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L I F E E X P E C TA N C Y - S E P T E M B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 9 You could add 20.5 more years with a few simple changes.

Your Healthy Life Expectancy Your Life Expectancy Your Potential Life Expectancy

A D D 2 0 . 5 M O R E Y E A R S Your Life expectancy is 74.4 years and your healthy life expectancy (the years free of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes) is 61.2. You can add up to 20.5 more years to your life and add healthy years to your life by optimizing your lifestyle and environment. Below are recommendations specific 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

W H O L E G R A I N S Scientific studies have shown that whole grains do far more to cut our risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes than refined grains.

What’s the difference? Whole grain foods still include the entire grain kernel ― the bran, germ, and endosperm, the USDA notes. In refined grains, the bran and the germ have been milled out. That means those foods (think white bread, white rice) have a finer texture and longer shelf life, but they lack a lot of what’s good for you, including fiber, 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.

E N J O Y F R U I T 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, scientific 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 five 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!

E AT G R E E N S Not a big veggie fan? You’re not alone. Only about 9 percent of U.S. adults are eating daily recommended amounts of vegetables (2 to 3 cups), the CDC reports.

But it’s time to give veggies another chance (and we’re going to help you make them taste great).

The case for vegetables is clear: They are packed with nutrients, high in fiber, and low in sugar and calories. (To see which vegetables are true “powerhouse” foods, check out this CDC list that ranks veggies based on their nutrition density.) Veggies help lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, and likely some cancers. Vegetables can also lower the risk of eye and digestive problems and mellow the effect on blood sugar that can keeps appetite in check.

But we know your dispute with vegetables is that they are … yucky. Right? Wrong! Vegetables can be delicious – you just need the right dishes. Here are a few Blue Zones recipes to get you started:

Kabocha Squash Soba Noodle Bowl: The dressing is made from orange juice and honey. Artichoke Pesto: This recipe calls for cilantro, garlic, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Broccoli and Cashew Cream Soup: Perfect for a cold winter night. Thai Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing: A refreshing blend of flavors and textures!

S L E E P W E L L Sleep is absolutely vital to your overall mental, emotional and physical health, the National Institutes of Health says. A lack of sleep robs the brain of its time to recharge, and that can hamper your ability to work, think, learn, get along with other people, and even keep yourself safe. Sleep can also affect your weight: Too little sleep alters levels of hormones that regulate hunger, which can lead to obesity.

How much sleep do you need? The National Sleep Foundation stresses that healthy sleep varies for each individual, but most Americans need between 7 and 9 hours a night. (Check out this 2-minute Sleep Foundation video on how sleep affects the brain.)

Get more science-backed tips on how to get a better night’s sleep from our Blue Zones Checklists.

E AT L E S S M E AT 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 five times per month.

Looking for ways to eat less meat? The American Cancer Society offers this tip: Treat meat more like a side dish, not the main one. And the American Heart Association offers this advice: Limit yourself to lean meat like skinless chicken and fish, 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 filling Blue Zones plant-based recipes that make a great main dish for any meal:

5-Minute Tasty Squash and Beans Cauliflower-Chickpea Tacos Ikarian Longevity Stew with Black Eyed Peas Longevity Minestrone Soup

R A I S E A G L A S S You’ve probably heard a lot about health benefits 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 benefit 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.

D U M P J U N K 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 refined sugars and artery-clogging fats, loaded with sodium and lacking anything of nutritional value, including fiber, 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 offer science-backed tips on how to set up your environment to cut out junk food and eat healthier.

B E F R I E N D LY Research suggests that strong friendships may lead to a longer life. That certainly seems true in the world’s Blue Zones, where social connectedness is the traditional norm. In Japan, they have a name for close knit circles of friends who lean on each other for support throughout their lives: moai.

It makes sense when you think about the things our friends do for us. As the Mayo Clinic notes, friends take an interest in our health and well-being, increase our happiness and reduce stress, help us cope with trauma and drama in our lives, and boost our sense of purpose (which is also among the secrets to longevity in the Blue Zones).

The lesson? Nurture the friendships you have, especially the ones with healthy, happy people.

You can learn more about about tending those relationships in these articles:

For Years and Money: 5 Rules for Building True Friendships Friends Nourish the Body and Soul

D O N ' T I G N O R E D E P R E S S I O N Science tells us that depression is a real enemy of longevity. The condition is often associated with a number of unhealthy behaviors, including smoking and drinking, getting too little sleep and overeating. A World Health Organization survey concluded that depression can be even more damaging to health than chronic diseases like asthma, diabetes and arthritis. And depression is not uncommon – roughly 7.6 percent of people in the U.S. over age 12 suffer from it.

Important Tips:

Most important, if you suspect you or a loved one is suffering from depression, don’t ignore it – get medical help. A wide variety of treatments are available, which may include therapy or medications, and health care professionals can help you decide what’s best for you, the WHO notes. Pay attention to your diet. For example, studies suggest that people deficient in folic acid have higher risk of depression. Good sources of folate include green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, grains and legumes. Also pay attention to how you feel when you eat. People who eat when they feel depressed tend to have the most trouble losing weight, which can lead to other health problems. Exercise. If you are depressed, exercising might seem like the last thing you want to do, but it could make a big difference, the Mayo Clinic says. Here are Mayo’s tips on how to get started. Lean on your friends and family. A strong support network is key to recovering from depression – and reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness, notes HelpGuide.org, an emotional health website. The site offers 10 tips for reaching out and building relationships. Get screened for depression, especially as you get older. Depression is the most common form of mental illness among older adults, but it is also one of the most successfully treated illnesses, the CDC notes. Have faith. Recent studies have suggested that people who are more religious are at lower risk of depression than those who are not spiritual.

A N X I E T Y A N D S T R E S S We’ve all felt moments of stress and anxiety. And in our busy in lives in a fast-moving world, sometimes we feel it routinely, along with the ill-health effects that stress creates.

But as with depression, stress is very treatable. A number of healthy habits can help you handle stress, from exercise and eating right to sleeping more and spending time with friends.

Learn more about maximizing health and longevity with this Blue Zones article on stress management, which includes four tips on effective strategies for combating stress in your life. The American Heart Association also has good advice on how to reduce stress.

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