Ten Tips for Losing Weight and Living a Long, Healthy Life

• Use olive oil. People who use lots of olive oil have better cholesterol and blood pressure; have less heart disease, cancer, and arthritis; and live longest.  New research even finds that diets rich in olive oil help prevent wrinkles.  Best: extra virgin.
• Eat whole grains. To reduce your odds of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and premature death, eat whole grains based on your genetic predisposition.  Most people tolerate non-glutinous grains/grain-like foods such as quinoa, brown rice, and wild rice.  For those who can tolerate gluten, oats (oat bran, oatmeal), buckwheat (kasha), barley, millet, and rye are excellent choices.  I never recommend whole wheat, due to its allergenic and weight gain potential.  In excess, it also blocks mineral absorption.  Whole grains deliver loads of fiber, antioxidants, anti-cancer agents, cholesterol reducers, and clot blockers plus essential minerals.
• Eat fatty fish. It’s not just any fish, but specifically fatty fish (fresh or canned salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel), that boosts health.  Only these high-fat fish have lots of omega-3 oils that keep arteries clear, hearts in rhythm, and the brain and joints functioning well.  In new research, eating fatty fish once a week slashed fatal heart attack risk by 44%.
• Eat nuts and seeds. A daily ounce of tree nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds) or seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin) can cut your risk of heart disease up to 50%.  A new study shows that a very high-fiber vegetable-grain diet, including 2.3 ounces of nuts daily, lowered bad LDL cholesterol 30% in a week!  The diet worked as well as “statin” drugs such as Lipitor and Mevacor.  Eating nuts also increases longevity, according to other research.
• Drink tea. Real brewed tea (from bags or loose tea) has amazing power to help discourage stroke, heart attack, cancer, and neurological damage.  Black and green tea are about equal in overall antioxidant protection.  But green tea possesses EGCG, a unique anti-cancer agent and brain cell protector.  To extract the most antioxidants, brew tea five minutes.  Instant, bottled, and herbal teas don’t work; they lack antioxidants.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. Plant foods are the best antidote to virtually all chronic ailments: high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, stroke, wrinkles, obesity, age-related mental decline.  Example: In new research, a daily cup of blueberries improved reaction time in a test group.  Fruits and vegetables are rich cocktails of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.  Best bets are berries, orange/red colored fruits and vegetables, and deeply colored greens.  Eat at least five servings of vegetables and two fruits daily.
• Eat good carbohydrates. Bad carbs (especially sugar, processed cereals/breads/chips) spike blood sugar and insulin; good ones (“low glycemic index” foods) do not.  Low insulin is a secret to longevity, research shows.  Eating good carbs (dried beans, high fiber vegetables, oatmeal, and cherries) can help prevent colon cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, and poor memory.
• Restrict meat, animal fat, trans fats, and sodium. In large amounts, all can play havoc with your body.  Red meat, especially fried (as in bacon), is linked to colon cancer.  Saturated fat in whole milk, butter, cheese, sausage, and bacon clogs arteries; so do the trans fatty acids in many margarines, processed snacks and baked goods such as doughnuts (“partially hydrogenated on the label indicates trans fats).  Excess salt, especially in the form of Monosodium Glutamate and Sodium Chloride, can shorten your life and bring on heart disease even if your blood pressure is normal.  Sea salt added to low sodium foods is okay.
• Eat less. “Cutting portion sizes in half would do more to improve Americans’ health than anything,” one expert quipped.  Compelling research shows obesity is a major cause of disease and premature death.  Processing more calories accelerates aging, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.  Drastically trimming calories is on of the most reliable ways to increase life span, according to animal research.
• Take a multivitamin-mineral supplement. A lack of micronutrients- such as folic acid, niacin, zinc, and vitamins B-12, B-6, C, and E- damages DNA the same way radiation and chemicals do, setting the stage for cancer.  Correcting even minor deficiencies can boost immunity, curb chronic disease, and perhaps prolong life.

-Adapted from Walter Willet, PhD, Eat, Drink, & Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating & Jean Carper, author of many nutrition books including Your Miracle Brain.