If you’re looking to overhaul your eating plan, start by adopting one of these best diets for longevity.

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There’s no dearth of diets out there. But if your goal is to ward off chronic diseases and live a longer, healthier life, certain diet plans rise above the rest.

Here, registered dietitian Amanda Holtzer, RD, dishes on the four best diets for longevity to help keep you hale and hearty into your golden years.

1. The Mediterranean Diet

“As a dietitian, if I had to choose one ‘diet’ to encourage my patients to follow, it would be the Mediterranean diet,” Holtzer says.

Not exactly a “diet” — it doesn’t restrict calories nor was it designed for weight loss — the Med diet is simply a pattern of eating followed by people who live in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, she explains.

In the Mediterranean diet, plants — including fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and whole grains — make up most of your diet, Holtzer says. Fish, dairy, eggs and poultry are enjoyed in moderate amounts while red meat, refined sugars and processed foods are very limited.

“The Mediterranean diet is also big on healthy fats, but not in a ​restrictive, keto-ish, eat-tons-of-fats-and-no-carbs​ type of way,” Holtzer says.

“Rather, it encourages us to incorporate more polyunsaturated fats in the form of extra-virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.”

Why It Promotes Long-Term Health

“Because of its emphasis on plants, the Mediterranean diet is extremely high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods,” Holtzer says. “Since inflammation is the root of many chronic diseases (think: diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer), it stands to reason that this diet is excellent for disease prevention and overall health.”

Specifically, the inclusion of healthy fats may serve a protective function for your heart. In fact, an April 2020 study in the ​​Journal of the American College of Cardiology​​ found that having just a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil daily (in place of an animal-based fat like butter) is linked to a lower risk for heart disease.

Similarly, research shows that the Mediterranean diet is linked to improved cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, per an April 2020 meta-analysis in ​​The BMJ​​.

What’s more, “the high fiber content of this diet promotes blood sugar stabilization (a key for diabetes prevention) as well as digestive regularity, which can serve to prevent many diseases, including but not limited to high cholesterol, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis,” Holtzer says.

Plus, the Mediterranean …….

Source: https://www.livestrong.com/article/13769316-best-diet-for-longevity/