How Not to Die summary

In 2014, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published an article which found that vegetarians of 12 years who began eating meat one day per week saw a drop in life expectancy of 3.6 years.

So are vegetarians healthier?

Everyone has heard the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But is that true? Well, if you throw in a handful or two of berries, it just might be!

A healthy diet should contain four servings of fruit a day, one of which should be berries. Keep in mind that means whole fruit and not fruit juice. Harvard research has found that drinking fruit juice correlates to a higher risk of type-2 diabetes because of its high ratio of sugar to fiber, whereas whole fruit has been correlated to a lower risk of the same condition.

Do you remember how, when you were a child, your parents wouldn’t let you leave the table until you’d finished all your veggies?

Well, all those leafy greens may have extended your life, since vegetables are on the front line of preventing life-threatening diseases.

Beans get a bad rap for the, uh, unpleasant side effects they produce, but actually, they’re super nutritious. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends eating a serving of beans or legumes with every meal since they offer an animal-free protein with added benefits, like fiber.

Soy is the most popular bean in America, but processed versions of soybeans, like tofu, should be avoided. Tempeh, young whole soybeans or other whole soy-based foods are better options.

Did you know that a single daily serving of nuts or seeds can make all the difference in fighting disease?

The Global Burden of Disease Study carried out between 1990 and 2010 found that eating too few seeds and nuts was the third leading dietary risk for death and disability worldwide.

Herbs and spices can add flare to a dish, but these fragrant flavorings are also powerful fighters of disease, especially cancer.

They contain the highest levels of antioxidants of all food groups. A bowl of whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce and broccoli contains 150 units of antioxidants. Add just a single teaspoon of oregano to the mix, and that number jumps to 300!

Imagine you’re absolutely parched. You open the fridge door and grab the nearest beverage to hand. Unless you’re reaching for a bottle of water, chances are your choice isn’t going to be very healthy.

Ideally, you should aim for at least five 12-ounce beverages per day, and there’s nothing better than pure H2O. It’s so good for you that the Beverage Guidance Panel, which publishes nutritional information on drinks, lists water as number one on its six-tier scale.

Do you remember a time when kids played outside all day long? Plenty of things have changed now that kids sit around playing video games for hours.

This shift has been terrible for health; our sedentary lifestyles are major killers. Just consider a 14-year study by the American Cancer Society. It followed over 100,000 Americans and found that men who remained sedentary for six hours per day or longer were 20 percent more likely to die than those who sat around for three hours or less. The same numbers even held up for those who ran or swam for an hour a day!