It probably won’t shock you to learn that new research shows eating well can add ten years or more to your life. That’s 10 years. Here’s a WebMD article discussing these findings. It also won’t surprise that the biggest overall impact comes from eating more plant-based foods (legumes), whole grains and nuts, and less red and processed meat. Here’s something you might not know about with regard to healthy eating and long life — nutrigenomics. That’s the scientific study of how and what you eat interacts with your particular genes, and how that interaction might make you more or less vulnerable to illness.
Our registered dietitian and functional medicine nutritionist, Susan Wyler, recommends personalized nutrition. “Healthy diet is not one-size-fits-all,” she observes, “rather should be tailored to fit your genes.” Family history of heart disease, cancer, diabetes…when more than one family member suffers from the same illness, there are likely genetic tendencies that allow the disease to express itself, often later in life. But these genes are not immutable. Eating to combat these tendencies and taking wisely-chosen nutritional supplements can do much to counter genetic vulnerability to illness and optimize long life.
While consulting with a nutritionist may require you to alter your accustomed diet, don’t assume that will be unpleasant. In addition to her familiarity with genetic testing for personalized nutrition, Susan is also a culinary professional. Two of her cookbooks were named as “Best of the Season” in the New York Times. If Susan combines your genetic testing results with an eating plan enriched with tested recipes, you may well be delighted at the results ~~ in your everyday enjoyment of good food, and in the longevity to continue to do so.