- Doctors have said that our lifestyle choices are the biggest indicator of how long we will live.
- Dr. Michael Greger shared four things he does every day to extend his life.
- Greger eats mostly plant-based, whole foods and exercises daily.
Dr. Michael Greger has written four New York Times bestselling books on the following topics: longevity and healthy living.
He has dedicated his career to researching how nutrition and lifestyle factors can extend lifespan, sharing his findings in his books and with the charity Nutritionfacts.org.
Greger later told Business Insider that he applied that discovery to his own life. a huge defender of Habits that extend your life eat healthy and stay active.
Greger shared four things he tries to do every day to live as long and healthily as possible.
Eat berries, cruciferous vegetables, and flaxseeds
“The most important thing we can do is follow the Blue Zones example and eat a diet centered on whole plant foods,” Greger said.
blue zone In smaller communities, such as Loma Linda, California, people live about 10 years longer than the national average.
People in Blue Zones tend to eat diets high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and low in refined sugars, animal products, and plant foods. ultra-processed foods. The Blue Zones Diet is similar to the widely considered Mediterranean Diet. the healthiest way to eat.
“It's basically real food that grows out of the ground,” Greger said.
Gregers primarily feed on plants, but that's not all. “I try not to be a hypocrite and try to eat the diet that I recommend to everyone,” he said.
Specifically, she tries to eat berries and cruciferous vegetables every day. He mixes these into smoothies and drinks them throughout the day.
Breakfast, on the other hand, is usually oats with cherries, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and cocoa powder.
“It feels like a chocolate-covered cherry in the morning,” he joked.
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower contain nutrients such as sulforaphane, a compound that neutralizes toxins and reduces inflammation, and berries contain antioxidants that help fight cell damage. It is rich in oxidants, Greger said on his YouTube channel.
Greger also eats one tablespoon of ground flaxseed daily. This is because flaxseed contains high amounts of lignans, which are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. He sprinkles it on his oats or adds it to his smoothies.
use a treadmill desk
Although being sedentary, or sitting for more than 10 hours a day, is associated with a higher risk of premature death, an active lifestyle can have a wide range of health benefits, including: is known. improve heart health Reduces cancer risk.
Whenever Greger works from home, he walks all day on a treadmill desk set at two to three miles per hour. He estimates he walks about 24 miles a day.
“It keeps you from being sedentary, but it doesn't give you exercise in and of itself,” he says.
increase his heart rate
Greger tries to get her heart rate up in some way every day, with a goal of 90 minutes of moderate exercise or 40 minutes of vigorous exercise.
But when he spoke to BI, he was on a speaking tour and was the first to admit that it's difficult to maintain healthy habits while traveling. So he works with what is available.
“This new apartment near the airport is on the 18th floor, so I try to jog up to the 18th floor every day,” he said.
He also has resistance bands ready and does burpees if there aren't enough stairs where you're staying.
Consume calories early in the day
Greger said that because of the way our circadian rhythms work, eating earlier rather than later is thought to be beneficial for health and longevity.
Eating the exact same amount of calories in the evening will result in less of a spike in blood sugar in the morning and less absorption of triglycerides, which convert unused calories into fat in the body, he said.
In a 2022 study review of 485 adults, researchers found that participants who ate the majority of their calories earlier in the day had fewer calories, even though their overall intake was the same. They found that participants lost more weight than the opposite participants.
Significant improvements in blood sugar and cholesterol levels were also observed.
“If you're going to eat junk, it's better to eat it in the morning because it's easier for your body to process,” he says.
