What’s the secret to living longer?

Registered and licensed dietitian Tricia Silverman didn’t have just one answer to that question during her recent lecture at the Senior Center in Holden, but many. After examining various cultures of longevity around the world and reading books based on the topic, she came up with strategies for optimal health.

Practices she examined highlighted traditional diets from the following cultures of longevity: Vilcabamba, Ecuador; Hunza, Pakistan; Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica; Okinawa, Japan; Abkhazia, Russia; Loma Linda, California and the Mediterranean.

The longevity areas found optimal health in seniors, and lower rates of heart attack and cancer, said Silverman.

The first strategy she mentioned seemed obvious: eat your vegetables. But then she suggested something that may sound odd...drink them.

After you boil or steam vegetables, you should consume the leftover water like a "nice vegetable tea," said Silverman who cited that the traditional Hunza and Abkhazia diets do so.

Throughout all of the longevity cultures, eating vegetables is key, however, the second strategy "eating vegetables and fruits in season when possible," is also a trend across the longevity cultures she said.

Additionally, she recommended consuming around three tablespoons of nuts and seeds throughout the day. If you think good ol’ Jif and Skippy count, you’re wrong. Silverman recommended nut butters, but more along the lines of Teddy’s unsalted natural peanut butter and almond butter spreads.

Unfortunately, if you are someone who likes meat, Silverman’s fourth recommendation is a tough one. "Retreat from meat," said Silverman, suggesting to instead eat more fish. "I am not talking about fried fish with french fries." Salmon, baked or broiled is always a good choice, she said.

Number five on her list of suggestions might be hard to stick to for the average sugar lover. Instead of reaching for sugary and processed foods, go for fruit. Decrease added sugar and salt, limit your crackers options and focus on whole grains said Silverman who listed oatmeal, barley, and brown rice as good options.

She also said to watch out for the sugars you drink. In just one Snapple, there is 36 grams of sugar, which comes out to be around 9 teaspoons. "That’s a whole plate of sugar," said Silverman.

Diet snapple, and diet drinks in general, although less in sugar, are still not a good option said Silverman.

"There is an association with artificial sugars and cancer in animals," said Silverman. "The artificial sugar companies will tell you ‘oh it’s just in animals’ but if we had some cute little mice running around here and they started growing tumors, would you wanna eat what they are eating?"

Another summer favorite that racks up your sugar count quickly is ice cream. Silverman did a demonstration to show her audience just how much sugar goes into a half gallon of ice cream. At 16 grams per serving, and 12 servings total, it was a lot.

"Say you go through the course of that in a week...you’ve eaten a deep plate of sugar in a week," said Silverman.

The trick is to of course eat less sugar, but also to be aware of serving sizes, and divide the amount of grams by four to get teaspoons, that way you can picture how much sugar you are actually eating, she said.

"Sugar can raise blood pressure... doctors say to stay away from salt...but also stay away from sugar," said Silverman. "It is not just a problem for diabetes, but it’s also a problem for heart disease."

As an alternative, Silverman suggests "nature’s beverage" water, or a smoothie instead of ice cream. In the Nicoyan Peninsula in Costa Rica, they stress drinking a lot of water she said.

The remaining suggestions focused on what people can do beyond their daily diet to stay healthier, physically and mentally. Stay active, many of the longevity cultures have terrain with steep hills which forces people to exercise said Silverman. Additionally, she mentioned aiming for happiness through volunteer work and helping others, minimizing your exposure to chemicals as well as alcohol and cigarettes and last but not least, embracing some kind of spirituality.

Other helpful hints from the cultures of longevity that Silverman mentioned were things like only eating until you are 80 percent full or eating more at lunch and less at dinner time like the traditional Okinawa Japan diet suggests.

In Loma Linda California, an area with a high amount of Seventh-day Adventists, each step of their traditional diet is said to add two years to one’s life said Silverman. The diet suggests eating plant based foods with only small amounts of dairy or fish, no smoking, maintaining a medium body weight, eating a handful of nuts 4-5 times per week, and regular physical activity.

Last but not least, Silverman’s personal tip was to slow down and enjoy your food. That way, you give yourself time to feel full.

For more information on health or longevity visit nutrilifestyles.com.