{"id":264389,"date":"2025-11-01T06:17:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T06:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/264389\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T06:17:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T06:17:08","slug":"a-longevity-expert-says-these-are-the-two-changes-to-make-to-your-diet-if-you-want-to-live-a-long-healthy-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/264389\/","title":{"rendered":"A longevity expert says these are the two changes to make to your diet if you want to live a long, healthy life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your diet has a big influence on how long you might live and how much of your lifetime will be spent in good health, but, according to Dr Matt Kaeberlein, a scientist, longevity expert and founder of healthtech company Optispan<\/a>, there\u2019s no magic fix that you can make to your diet that will ensure you live for an extra 10 or 20 years. But there are small changes that everyone can make to reduce the risk of certain illnesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one-size-fits-all answer, but there are some rules of thumb that I think cut across all of these things,\u201d says Kaeberlein.<\/p>\n

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Here are the two things he thinks everyone should keep in mind.<\/p>\n

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1. Avoid highly-processed foods<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably heard about ultra-processed foods (UPFs), with many experts advising against eating them in anything but limited quantities. \u201cHighly-processed foods can negatively impact lifespan through several interconnected mechanisms,\u201d says Kaeberlein.<\/p>\n

UPFs in particular are bad for our health, which include things like sugary cereals, soft drinks and some types of processed meats.<\/p>\n

One of the reasons UPFs are bad for our health is that they\u2019re often high in calories, but low in nutrients. \u201cThat means you can meet or exceed your daily energy needs while still missing essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber, leading to deficiencies<\/a> that quietly erode long-term health,\u201d says Kaeberlein.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond, the combination of refined sugars, unhealthy fats and additives drives chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Over time, that accelerates the biological processes of aging and raises the risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Finally, consuming a significant amount of highly-processed foods can lead to insulin resistance, which is the root cause of metabolic disease and type two diabetes. \u201cThese conditions both reduce healthspan and increase mortality risk,\u201d says Kaeberlein.<\/p>\n

Although it\u2019s very difficult to avoid them altogether, Kaeberlain advises against making UPFs \u201ca staple in your diet\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with having a protein bar once in a while, just try to buy a high-quality one,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

2. Set a calorie goal<\/p>\n

\u201cObesity is the most common driver of chronic disease in developed nations and it shortens lifespan,\u201d says Kaeberlein. With this in mind, he recommends setting a loose calorie target to help prevent obesity.<\/p>\n

\u201cSetting a meaningful calorie target requires you to complete three steps that will greatly reduce your risk of obesity and metabolic disease,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

These three steps are:<\/p>\n

Figuring out your personal calorie target, which requires you to understand where you are now and, if appropriate, where you need to get to in terms of body composition.Understanding the calorie content of the food and drink you choose.Building the habit of paying attention to what you eat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese simple but powerful practices create a sustainable path toward a healthier, higher-quality diet and ultimately, a longer healthspan and lifespan,\u201d says Kaeberlein.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your diet has a big influence on how long you might live and how much of your lifetime…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":264390,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,269],"class_list":{"0":"post-264389","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}