Live Longer with This Diet

Want to live a long, vigorous life? Add to your other healthful habits the Mediterranean diet.

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. New research reveals that combining this way of eating with three other healthful lifestyle behaviors may boost longevity, especially in women.

Food for Thought
Dutch researchers followed more than 120,000 men and women for a decade to track their habits and mortality rates. People who ate a Mediterranean diet, didn’t smoke, maintained a healthy weight, and exercised regularly lived the longest. And for women, following the Mediterranean diet was significantly related to lower mortality.

Going Greek
Sometimes called “the world's healthiest cuisine,” the Mediterranean diet emphasizes lots of plant proteins, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, along with nuts and moderate alcohol consumption. (Yes, you can have a glass of wine with dinner.) It’s also low in refined grains, red meat, and sweets.

Mediterranean Magic
Here are three more good reasons to adopt this diet plan:

• It promotes healthy arteries to protect your heart.
• It may help regulate blood sugar levels to slash your diabetes risk.
• It battles belly fat.

Best of all, Mediterranean food is delicious and easy to prepare. Try it for yourself with this Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade recipe.