Have you eaten grains and lentils lately? If not, now’s the time to make these ingredients a part of your daily diet. A new study claims that eating lentils and whole grains everyday is linked to a longer life-span – marking an improvement of 10 years than those who don’t eat these regularly.
What does this mean? If you cut down on red meat and processed meat in favour of more legumes, whole grains, and nuts – you could live for 10 extra years.
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A western diet vs. optimal diet
The study’s authors created a benchmark of sorts – comparing a “typical Western diet” to an “optimal diet.” They found that switching to the latter could add up to 10.7 years of life for women and 13 years for men.
Taking into account the life expectancy of adults in the US, the study said that making dietary changes earlier in life could mean you’d live longer. Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway found that a “typical Western diet” consumed by an average American barely has any legumes, fruits and vegetables but instead relies heavily on dairy and sugary drinks.
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Also read: Eating Dinner Late Increases Type-2 Diabetes Risk, Disturbs Blood Sugar Level
In the general sense, eating more legumes added 2.3 years to the life expectancy of both men and women combined, the study found. In addition, adding more whole grains added 2.2 years while nuts added almost 2 years.
Published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the study adds that making changes even in old age could reap benefits. For instance, men and women in their 60s could gain 8.4 years of life combined if they swapped red meats and processed meats for this “optimal diet.” Even those in their 80s could add 3.4 years.
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Also read: Eating Grapes Could Help Lower Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke, Says Study
Are you going to add more legumes, nuts, and grains in your diet after reading this article? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading universo virtual.com.
References
Ng, K. (2022, March 9). Eating lentils and whole grains could see you live 10 years longer, study finds. The Independent.
Fadnes, L. T. (2022, February 8). Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modeling study. PLOS.