age, researchers followed 1,037 adults who were all 70 years old. They tracked their eating habits and compared mortality between those who followed the Mediterranean diet and those who didn’t. They found that the seniors who closely followed the Mediterranean diet lived 20 percent longer. “This means in practice that older people who eat a Mediterranean diet live an estimated two to three years longer than those who don’t” says University of Gothenburg researcher Gianluca Tognon who helped lead the H70 study.

The Mediterranean Diet – What to Eat

If you want to follow the Mediterranean diet, there’s really no complicated formula to follow or special products you have to buy like many fad diets recommend. Instead, all you really have to do is build your own eating plan based on foods like fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meats, legumes, and healthy fats like nuts, seeds, olive oil, and avocados. These foods provide a rich source of vitamins, nutrients, antioxidants, healthy protein and good fat that protect your health and reduce the risk for many chronic diseases.

Preparing meals made from fresh ingredients or ordering Mediterranean-style meals when you eat at restaurants, is one way you can adopt this healthy way of eating. At MagicKitchen.com, you’ll also find Mediterranean diet meal ideas for Seniors like Baked Tilapia, Brown Rice & Minted Carrots, , and Vegetable Caponata with Orzo & Spinach. It’s hardly a diet when you realize the Mediterranean Diet includes a wide variety of healthy and tasty foods.