As you may know my new book, ‘The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer” is out, and I’ve been doing a round of TV and radio appearances to promote it. Recently I appeared on KTLA in Los Angeles, where the moderator asked me for my five top tips for living longer.
The challenge- for me- is always to narrow a list like this down to so few items.
I came up with 14 tips but whittled it down to five for the KTLA appearance. But I thought I’d share all 14 with you, in a two-parter here in the newsletter. (For a full list of strategies for living longer and healthier, please see read my book!)
Here’s part one:
- Drink green tea every day
- Eat five ounces of nuts a week
- Drink 4 oz of pomegranate juice every day
- Take an omega-3 supplement every single day
- Walk 30 minutes every single day
- Practice hara hatchi bu
- Make a gratitude list
Catechins in green tea help fight cancer; they’re also effective for boosting your metabolism and helping fight weight gain
A 14-year study of more than 86,000 women in the Nurses Health Study showed that people who ate more than five ounces of nuts weekly had a 35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who ate less than 1 oz of nuts a month.
Pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories- in one study, the antioxidant levels in pomegranate were three times that of red wine or green tea. Since part of aging is due to free radical damage (oxidation), foods rich in antioxidants may delay some of the effects of aging. And one study showed that a daily glass of pomegranate juice can significantly slow the progress of prostate cancer.
The research on the health benefits of fish oil is so overwhelmingly positive that it’s not even controversial anymore. Omega-3 fatty acids improve mood, circulation, triglyceride levels, blood pressure and reduce inflammation, a contributor to every major disease of aging from Alzheimer’s to obesity.
Walking briskly 30 minutes a day may not cause you to lose a ton of weight or look like Mr. America, but it will grow new brain cells, protect your heart, and significantly reduce your chances of dying!
“Hara hatchi bu” is a saying in Okinawa, one of the five “Blue Zones” with the highest number of healthy 100-year olds reside. It means “Push yourself away from the table when you’re ¾ full”. Great advice. We eat too much. Every study on every species tested shows that eating less calories extends life. You don’t have to wait till you’re stuffed to stop eating!
It’s good to remind yourself every day of what you have to be grateful for. Thinking about stuff you’re thankful for takes some of your attention away from anger, resentment and other stress-producing emotions and puts your attention on the good things we often take for granted. Gratitude is a great stress-reduction strategy!
Next week I’ll give you more of my “top tips” for living longer and better!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Great information, I’m sharing this on my Facebook page, and
would like to on my blog.
Thanks
Alan
I do most of those, except for the green tea. I know it really does help with weight loss or weight maintenance, however, the fluorides in it are apparently not good for those with thyroid conditions. Too bad, otherwise I would try to incorporate it. Hey, I just found this link: http://www.poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/html/green_tea___.html Do you think black tea is a problem too? I love my black tea and have drunk it for years. I had Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis for many years but I am in remission and only need take a tiny amount of thyroid hormone daily to keep the brain fog away, but if I take too much my body temperature rises above normal for me and I feel most uncomfortable in our hot, humid climate.
Curious me – what do you think about the problem with teas? Overblown?
in my opinion tea is one of the healthiest beverages on the planet- all kinds, black, green, white, oolong, yerba matte..
i wouldn’t worry!
warmly
jb
Great list, and I’m happy that I do all but the pomegranate juice and gratitude list — and those will change shortly.
Keep up the solid work, Jonny: you’re a daily read and one of the best voices out there. Ever since my nutritionist turned me on to you, I’ve been a fan.
Keep it real.
JV
Thank you.
Have a nice day!
I NEWLY FOUND OUT ABOUT MY HIPO THYROIDISM, I’VE BEEN A TEA DRINKER, SPECIALLY GREEN, KOMBUCHA GREEN, ECHINACEA GREEN, SO ON A SO FORTH. iT IS VERY BAD NEWS FOR ME ABOUT THE FLOURIDE, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I HAVE TO CHOOSE MY BATTLES, TOO MANY HEALTH PROBLEMS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED. BUT MY BODY HAS THE ABILITY TO HEAL ITSELF. I CHOOSE TO EAT WELL, TAKE MY SUPPLEMENTS, BE GRATEFUL, BE HAPPY, AND ENJOY THE FRUITS OF THE NATURE. I REFUSE TO GO CRAZY. I FEEL GREAT; ANYHOW, NOBODY WILL BE ETERNAL.
THANKS JONNY, CONTINUE THE GOOD WORK, I NEED YOUR INPUT.
GG
Great advice. I am glad you are putting this out to the masses.
I am a Naturopath in Northern California
Very interesting, as usual. If you worry about the fluorine in the green tea, you should take every morning, as I do, one little drop of IOSOL (non toxic water soluble iodine) in a glass of freshly sqeezed lemon juice (naturally sugar free!). Fluorine, chlorine and bromine are all Halogens and might take the place of iodine(a less reactive halogen) in the thyroid gland. making sure your thyroid has all the iodine it needs is the best way of protecting it against other highly reactive Halogens. Have a look here:
http://iodine4health.com/special/halogens/halogens.htm
Great advice–how about putting out Part II?
Thanks
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