Extreme Longevity

A supercentenarian is someone who has lived to their 110 birthday or beyond. Nearly all supercentenarians are free of major age-related diseases like dementia, type 2 diabetes or autoimmune diseases. Is it luck? Genes? Or do they have habits you can apply to age gracefully?

As a holistic nutritionist and anti-inflammatory expert, I have spent my life seeking an answer to this question, and the answer is a resounding, “Yes, your choices make the greatest impact on longevity.”

Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer and author of The Blue Zones, has found distinct lifestyle secrets to longevity that everyone living over 100 with vitality has in common. The longest living people live in regions of Greece, Japan, Italy, California, and Costa Rica.

Lifestyle Habits That Are Common Among Longevity Zones

Do authentic movement
Long-living people get their exercise through daily life—walking, biking, gardening, playing—not structured workouts.
Have a purpose It’s important to find a place of contribution, so you can stay engaged and positive as you age. Instead of retiring, many centenarians keep doing what they love—from tending gardens to caring for grandkids.

Love
One of the cornerstones of longevity is expressing gratitude and sharing love with your tribe. The reduction of stress dramatically reduces inflammation.

Eat anti-inflammatory food
Diets packed with anti-aging nutrients have the power to enhance and extend life. A focus on plants, fibre, and Omega-3 fatty acids
is key.

Foods for Longevity Inspired by Sardinia, Italy

Dandelion Greens
Dandelion greens rank high in overall nutritional value among leafy greens and are loaded with antioxidants, like polyphenols, vitamin A and vitamin C. The antioxidant potential is of particular significance for longevity because it decreases oxidative stress (a critical process in the development of chronic diseases) and slows down the aging process in your cells.

Fennel
Part of the parsley family, fennel is used as both a vegetable and a spice. It’s commonly used as a natural remedy against digestive disorders, and it is anti-inflammatory, reducing the risk of diseases and increasing antioxidant activity in the body.

Fennel helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels by increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and inhibiting the oxidation of bad cholesterol (LDL). Between those benefits and its high content in potassium, fennel is great at supporting a healthy cardiovascular system.

Foods for Longevity inspired by Okinawa, Japan

Seaweed
Seaweeds contain many bioactive compounds and polysaccharides not found in any other terrestrial plants. Studies comparing Japanese to Western diets have linked the consumption of seaweed to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as high cholesterol, heart disease and cancers.

In particular, seaweed has been shown to reduce breast cancer risk in premenopausal women, likely due to its unique effects on hormone metabolism.

Ginger
Rich in phytonutrients, ginger has many medicinal properties, such as decreasing inflammation, cholesterol, and blood pressure, and can decrease your risk of various cancers (colorectal, ovarian, liver, skin, breast and prostate).

Gingerols, shogaol, and paradols are key compounds found in the ginger root that promote health and slow aging.

Foods for Longevity inspired by Ikaria, Greece

Garlic
Garlic is a truly wonderful plant. It can kill microbes (bacteria, fungus, virus), lower blood pressure and cholesterol, thin the blood to prevent blood clots, and even prevent cancer.

What makes it so powerful is that it has a higher amount of sulfur compounds than any other species among its family. One of the most important to note is allicin, which makes garlic a terrific natural antibiotic.

Olives
Olives and olive oil are staples in the Mediterranean diet, and these countries tend to have a low incidence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers, and increased longevity and life expectancy.

Olives are high in oleic acid and phenols, both beneficial for cholesterol levels. Olive oil also contains squalene, which is responsible for lower incidence of cancers. Olive oil’s components are anti-inflammatory and play a role in decreasing the inflammation involved in the process of bone resorption in postmenopausal women, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis.

Foods for Longevity inspired by Loma Linda, California

Avocados
Avocados provide vitamin K, vitamin E, potassium and magnesium, as well as B vitamins, choline, phytosterols, and healthy fats, which support a wide range of health benefits.

Regular avocado intake has shown to be beneficial at keeping cholesterol levels and body weight healthy. They are one of the few fruits that contain good levels of both vitamin C and vitamin E, along with xanthophylls, a class of carotenoids, all acting as antioxidants to protect against DNA damage. Avocados also prevent the aging of your skin due to their highly bioavailable lutein and zeaxanthin levels that protect against UV damage.

Spirulina
Spirulina is a a type of microalgae and is rich in carotenoids and antioxidant compounds. It has been reported to decrease oxidative stress and lower cholesterol levels.

Phycocyanin, a protein in spirulina, is an important ingredient, along with beta-carotenoids, which may protect against cancer due to their antioxidant action and immune-modulation characteristics. Spirulina is low in calories and high in nutrients, iodine, folate, and magnesium.

Foods for Longevity inspired by Nicoya, Costa Rica

Coconut
Coconut water contains a high level of B vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and vitamin C, while the dried kernel (copra) is high in fat and used to make oil.

The fatty acid profile of coconut is what makes it one of today’s most popular superfoods. Coconut oil is packed with medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), fats quickly used for energy or converted to ketone bodies, beneficial for brain health. Coconuts and coconut oil also contain flavonoids and other polyphenols that protect against free radicals, oxidation of LDL cholesterol, and cancer.  

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