Do you want to live longer? Eat a healthy Diet!

You may live a longer life by eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and poultry.

A study in the upcoming July 15, 2008 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association followed the diets of 72,000 U.S. women (Nurse's Health Study).

The researchers at Harvard University found that women who ate the largest amount of these foods were:

• 17% less likely to die during the 18 year study period
• 28% less likely to die of heart disease or stroke

"Traditionally, there has been a focus on single nutrients or foods, but in terms of longevity a greater focus on dietary patterns can take into account the complexity of the overall diet," lead researcher Dr. Christin Heidemann, said in a statement.

A highly "Western" eating pattern, in contrast, was one that featured plenty of red and processed meat, sweets, French fries and refined grains like white bread. Women who ate Western diets, the researchers found, were 21% more likely to die during the study period than women who shunned those foods.

These results," Heidemann said, "highlight the importance of intensifying efforts to promote the adoption of a healthy overall diet including high intakes of vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, fish and poultry and low intakes of red and processed meat, refined grains, French fries and sweets."

Source: MedlinePlus

Are you eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and poultry? How many servings do you eat per day?

Life is too short so you should refine your diet if you haven’t already, because

After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

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