When The Who sang those lyrics they might have been thinking about getting older. There is debate about whether the song is about alienation or a generational contempt for age and all that comes with it.
However, as many rock musicians have proven, acting like you don’t care about having a long life or pretending as if you will never get old, can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Healthspan vs Lifespan
No one wants to be old, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to live to an old age. Our healthspan determines how long we will remain healthy, active and independent regardless of how many years that is.
Your habits make the difference
It is never too late to change, but the younger you start the better. One of the easiest ways to improve longevity and health is with our diet. Research in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietitics studied the dietary habits of more than 3 million people and found that sticking with a high-quality diet results in less cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Another study on the link between diet and longevity showed that if people changed their diets at age 20 to include more fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains while reducing processed foods and meat consumption they could add 13 years to their lifespan.
Making these dietary changes at age 60 added up to 9 years and changing your diet at age 80 adds about 3.5 years.
Not just years
One of the reasons behind this study is that risk factors due to diet alone contribute to 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years (DALY) every year worldwide. The World Health Organization states that one DALY represents the equivalent of one year of healthy life.
Want to add more healthy years to your life?
Eat legumes.
The biggest changes to quality and quantity of years were in people who ate the most legumes, such as peas, beans and lentils.
Reducing processed foods and meat consumption and replacing those foods with legumes can add life to your years and add years to your life.
Learn more about how our eating habits change our health with Dr. Neal Barnard
Change your mind, change your health,
Shayla
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