The secret to longevity lies in the supermarket.
According to "SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods That Will Change Your Life", some foods will not only improve your life - but may well extend it.
Beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts and yogurt - all rich in nutrients and relatively low in calories - are all credited with preventing, and in some cases even reversing, heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and dementia.
Not only that, claim "Superfoods" authors Dr. Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews, but build your diet around them and you'll have more energy and look better, too.
"Foods - the right foods - can actually change the course of your biochemistry," they write. "They can help to stop damage at the cellular levels that can develop into disease . . .
"The delightful side effect . . is that you feel better, have more energy, look better, and can embrace all that life has to offer you with more optimism."
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These healthy foods make delicious snacks and accompaniments to meals:
BEANS
Also try: green beans, sugar snap peas, green peas, chickpeas
What they've got: low-fat protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium
Try to eat: at least four 1/2-cup servings per week
BLUEBERRIES
Also try: cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, currants, purple grapes
What they've got: fiber, folate, vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium, iron, riboflavin, niacin, phytoestrogen, few calories
Try to eat: 1 to 2 cups daily
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BROCCOLI
Also try: Brussels sprouts, cabbage (red and green), cauliflower, bok choy, kale
What it's got: folate, fiber, calcium, vitamins C and K, beta-carotene
Try to eat: 1/2 to 1 cup daily
OATS
Also try: wheat germ, brown rice, barley, wheat, buckwheat, rye, millet, quinoa
What they've got: high fiber, few calories, protein, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, selenium, thiamine
Try to eat: Five to seven servings a day
ORANGES
Also try: lemons, grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines, limes
What they've got: vitamin C, fiber, folate, potassium, pectin
Try to eat: one serving daily
PUMPKIN
Also try: carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, orange bell peppers
What it's got: alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, high fiber, few calories, vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium
Try to eat: 1/2 cup daily
WILD SALMON
Also try: Alaskan halibut, canned albacore tuna, sardine, herring, trout, sea bass, clams
What it's got: omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B and D, selenium, potassium, protein
Try to eat: two to four times a week
SOY
Also try: tofu, soymilk, soy nuts, edamame, miso
What it's got: omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, potassium, folate, magnesium, selenium
Try to eat: at least 15 grams a day
SPINACH
Also try: kale, collards, Swiss chard, bok choy, romaine lettuce, mustard and turnip greens
What it's got: beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins C and E, thiamine, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc
Try to eat: one cup steamed or two cups raw daily
TEA
Also try: green tea
What it's got: flavonoids, fluoride, no calories
Try to drink: one or more cups daily
TOMATOES
Also try: watermelon, persimmons, pink grapefruit
What they've got: lycopene, few calories, alpha- and beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, chromium, fiber
Try to eat: one serving per day
TURKEY (skinless breast)
Also try: skinless chicken breast
What it's got: low-fat protein, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, iron, selenium, zinc
Try to eat: three to four 3- or 4-ounce servings per week
WALNUTS
Also try: almonds, pistachios, sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews
What they've got: omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins E and B6, magnesium, protein, fiber, potassium
Try to eat: 1 ounce, five times a week
YOGURT
Also try: kefir
What it's got: live active cultures, calcium, vitamins B2 and B12, potassium, magnesium, zinc
Try to eat: two cups daily
Strikes me as good common sense.
Eat right. Live better.
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