Live like the Spaniards if you want to live a bit longer.
Spain is set to become the country with the longest life expectancy by 2040, with the average citizen living until they are 85.8 years old. It will surpass the current title holder, Japan, where the number is 85.7. This stat was give by According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
What sets Spain apart from every other country in the world? Their diet—Doctor Christopher Murray, director of the IHME, told The Guardian
According to the IHME, the biggest health issues in the world are obesity, high blood pressure, and blood sugar, as well as tobacco and alcohol use. Which means that for life expectancy, what you eat plays an essential role. In Spain, that means following a Mediterranean diet.
A Mediterranean diet comprises ingredients like local fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, and fish, as the name implies, it is popular in seaside countries like Spain, Italy, and Greece. It’s touted as not only beneficial physically but mentally: research agrees it could decrease the risk of depression..
This lifestyle is replicated on the island of Sardinia, known for its many octogenarians. Their diet focuses heavily on olive oil, herbs, and seafood—has a heavy Spanish influence thanks to the centuries the island spent under Catalan rule.
Since no diet is a cure for all, but in an age of countless and continuous fad eating trends, when foods go in and out of favor, perhaps a eating lifestyle that has stayed for centuries is one worth sticking to.
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