This study published in PLOS Medicine February 8, 2022 looked at the affect of replacing a diet of processed food and meat with a diet consistent with fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables. The Norway research team used existing data from more than 200 countries and territories from the Global Burden of Disase Study.

Some take home points:

• Eat more nuts, lentils, whole grains, and vegetables
• Eat less processed food and red meat
• The earlier the diet is started, the more the benefit and will increase your life span the most(sometimes up to 13 years), but even starting at an older age will increase your life span
• It may be hard to start this diet overnight, but you can start with baby steps. Start by incorporating a handful of nuts a day, picking a blackbean burger over a cheeseburger, or incorporating something like lentil soup to your meal plan for the week…..after all Rome was not built in a day, but it did eventualy get built.