The Age-Well Project

Change the way you age

Get our posts direct to your inbox

  • About The Age-Well Project
  • Books
    • Our Books
    • Reviews
    • References
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Recipes By Ingredient
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Family
    • On The Go
    • Soups and Salads
    • Treats and Snacks
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Press

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

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

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.

Favourite Posts

WHY I’VE THROWN OUT ALL MY BEAUTY PRODUCTS (nearly…)

Why Alzheimer’s Is A Women’s Issue

HOW HAVING A DOG CHANGED MY LIFE

GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH

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.

THINNING AGEING HAIR – WARM CHICKEN LIVER SALAD

About The Age Well Project

This site is for anyone who wants to make the second half of their life as healthy, happy and disease-free as possible. Sign up to get the latest research on ageing – and delicious recipes to match – direct to your inbox.

agewellproject

⭐️Change the way you age: here's how ⭐️Simple tips for healthy longevity
⭐️📚 The Age-Well Project + The Age-Well Plan @ Amazon

The Age-Well Project
Tonight’s dinner: lentil spag bol. Warming, hear Tonight’s dinner: lentil spag bol. Warming, hearty and a real family favourite - super-easy for a weeknight and perfect if you’re trying to eat less meat this month (or any other month). Follow link in bio for the recipe #meatfreemonday #meatlessmonday #veganuary #dinner #familyfood #lockdowndinner #lockdownlife #lentils #pasta #homecooking #healthyrecipes #agewell #healthyageing #healthyaging #aginggracefully #agingwell #longevity #guthealth #guthealthy
Bring on 2021! Here’s to the hope that a new yea Bring on 2021! Here’s to the hope that a new year brings, especially this one. Thank you for your support this year! 🤩#bringon2021 #goodbye2020 #health #healthiswealth #longevity #ageisjustanumber #agewell #hope #ageless #2021 #happynewyear
Cheese and red wine linked to reduced Alzheimer's Cheese and red wine linked to reduced Alzheimer's risk? It really must be Christmas! Read about the latest research into brain health - and some of our favourite Christmas recipes - on the blog. Link in bio #christmasrecipes  #healthy #delicious #plantbased #brainhealth #alzheimers #agewell #longevity #over50 #over50andfabulous #over50andfit  #midlifehealth #healthylifestyle #womenshealth #healthyageing #positiveageing #midlife #health #healthylifestyle  #positiveageing #positivity #feelgoodagewell #wellness #happiness #livehappier #ageisjustanumber #ageinggrateful #agingwithattitude #ageinggracefully #menopause
Can you find 12 minutes in your day for exercise? Can you find 12 minutes in your day for exercise? Yes, you can! That's all it takes to improve our circulating levels of metabolites. These biomarkers can reveal the proficiency of our insulin resistance, our levels of inflammation, how healthy our heart is, how well our bodies are dealing with oxidative stress, and our likely longevity, amongst other things. 

And if you're dashing out for a 12-minute walk, you want to make sure you're doing it properly. We've got a special offer for you to learn how to do just that with the fabulous @joannahalllife- follow link in bio 

#agewell #longevity #over50 #over50andfabulous #over50andfit  #midlifehealth #healthylifestyle #womenshealth #healthyageing #positiveageing #brainhealth #midlife #health #healthylifestyle  #positiveageing #positivity #feelgoodagewell #wellness #happiness #livehappier #ageisjustanumber #over50blogger #over60 #over60andfabulous #ageinggrateful #agingwithattitude #ageinggracefully #walkingwomen #womenwhowalk #menopause
Want simple, do-it-today tips for ageing well? Joi Want simple, do-it-today tips for ageing well? Join me (Susan) and @PositivePause for a live webinar on Weds November 11th at 7pm and I’ll lay it all out for you - and I’ll throw in a three-day, age-well menu plan with recipes too! For ticket details  follow link in bio - the webinar will be recorded so you can catch up later if the time doesn’t suit. See you there!

agewell #longevity #over50 #over50andfabulous #over50andfit  #midlifehealth #healthylifestyle #womenshealth #healthyageing #positiveageing #brainhealth #midlife #health #healthylifestyle  #positiveageing #positivity #feelgoodagewell #wellness #happiness #livehappier #ageisjustanumber #
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Contact Us

For any enquiries please email theagewellproject@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2021 The Age-Well Project