Prolong your Health Span
What else can we do promote our health span (aka not just living as long as possible, but feeling as good as we can for as long as possible!).
I discussed before about how if we put ourselves under mild stress that it’s anti ageing. This includes:
Cognitively stimulated
Do exercise often (and avoid being obese or insulin resistant)
Eat fruit and veg
Try cold water swimming
But what else can we do?
Stay social. Social interaction is actually anti-inflammatory. It sounds crazy but studies have shown that, particularly in the elderly, that social connection is as anti inflammatory as stopping smoking or doing exercise. It can lower your BMI and your blood pressure too. Social interaction causes a release of oxytocin which triggers our vagus nerve to interact with the brain and calm brain inflammation. For children, poor social interaction & trauma has also been linked to development of inflammatory diseases later in life. This is so important at the moment - if you have a grandparent, parent or friend that you know has been alone during the pandemic, if it’s safe to do so, go give them and hug and hang out with them!
Eat until you are 80% full. In Okinawa off the coast of Japan, there are the highest amount of people that have lived past 100 years old. What is their secret? They call it Hara Hachi Bu, and it’s main component is eating off smaller plates.
Avoid inflammation! Opt for an anti inflammatory diet where you can,
Get your gut issues fixed leaky gut causes inflammation in the body and any issues mean you’re not properly detoxing toxins (constipated) or not absorbing nutrients (diarrhoea)
Avoid unnecessary medications where you can, over the counter drugs like neurofren and paracetamol are damaging to the body, and antibiotics, antihistamines and steroids all promote inflammation in the long term
Avoid alcohol, smoking, sugar and other toxins - we all know these age you, they are inflammatory and stop you absorbing other nutrients amongst many other things.
Sort out your stress !
Foods worth a mention:
B vitamins found in wholegrain help support energy production
Omega 3 fatty acid is anti inflammatory and important for the nervous system (found in wild oily fish, flax seeds, hemp seeds)
Magnesium is important for the nervous system and insulin sensitivity (found in dark green leafy veg)
Vitamin D - great for the immune system and especially important if you have an autoimmune condition.
Shiitake and reishi mushrooms are protective against cancer and generally support the immune system
Organic extra virgin olive oil - anti inflammatory and full of anti oxidants !
Beetroot - nitrates for heart health and betaine for methylation (so good for everything)
Green Tea - anti oxidant rich
Berries - full of anti oxidants and great for an ageing brain
Cruciferous veggies, especially broccoli - supports energy production and detoxification
Garlic and onions - especially for men, eating them often can dramatically decrease your risk of prostate cancer.
Turmeric and ginger - super anti inflammatory and disease preventative
Nuts and seeds generally - protein, fibre, omega 3 fatty acids and more
drink water, the brain is 80% water lets make sure it doesn’t get dehydrated!
Remember it’s not all bad, humans actually live 4 x longer than any other mammals and this is because we are able to remain stable by being variable.