03/13/2023
The intake of legumesâbeans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentilsâmay be the single most important dietary predictor of a long lifespan.
The longest living populations reside in the Blue Zones and not only have daily exercise and social support and engagement, but, nutritionally, they all center their diets around plant foods. The population with perhaps the highest life expectancy in the world doesnât eat any meat at allâthe California Adventist vegetarians.
Would just moving along the spectrum towards eating more plants and less animal foods actually improve lifespan? Study participants were given more points for eating plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beans, olive oil, and potatoes, and lost points for any animal fats, eggs, dairy, or any type of meat or meat products, including fish. Eating more plant foods, processed or not, resulted in higher scores and longer lives, compared with consuming any kind of animal products. The maximum score was 60, but even scoring just 40 or more was associated with a 40 percent drop in mortality.
This is evidence that increasing intake of plant-based foods and reducing consumption of foods from animal sources may offer a survival advantage for a longer life.
Watch the videos on NutritionFacts.org to learn more:
âIncreased Lifespan from Beansâ at https://bit.ly/2q7l6OZ
âDo Flexitarians Live Longer?â at https://bit.ly/2OkZKsG
âPaleo Diet Studies Show Benefitsâ at https://bit.ly/2EFPL1p