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10 ESSENTIAL DIET TIPS TO LIVE LONGER (AND A BIG REVEAL)

April 7, 2019 4 Comments

Shocking stats released this week show that one-in-five lives are cut short by an unhealthy diet. What we eat is now a bigger killer than smoking. How can that have happened? Well, sadly, low-nutrient food is too easily available and often very cheap. But there are some very simple, effective ways to change our diets.

The report in The Lancet  found that too much salt, and too few whole grains, were the biggest killers: with each responsible for three million deaths each year.

The top ten most dangerous diets:

  1. Too much salt
  2. Too few whole grains
  3. Too little fruit
  4. Not enough nuts and seeds
  5. Too few vegetables
  6. Not enough omega 3 fatty acids
  7. Low levels of fibre
  8. Not enough polyunsaturated fatty acids
  9. Low levels of legumes
  10. Over-consumption of trans fats

We’ve spent five years on our age-well project testing recipes and ideas to help combat these killers. Here are some of our favourites from the blog:

  1. Use herbs and spices to flavour food rather than salt. We use this spice blendwith everything – vegetables, eggs, roast meat and fish.
  2. Our larders are full of cheap but exotic whole grains: wheat berries, freekeh and quinoa are a few of the best. But don’t forget the high-fibre benefits of a simple bowl of brown rice. Try our baked za’atar chicken or this kale and black sesame rice bowl
  3. Don’t use fruit solely for desserts and snacks. We like it in savoury dishes too. Try venison with blackberry and apple sauce or this sweet and sour cherry bowl
  4. We’ll top almost any dish with a sprinkling of nuts and seeds. Or eat a handful as a snack. Try this meat-free main: Walnut-stuffed sweet potatoes
  5. Our vegetable sauté isn’t really a recipe, more of a method.  It’s so adaptable, we come back to time and time again.
  6. We’ve made oily fish an essential part of our age-well diet. And eat it at least twice a week. We aim for smaller fish which are lower in mercury like sardines, anchovies and mackerel. Watercress and pea puree with smoked mackerel and spaghetti with sardines are good recipes to try.
  7. We kept fibre diaries while we were writing our book and get fibre from whole grains, beans and legumes.
  8. Try oily fish, sunflower seeds and walnuts to boost levels of polyunsaturated fats. This Walnut dip recipe takes minutes to make and goes with everything.
  9. We eat pulses every day. Try the roasted chickpeas shown in the photo or a soup like our Turkish red lentil soup
  10. There’s no way round this: avoid deep-fried and fast food.

There’s a good analysis of this report by the brilliant Bee Wilson in the Mail

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6892441/The-food-choices-make-blame-one-six-deaths-writes-food-historian-BEE-WILSON.html

DRUM ROLL PLEASE……

We’re so thrilled to share the cover of our book with you. It’s been a long time coming and we can’t believe that publication day is less than a month away. We love the spare, elegant design and the sub-title ‘Easy Ways to a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life’. Says it all!

The Age-Well Project is available for pre-order on Amazon now:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Age-Well-Project-Ways-Better-Longer/dp/0349419701/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MWNNXMFXYUCW&keywords=the+age-well+project&qid=1554552833&s=gateway&sprefix=the+age-well+p%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1

 

Susan

  • Conditions: Ageing
« CAN LAUGHTER HELP YOU LIVE LONGER? ONLY IF YOU’RE FEMALE…
EAT MORE MUSHROOMS: ITALIAN MUSHROOM SALAD »

Comments

  1. Helen Hosker says

    April 7, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    Are you doing any book signings/tours?

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      April 11, 2019 at 4:55 pm

      Hello Helen

      We’re not doing a tour, but we’re giving a Guardian Masterclass on June 11th https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/2019/mar/04/the-age-well-project-preparing-for-a-longer-healthier-and-happier-life-annabel-streets-susan-saunders-health-wellbeing-course

      Do keep an eye on the events page of the blog (I need to update it!) for further events

      Susan

      Reply
  2. Nan says

    April 8, 2019 at 12:47 pm

    I will pre-order my copy today!

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      April 11, 2019 at 4:51 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

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SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS

WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

POLYAMINES – THE NEW SECRET WEAPON FOR AGEING WELL & MOROCCAN SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS.

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The Age-Well Project blog
Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock access to a sauna. But Susan found one in a hotel she was staying at recently, there’s one in our local gym and Annabel found plenty on her summer holiday in Finland. 

A growing number of studies attest to the longevity-enhancing benefits of routine forays into a sauna. Much of the research has been instigated in Finland where sauna (pronounced to rhyme with downer) has existed forever.

So how does sauna help us age well? The extreme heat activates heat shock proteins which researchers think can maintain the healthy functioning of our cells.  As we get older, the proteins in some of our cells start to misfold and collapse. They then clump together forming plaques, including the plaques thought to cause Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Heat shock proteins – triggered by a sauna stint and possibly by hot baths – appear to prevent the misfolding and collapsing of cellular proteins, as well as clearing out those that have already misfolded. Which is to say they keep our cells in good shape. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth #betterbrainhealth #brainfog  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell
Obsessed with the smoked quinoa in this salad! You Obsessed with the smoked quinoa in this salad! You know we love a good grain and this one is particularly delicious. It’s from our friends @hodmedods and they very kindly gave us a discount code to share with you - it’s valid until the end of September. Code and recipe are on the blog - link in bio (it’s the blog post about reducing dementia risk) #prproduct #recipe #healthyrecipe #discountcode #wholegrains #quinoarecipes #womenover50 #over50 #over50health #postmenopause #over50andfit #dementiaprevention #alzheimers #brainhealth #cognition #agewell
Dear followers, we have been hacked and are in the Dear followers, we have been hacked and are in the process of resolving it. Please do not respond to, or interact with, a request from our impersonator calling themselves theagewellproject. We are agewell project - no The! 

Thank you!
Of course, it’s not about numbers, but we’re s Of course, it’s not about numbers, but we’re so thrilled over 5000 of you have joined us on our mission to age well! Thank you 🙏

If you’re new here, we’re Susan and Annabel, long-time friends turned longevity writers. We started blogging about our quest to age well almost a decade ago (!) - you can find the blog at agewellproject.com or via the link in our bio. 

As working mums, we started looking for simple, science-backed ways to make the best of the second halves of our lives. We wanted to improve our own health and reduce our risk of the chronic conditions of ageing. When we started writing, Susan was caring for her mum, who had dementia, and Annabel has also faced challenges with her family’s health. 

Along the way, the blog became a best-selling book, The Age-Well Project, and further books have followed. You can find out more about us individually @annabelabbs and @susansaundershealth 

The blog is packed with posts on the latest research into the science of longevity, and how we make sense of it in our own lives. And there’s also loads of lovely age-well recipes - all approved by our families! 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause
Wherever you’re walking this August weekend (a b Wherever you’re walking this August weekend (a bank holiday for us 🇬🇧🇬🇧), take time for your feet. They’re mini miracles and looking after them is key to ageing well. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio.

And save this as a reminder to look after your feet! 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalhealth #walking #hiking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike
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