While it may sound like a college fraternity keg party anthem, "drink your way to a long life" is actually a good motto for those who are looking to get every ounce out of their lives that they possibly can. When it comes to extending your life, you really are what you drink, for good and bad.
Red Wine. To stretch our college frat theme, alcohol really is good for you in moderation. Because it contains antioxidants, wine is better than other alcohols, and red wine wins out over white in terms of the amount of antioxidants it contains. Antioxidants can help to protect your body against the effects of aging, and studies have shown that a glass or two a day, no more, can help to reduce ailments such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Tea. Red might be better than white in the wine world, but in the world of tea, everything's equal. A variety of studies have shown that both green and black teas are packed with antioxidants and can not only cut your risk of getting a heart attack, but actually improve your survival rate after you have one. If you're more into herbal tea, gravitate towards the mint variety. It too is filled with powerful antioxidants and can also help to increase your alertness without the benefit (some would say curse) of caffeine.
A note on all teas: make sure you steep any tea for at least three minutes before drinking. This will help to pull all the beneficial antioxidants out of the tea leaves.
Coffee. The days of doctors warning against the consumption of coffee were pretty much laid to rest years ago when study after study started linking it with lower disease rates across the board. Teaming with antioxidants, coffee has been shown to decrease Parkinson's, reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, lower the occurrence of liver cancer, cut the risk of dying from heart disease well, it goes on and on. As in all things, moderation does apply (example: in the heart disease study, those who benefited most were consuming 3-4 cups of coffee a day).
Water. None of this fancy stuff, you say, just turn on the tap? Drinking water itself is an excellent healthy habit to get into. Your body is mostly made up of water, and consuming a steady supply of it keeps you hydrated and helps your body flush out toxins.
It also has some specific health benefits attached to it. A recent Loma Linda University study found that men who drank five eight-ounce glasses of water a day were 54% less likely to die of a heart attack than those who drank two eight-ounce glasses of water a day.
Sugar Drinks. We end with those beverages you should avoid: those made up of large doses of sugar (we're looking at you, soft drinks). Unlike fat consumption, sugar adds calories while doing nothing to leave you satiated, or feeling full. In fact, 20% of the calories of the average American's diet comes from sugar beverages. These sugars can run up your weight, leading to all sorts of health problems linked to obesity. Studies have also shown that a high-sugar diet can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Long life, cheers, salut!
For more information on Aging & Longevity as well as tips on Yoga, Meditation, Stress Management and other life improvement topics, visit The Art of Calm .
What a lovely eye catching title! Resveratrol,the compound from grape skins(and found in red wine) increases life and is the newly found chemical fountain of youth,the new soon to be hot chemical for the new millenium soon to be more popular than Ponce De Leon ever was! Thank you for a great article;I shall go downstairs and drink some more cognac and toast to you!Paul Schroeder
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