Basics Foods for Living Longer and Better Eat Your Way to Longevity By Mark Stibich, PhD Mark Stibich, PhD, FIDSA, is a behavior change expert with experience helping individuals make lasting lifestyle improvements. Learn about our editorial process Mark Stibich, PhD Reviewed by Reviewed by Ayana Habtemariam, MSW, RDN, LDN on January 04, 2021 facebook instagram Ayana Habtemariam, MSW, RDN, LDN, is a registered dietitian, nutrition therapist, certified intuitive eating counselor, and macro social worker. Learn about our Review Board Ayana Habtemariam, MSW, RDN, LDN Updated on January 04, 2021 Print There are a number of factors that contribute to our overall health and wellness. For instance, evidence shows that stress can take a toll on the body, and other factors such as the conditions or circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age can impact health. But there is also evidence that diet can play a role in improving health and longevity. These food and drink options will help your body fight off the damage caused by aging. Just work them into your daily and weekly meal plans and you'll be getting extra vitamins, antioxidants, and other substances that will help your body fight age-related illnesses. While there are several factors that play a role in overall health, you can improve wellness and longevity with a nutritious diet. Foods that provide healthy fats, antioxidants, and plant-based proteins are the best anti-aging resources available to you. 1 Avocados Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Avocados lead this list of anti-aging foods because they are just so delicious. Of course, avocados are loaded with healthy fats to help improve your cholesterol, but the main reason to eat avocados is because they taste so good. 2 Walnuts Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman You probably know you need eat more omega-3s and that fish is a great source, but possible mercury contamination of fish might get you a bit scared off. That's where walnuts come in. Turns out that walnuts are a great (and mercury-free) source of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Eat a handful or two a day for all your omega-3 needs. Plant Sources of Omega-3s 3 Green Vegetables Johner Images / Getty Images It's pretty boring to talk about the need to eat more vegetables, but here's the thing—we all really need to do it. In fact, if the country could get 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day, we'd see a huge decrease in heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure and more. So find some way to eat one more veggie or fruit this week, then add another next week until you get to 9 servings. Focus on leafy or deeply colored vegetables for the most benefit. 4 Water Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Water is good for you. This seems pretty basic. There is some disagreement in the medical world whether drinking tons of water is really a good idea, but while they sort that out stay focused on water. Your goal should be to make water your primary drink. This way, you'll be drinking a no calorie, no chemical drink all day long instead of the many, many high-calorie, high chemical alternatives. 5 Berries Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Berries are packed full of antioxidants and other chemicals that your body can use to make repairs and prevent some of the damage caused by aging. Best of all, berries taste really, really good. Be sure to eat your berries without any sauces or sugars. Just enjoy them plain for their goodness. The 20 Best Food Sources of Antioxidants 6 Green Tea Frank Rothe/The Image Bank/Getty Images Green tea has been a longevity supplement in Asia for thousands of years. It is a great thing to work into your daily life. Green tea contains high concentrations of just the chemicals your body needs. Green tea is also inexpensive, delicious and gives a mild (and gentle) energy boost from its caffeine. 7 Red Wine Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Red wine is good for you—it contains a substance called "resveratrol" that help your body fight off age-related illnesses. At the end of your day have a glass or two to relax and unwind. You'll get the benefits of a delicious drink along with the anti-aging properties of resveratrol. 8 Beans Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Beans are a great source of healthy protein and antioxidants. Really, beans are a wonder food. Some researchers (like T. Colin Powell) believe that animal protein may cause many of the illnesses we face as we age. Switching to a (healthy) vegetarian diet certainly will help improve the health of your heart and arteries. Beans are a necessary part of any healthy vegetarian diet. If you don't want to go all the way to vegetarianism, then just start by substituting a few meals a week with bean-based entrees. 9 Melons Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Melons have some of the best nutritional profiles of all the fruits. They are pulpy (so they fill you up) and contain lots of vitamins for your body. Work melons into your daily/weekly diet and you'll be reaping health benefits as you enjoy them. 10 Chocolate Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Chocolate is last on this list only because it doesn't need to be higher up to get your attention. Chocolate (dark chocolate, that is) is good for you. It has a balance of fats that don't harm your body and tons of healthy chemicals that your body needs. The only draw-back is that chocolate also has calories. Have a little square every day, but don't overdue it. 7 Foods People Living in Blue Zones Eat With Their Diet Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to lose weight? Our nutrition guide can help you get on the right track. Sign up and get it free! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Yaribeygi H, Panahi Y, Sahraei H, Johnston TP, Sahebkar A. The impact of stress on body function: A review. EXCLI J. 2017;16:1057-1072. Published 2017 Jul 21. doi:10.17179/excli2017-480 Islam MM. Social Determinants of health and related inequalities: Confusion and implications. Front Public Health. 2019;7:11. Published 2019 Feb 8. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2019.00011