The Best Foods For Longevity According To 10 Countries

Ever since humans found out how short life was, we have collectively dreamt of living longer and longer and longer. Some say the root of this desire is the fear of missing out, of not being there when good things happen.

Of course, who wouldn’t want to be there when we send the first people to Mars? Who wouldn’t want to witness the day we finally develop the cure for cancer? Who doesn’t want to live to see what their grandchildren would grow up to be?

Take a dive with us through the most delicious and most nutritious of ingredients from countries across the globe. Today, we’ll take a look at veritable “superfoods” with long, long traditions of use for their reinvigorating benefits. Read on to find out what European, Asian, and South American cuisines have to say – what are the best foods for longevity?

Nutrition is at the Core of Longevity

If you’re interested in living a long, healthy life, look no further than the food we eat. The nutrients and all the healthy compounds and enzymes found in food all contribute to longevity. In fact, health researchers say certain healthy foods are linked to a longer life. [1]

“In humans, certain healthy foods are associated with longer telomere length, and reductions in protein intake with lower IGF-1 levels, respectively, both relations being associated with a longer lifespan.”

Since food is agreed to be a major contributing factor to how long a person lives, we should then look at countries known to exhibit longevity on top of a generally healthy population.

The Best Foods For Longevity According To 10 Countries

1. The Netherlands – Herrings

The Dutch eat about 85 million herring per year, especially in the summer. That’s more or less five per person in the Netherlands. They eat them raw, soaked in brine.

The herrings they eat aren’t cooked, but they are pickled, then served unadorned as a form of snack or with soft buns garnished with onions and gherkins for lunch.

How is eating raw, oily herring related to longevity? It just so happened that oily fish like herring is not just nutritious (thanks to their omega-3 essential fatty acids content), but they’re also really slimming. Unlike what people believed back in the 80s, low-fat is not always the best for your health and weight – the truth is more nuanced than that.

The right types of fat tend to make us feel full faster and herring has quite a lot of healthy marine fat.

Countries with a slimmer average waistline are more likely to have people who live longer and relatively disease-free lives. [2]

“Evidence for the adverse impact of overweight and moderate obesity on chronic disease incidence is overwhelming and indisputable…mounting evidence indicates that being overweight significantly reduces the probability of healthy aging. Many well-conducted studies in large cohorts have shown that being overweight does increase the risk of premature mortality…”

2. Mexico – Whole Corn

A small group in Mexico called the Tarahumara Indians are known to have low cholesterol and blood sugar levels as a whole community.

Experts found the secret lies in their consumption of slow-release carbs such as whole corn, beans, squash, cumin, and jicama. Slow-release carbs help curb insulin resistance risks, which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes.

3. Iceland – Fish

The Icelandic diet consists of fish as a staple. Just like their Dutch counterparts, their diet is high in omega-3 fatty acids.

Another similarity is that herring takes the crown as the most popular fish choice. Other contenders include cod, salmon, arctic char, and bluefin tuna.

More than the benefits associated with lower cardiovascular disease, omega-3 is also known to reduce stress and even symptoms of depression. This would explain why Iceland is considered one of the happiest nations in the world. [3]

4. Hungary – Pickled Veggies

Hungarians love their pickled food. Not just cucumbers, they also pickle bell peppers, cabbage, and tomatoes. Some of these are the best foods for longevity out there, and they are known to help you keep a healthy waistline due to how the fermentation process allows for better fat burning and digestion.

Moreover, vinegar, the main component in pickled food, has been cited to reduce blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and even hinder fat buildup.

5. Italy – Less Meat

You can’t really talk about longevity and not mention Italy. With a population known to live 84 years on average, Italians have long been benefiting from a diet consisting of various vegetables, beans, goat milk, and only using meat as the side dish and not the main plate.

6. France – Red Wine

The French are Europe’s largest consumers of red wine. Along with other amazing phytochemicals, red wine contains the antioxidant resveratrol. Resveratrol has been linked to general health and longevity, mainly thanks to how it positively impacts cardiovascular health.

Another secret is how the French see eating as the highlight of their day whereas most families around the world treat eating as something they have to do to get energy for work.

Making eating a family event or a time to bond with family members encourages lengthy eating, which is linked to thorough chewing (which can translate to how much nutrients your body actually uses) and lower caloric consumption. This, in turn, encourages smaller numbers on the weighing scale.

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7. Greece – Olive Oil and Herbs

When it comes to diets, the Greeks are known for their Mediterranean diet, perhaps the most famous diet for a healthy heart.

The core foods in a Mediterranean diet are olive oil, green leafy vegetables like arugula, Swiss chard, healthy carbs such as chickpeas, lentils, and whole grains, herbs like oregano, chives, and parsley, and fatty fish. They’re also known to consume a good glass of red wine with their dinners.

8. Switzerland – Muesli

Switzerland is perhaps one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Photographers note how it’s impossible to take a bad photo, especially if you live near the famous Swiss Alps.

Other than amazing views, the Swiss are also known to have a long life expectancy, similar to the French and Italians. Aside from the usual healthy food staples, they also eat Muesli as a combo of the best foods for longevity.

Muesli is a type of porridge made from fruit, oats, and nuts. It’s high in fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals, and many other nutrients your body needs. The Swiss eat it either for breakfast or as a light dinner.

9. Japan – Green Tea

In this very moment, a lot of Japanese people are over a century old. Experts believe the longevity has to do with their habitual green tea consumption and generally low meat and low-calorie diet, but they like their fatty fish.

Okinawans, where a lot of people age beyond 100 years, eat plenty of in-season vegetables like bok-choy, mustard greens, and kale. Green tea also contains rich antioxidants and flavonoids like epicatechin.

Japanese tea plant processing technologies are less harsh than those in other Asian countries (Japanese green tea is usually steamed whereas green tea in China is customarily roasted), achieving a light flavor with pronounced health benefits.

On top of a healthy diet, old people in Japan tend to maintain a good level of physical activity either by volunteering, walking daily, or exercising in nearby parks.

10. Malaysia – Curry

Curry is one of the most widespread dishes in the world. It’s warm, flavorful, tasty, and contains some of the healthiest ingredients in the world: curcumin.

Curcumin is considered a powerful anti-inflammatory ingredient, with evidence suggesting it reduces risks of joint pains as well as being a natural alternative to some anti-inflammatory medication. [4]

Since inflammation is one of the root causes of many diseases, reducing the amount of inflammation your body suffers through is a fair means to live a long, healthy life.

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Best Foods for Longevity are the Best Foods for Health

We are what we eat. Our diets determine how long we live, and the best foods for longevity can help make your future trips around the Sun more pleasant, energetic, and simply longer.

Based on the countries known to house some of the oldest people in the world, it appears some of the common foods that contribute to a long life are fatty fish, leafy greens, spices, fermented foods, green tea, and red wine. In general, eating a balanced diet and including as many unprocessed foods in it can help you live a healthier life – and that’s what longevity is all about.

References:

1. Ekmekcioglu C. Nutrition and longevity – From mechanisms to uncertainties. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020;60(18):3063-3082. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2019.1676698. Epub 2019 Oct 21. PMID: 31631676.
2. Fontana L, Hu FB. Optimal body weight for health and longevity: bridging basic, clinical, and population research. Aging Cell. 2014;13(3):391-400. doi:10.1111/acel.12207
3. Iceland – World Happiness Index 2021. (2022). Retrieved 24 February 2022, from https://countryeconomy.com/demography/world-happiness-index/iceland
4. Kuptniratsaikul V, Dajpratham P, Taechaarpornkul W, Buntragulpoontawee M, Lukkanapichonchut P, Chootip C, Saengsuwan J, Tantayakom K, Laongpech S. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts compared with ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter study. Clin Interv Aging. 2014 Mar 20;9:451-8. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S58535. PMID: 24672232; PMCID: PMC3964021.