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LIFE EXPECTANCY - J ANUARY 6, 201 9

You could add 8.1 more years with a few simple changes.

77.2

88.0

96.1

Your Healthy Life Expectancy Your Life Expectancy Your Potential Life Expectancy

ADD 8 .1 M O RE Y EARS
Your Life expectancy is 88.0 years and your healthy life expectancy (the years free of cancer, heart
disease, and diabetes) is 77.2. You can add up to 8.1 more years to your life and add healthy years to
your life by optimizing your lifestyle and environment. Below are recommendations speci c to you and
information on how to implement these recommendations. For a more comprehensive approach to
making these changes try our our online course Staying Alive: 9 Habits for Living a Longer, Healthier
Life

WHO LE GRAINS
Scienti c studies have shown that whole grains do far more to cut our risk of stroke, heart disease and
diabetes than re ned grains.

What’s the di erence? Whole grain foods still include the entire grain kernel ― the bran, germ, and
endosperm, the USDA notes. In re ned grains, the bran and the germ have been milled out. That
means those foods (think white bread, white rice) have a ner texture and longer shelf life, but they
lack a lot of what’s good for you, including ber, iron and a number of B vitamins.

So it’s a real problem that most Americans do not get the necessary daily recommended servings of
whole grains: 3- to 4-ounce equivalents for most men and women. (Find out which foods constitute a
serving on this government table.)

There are lots of recipes that can help you increase your daily serving of whole grains. Here’s one to
start with: Ikarian-style sourdough bread, and a video on how they make it in Ikaria, Greece.

ENJ OY F RUIT

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Fruits are a fantastic source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. As the Mayo Clinic notes, fruit is
packed with natural phytochemicals that help prevent a wide variety of ailments, including cancer,
diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Think vitamin and mineral supplements are just as good? They aren’t, scienti c studies say – one
medical journal editorial called the pills a waste of money.

Here are a few recipes to get more actual fruit in your meals:

Avocado mix: Simple recipe from actress Cameron Diaz (a longevity expert in her own right).
Banana/pineapple smoothie: Just ve ingredients – quick and refreshing.
Raw peach tart: Gluten free and no added sugar. The perfect summertime potluck dish.
Lemon and dill bean salad: Quick, easy and customizable. Try with blueberries!

EAT LESS M EAT

The World Health Organization recently issued a report that had a lot of meat-lovers seeing red. It
concluded that eating processed meats like bacon, ham and lunch meats can increase the risk of
developing certain types of cancer, noting that red meats like beef and pork are “probably
carcinogenic.”

In the Blue Zones, people don’t eat nearly the amounts of meat that Americans do. We found that
people there on average were eating small amounts of meat, about 2 ounces or less at a time (a
portion the size of a deck of cards), about ve times per month.

Looking for ways to eat less meat? The American Cancer Society o ers this tip: Treat meat more like a
side dish, not the main one. And the American Heart Association o ers this advice: Limit yourself to
lean meat like skinless chicken and sh, and less than 6 ounces total per day. For more, check out the
Reducetarian movement, which urges people to reduce meat consumption (but not cut it out
altogether).

Here are four tasty and lling Blue Zones plant-based recipes that make a great main dish for any
meal:

5-Minute Tasty Squash and Beans

Cauli ower-Chickpea Tacos
Ikarian Longevity Stew with Black Eyed Peas
Longevity Minestrone Soup

RAISE A GLASS
You’ve probably heard a lot about health bene ts being linked to moderate drinking, particularly red
wine. Indeed, Harvard’s School of Public Health says that more than 100 prospective studies suggest
that moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of heart ailments and death from heart disease.
(A more recent analysis of 87 studies found that some research that favors moderate drinking may
have been based on “biased data.”)

What we know from the Blue Zones is that a daily drink is associated with greater longevity. We also
know that consistency and moderation seem to be key. Some of the bene t of moderate drinking may
be related to the fact that a glass of wine or sake is commonly shared with friends and family – and
that social interaction is key to longevity.

The bottom line on “bottom’s up”? Remember this from the American Institute for Cancer Research’s
guidelines: No more than two drinks for men and one for women per day.

DUM P J UNK
The joys of junk food are clear: It’s cheap, fast, tasty and available everywhere. But America’s favorite
sweets, snacks and fast food are also chock full of calories from re ned sugars and artery-clogging

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fats, loaded with sodium and lacking anything of nutritional value, including ber, vitamins and minerals.

There’s no question that junk food has made America fat and is a growing health hazard worldwide.
Eating these foods can lead to any number of ailments, including high blood pressure, diabetes, high
cholesterol, heart disease and many types of cancer.

But here’s the good news: Cutting junk food out of your diet may not be as hard as you think. Blue
Zones Checklists o er science-backed tips on how to set up your environment to cut out junk food
and eat healthier.

C UT SO DIUM
Shaking your salt habit will help you lower blood pressure, which can curb risk of stroke and heart
disease. A recent study also suggested that high sodium intake is also bad for our bones.

But Americans love their salt. The American Heart Association recommends that adults get no more
than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day; U.S. government guidelines recommend less than 2,300
milligrams. But most U.S. adults get way more than that, roughly 3,400 milligrams. And the salt shaker
is not our biggest enemy. More than 75 percent of our sodium intake comes from restaurant and
processed foods (roughly 40 percent of it comes from a list of 10 of high-sodium foods, including pizza
and deli meats).

For tips on how to change your environment to eat less salt and lead healthier lives, check out our
Blue Zones Kitchen Checklist.

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