Perhaps it is just common sense, if you eat good you'll have greater chances of living longer and healthier. The advice in this article though is a good reminder, as well as listing some foods which are quite essential to your diet and foods to avoid.

A Healthy Diet--Key to Longevity

by Cathy Wong

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, beans, low-fat dairy, and whole grains is the foundation of longevity, a new study suggests.

The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, examined the diets of 59, 038 Swedish women. Researchers were interested in the influence of healthy and less healthy foods on mortality.

Sixty foods commonly consumed in Sweden were classified as healthy or less healthy.

Foods Considered Healthy Foods Considered Less Healthy
apples, pears
citrus, banana
lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, kale
cabbage, root vegetables (carrots, beets, etc.)
beans, peas
milk with 0.5% or 1.5% fat, yogurt with 1.5% fat
whole grain bread, crisp bread, oats
salmon, herring, tuna, other fish excluding shellfish
meat, meat stew, minced meat
bacon, sausages, blood pudding
cold cuts, pate, liver, kidney
fried potatoes, French fries, chips
cheese, butter, margarine
white bread
pancakes/Belgian waffles
cookies, ice cream, candy, sugar

Regular consumption of a high variety of healthy foods was associated with longevity and lower mortality rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer. In contrast, a diet with a high variety of less healthy foods such as red meat, refined carbohydrates, sugars, and foods rich in saturated fats was associated with increased mortality rates from cancer.

While this finding may seem like common sense, it emphasizes the importance of a balanced, healthy diet. Foods in the healthy group are rich in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, probiotics (the "good" bacteria), fiber, and essential fatty acids. Nutritional supplements should not be viewed as a substitute for a healthy diet.

It should be noted that this study did not adjust for smoking, physical activity, and use of dietary supplements, all factors which may influence mortality.

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