How to see your 100th birthday

       My experience as a surgeon practicing across three continents, has given me the opportunity to interact closely with clients across all races and age groups, afflicted with a wide spectrum of health challenges, including the terminally ill with cancer.

It has resulted in my developing a very strong bond with many of them which sometimes has extended to family members and friends.  This myriad of experiences has given me a unique insight into what factors contribute to making us live healthy fulfulling lives.

In this article I will examine what we need to do to archieve and remain in optimal health so as to live to see our 100th birthday.

So what’s the health secret to living to a 100?

Get breastfed as a baby

Several reseach studies have demonstrated the protective effect of breastfeeding on the health of both the baby and mother. Breast milk is designed by nature to contain all a new born baby needs for optimal growth and development. 

It is recommended that a child should be breastfed exclusively for the first six months of his or her life.

The health benefits of breast feeding range from boosting the childs immunity, improved emotional development to protection from obesity and type 1 diabetes later in life.

Research also suggests that because breast milk contains maternal antibodies, breastfeeding lowers your baby’s risk of certain diseases and helps build a strong immune system against diarrhea, vomiting and preterm enterocolitis.

Breastfed babies also have lower incidences of pneumonia, whooping cough, asthma, eczema , meningitis and sudden infant death syndrome.

Exclusive breastfeeding and childhood immunisation gives you a great start in life.

We all know we should Exercise regularly

Exercising daily goes a long way toward helping you age gracefully. Consistent aerobic exercise is a great place to start. 

“Exercising regularly has many benefits, from helping you maintain a healthy weight and heart to managing stress,” Dr. Pacheco says. 

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week. If you would  like to incorporate aerobic exercises into your daily routine, try one of the following,

Brisk Walking

Bike riding 

Swimming

Planking

Hiking

and Dancing

Exercise isn’t just good for your physical health. Physical exercise has an outsized impact on cognitive function and well-being, according to a 2018 study funded by the University of Naples.

We all know Chronic stress is bad for us

Staying calm is another life-lengthening loophole. In fact, stressing over how to live longer may wreak havoc on your efforts.

“Few things age a person faster than constant stress, whether it’s from work, money, family or social relationships,” Dr. Pacheco says.

Of course, some stress is unavoidable. It plays a role in all our lives, and in small doses, it can be beneficial. However, if stress is a part of your daily life, it begins to take its toll. 

Learning how to manage your stress can help you live longer. Common practices include:

Meditation   Yoga   Breathing exercises   Walking or Hiking

The key is to do something you enjoy and incorporate it into your daily life. Whether you find relaxation in walking or counting your breath, make time to do a soothing activity.

Keep your mind active

Wrinkles aren’t the only signs you’re aging. Mental and cognitive decline are other symptoms to watch for. There are steps you can take to slow this process down, some of which involve having fun!

Research suggests memory loss can be improved simply by doing mental exercises or going back-to school. Staying mentally active may also help you prevent cognitive decline, which is thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s.

Stay mentally healthy by keeping your mind active. Take a class to learn something new, read, do crossword puzzles, watch a challenging game show, have stimulating conversations — they all keep your brain busy.

We all know not to smoke

Another of the not-so-secret secrets of longevity? If you smoke, you should stop. Not only does smoking cause heart and lung disease, but it also accelerates aging, especially for the skin. If you’re planning to live a long life, quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco products.

If you smoke, quitting before the age of 40 might help you live as long as someone who never smoked a cigarette. 

A 2013 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that quitting by age 54 still reduces your chance of dying prematurely from a smoking-related disease by two-thirds!

We all know Sleep is important

To live to 100, your body needs plenty of rest to maintain and repair itself. Like food, rest is essential in giving your body the energy it needs.

Studies have consistently shown that sleep deprivation or sleeping less than five hours a night can lead to major health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer. Most adults need seven to eight hours of sleep each night to rest the mind and body an optimise melatonin production.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the body while we sleep in the dark at night. It is naturally occurring in the parts of the body that need it the most, including the heart, brain, and nervous system. 

Melatonin acts as an antioxidant, it protects and cleans up the mitochondria of the cells and prevents disease in these parts of the body when present in healthy amounts. Sleep deprivation at night reduces melatonin production.

We all know you should avoid high risk sports like sky diving and boxing.

Intermittent fasting

The reasons are well established. The simplest form is a 16 hr fast from your dinner at 6pm to lunch the next day at 12 noon. Two times a werk.

The Mayo Clinic, suggests that intermittent fasting may be more beneficial than other diets for reducing inflammation and improving conditions associated with inflammation, such as Alzheimer's disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Multiple sclerosis and Stroke.

Health Screening

After the age of 40,  and in some people before 40, depending on your family medical history, you should carry out some medical tests. Catch any diseses early before its too late. 

Another advantage of a health screen, If your tests are normal it gives you rest of mind. I recommend the following measurements and tests;

Body Mass Index - BMI, Weight, Abdominal girth, Visceral fat

Blood Pressure, Lung function 

Blood work-up, for Cholesterol, Sugar, Kidney, Liver function etc

Calcium cardiac CT scan

Colonoscopy

Prostatic Specific Antigen test - PSA

Mammography, Papanicolaou cervical test - Pap

Eat a healthy diet

What you eat every day plays a big role in how many days you have left. Your physical and mental health benefit from a balanced diet high in vegetables and lean protein. 

“Avoid eating too many processed foods, They are often high in added sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Focus instead on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains.”

Diet isn’t just about eating the right foods, though. Knowing how much to eat is just as important. Overeating can strain your body as your digestive system converts excess nutrients into body fat. 

If you want to live longer, try eating in moderation. The traditional Okinawan saying “Hara hachi bu” means “Eat until you are 80% full.” 

Learning to eat slowly and with purpose and stopping just before you are full, will help you avoid overindulging. 

What should you eat ?

These foods give your body the nutrients it needs to maintain and repair skin, hair, eyes and to carry out major bodily functions like breathing and digesting. 

1. Eating sweet potatoes has lots of benefits, including keeping your skin supple and firm.

Every time you eat a sweet potato you do your whole body a favor, including your face. “Sweet potato is an incredibly healthy food filled with carotene (key ingredient for glowing skin), vitamin C and B6, biotin and fiber and a strong antioxidant,” says Stephanie Middleberg, a New York based dietitian and founder of Middleberg Nutrition. It’s also a good source of copper, which helps your body produce collagen, making the tubers a cheaper and less painful delivery system than facial injections.

But how you eat your sweet potatoes matters, too ! Sweet potato fries are not necessarily a healthier choice than regular French fries. 

“It really depends how they are cooked,” says Keri Gans, a New York-based registered dietician and the author of the The Small Change Diet. “If they are deep fried, then don’t be fooled, you’re still eating a French fry.” 

Try making some baked sweet potato fries instead, so you get the nutrition without the unhealthy fats.

2. The antioxidants in berries can repair your skin and may even keep your brain young.

Anthocyanin, the antioxidant that gives many berries their eye-catching colors, can also protect your skin from UV rays. 

“Strawberries are also a good source of silica, a vital trace mineral for healthy skin and connective tissue,” says Middleberg.

On top of that, researchers at Tufts University and University of Maryland Baltimore County found that after feeding rats a blueberry and strawberry diet over two months, and then using irradiation to accelerate aging, the rats’ brains had lower levels of toxins in them. 

3. Beans help your skin by reducing inflammation and improve your heart health with protein and fiber.

Beans, in general, are amazing. They are full of protein, fiber, and B vitamins, all of which do your body good. The protein and fiber are good for your heart health, and the vit B reduces skin inflammation.

While different kinds of beans have different levels of specific nutrients, eat the ones you like. I eat minevplain as part of a meal.

4. Oats are filled with skin-improving B vitamins.

Am a huge fan of oatmeal and oatmilk. They are packed with a number of important nutrients, including B vitamins, fiber, and protein. 

Those B vitamins are great for your skin, hair and nails, but they also go deeper to nourish your nervous system. 

The fiber helps keep your digestive system chugging along by encouraging the growth of gut friendly bacteria, and a good source of plant protein.

Oats are a gluten free carbohydrate with a low glycemic index. See my post on Oatmilk as a rich natural source of calcium and magnesium.

5. Yogurt can give you Vitamin D if you are not getting it from the sun.

Our bodies need Vitamin D, which we usually get from the sun, so that we can absorb calcium and maintain good bone health. 

 According to a 2007 British study, higher levels of Vitamin D can also improve the health of the DNA in our cells, slowing the aging process and protecting against age-related diseases.

“You really only need ten minutes a day of sun to meet your Vitamin D needs,” But for some people, especially in the winter, even that ten minutes may be hard to get. 

6. Curry powder may prevent the growth of toxic brain cells and prevent Alzheimer’s.

The ingredient in curry that is resposible for its medicinal properties is Tumeric. 

Curry has long been used in India to treat a variety of diseases, including breast cancer, liver disease, and hemorrhoids, but recent research shows it might also prevent Alzheimer’s. 

In 2001, researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found that curcumin, a compound in curry, lowered certain toxins in the brains of Alzheimer-like mice, concluding, “this Indian spice component shows promise for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.”

7. Sardines and anchovies are full of brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and have lower mercury levels and price tags than most wild salmon.

Consuming more omega-3’s in your diet can slow the natural deterioration of your brain as you age, according to a January 2014 study.

Look for European anchovies from the Adriatic Sea or Pacific sardines to get the most omega-3’s with the least mercury. 

Dont throw away the tiny bones in sardines. They are another good source of Vitamin D. 

8. Cocoa may lower your risk of heart disease and prevent diabetes and cancer, but choosing your chocolate carefully is essential.

“Pure cacao, cocoa, is extremely healthy.” In a study of the Kuna Indians off the coast of Panama, scientists attributed the population’s low risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease despite their weight and salt consumption to their high cocoa intake, ten times more than what an American would typically consume.

However, those scientists also drew a distinction between Kuna cocoa, made from dried, ground beans with just a bit of sweetener and commercial chocolate, which is usually highly processed and has lost much of its healthfulness.

 “You want to look for varieties that are above 75% cacao, because the more cacao, the less sugar and fillers.”

9. Healthy fats like olive oil and nuts can lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease.

Not all fat is bad. Some kinds may even help you live longer. In a five-year study of almost 7,500 participants, Harvard researchers found that people who consumed either an extra liter of extra virgin olive oil every week or an extra ounce of mixed nuts every day had significantly fewer heart attacks, strokes and death than the participants on the low-fat diet. 

Nuts and olive oil are both easy to incorporate into your diet. Cook with olive oil, and snack on raw nuts next time you find yourself reaching for potato chips.

10. Spinach and other green leafy vegetables can boost your energy, make your bones stronger, and protect your eyes.

It seems like there’s not much spinach can’t do. Those little leaves are full of iron, Vitamin K, and the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin. The iron will boost your energy and build your muscles, while the Vitamin K will help your bone density and prevent prevent fractures and osteoporosis. 

The lutein and zeaxanthin allows your retinas to absorb damaging light before it can hurt your vision, and lower the risk of chronic eye diseases like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the American Optometric Association.

Adding spinach to your diet is easy because you can eat it raw or cooked, sautéing it takes about a minute, and you can throw it into dishes where it’s not even listed as an ingredient. 

To get the full benefits of fat-soluble Vitamin K, be sure to eat it with some fat, like virgin olive oil or palm oil so your body can absorb it. 

11. Red wine

Moderate intake of red wine can improve cardiovascular health, may prevent cancer and even help treat diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Good news for red wine lovers: A glass a night can improve your cardiovascular health. According to studies from the University of California Davis, antioxidants in the red grapes’ skin and seeds can reduce production of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and reduce blood clotting. 

Other studies have found that the antioxidant resveratrol in the grapes’ skins can prevent tumor development, as well as help your body create nerve cells, which may help treat neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Choose drier (less sweet) red wines for the biggest health benefits, say UC Davis researchers. Not a wine drinker? You don’t need to pick up the habit. 

“If you’re not drinking alcohol, I don’t recommend you start just to get the health effects.” Grape juice or better still eating grapes and berries will give you the same benefit.

After all of the above, don’t forget: “There’s more to anti-aging besides foods, that’s why sleep, exercise, and reducing stress, if at all possible, are important.”  Then there is genetics.

Choose your parents wisely

Genetics, culture, where you grow up and familial traits play a significant role in longevity. From inherited diseasesa like type 1 diabetes to sickle cell Anaemia.  

Other examples of genetic or familial diseases include asthma, hypertension, prostate cancer, cystic firosis, familial hypercholesterolamia, breast cancer and types of schizophrenia. 

Studies of populations in Japan, the Pacific islands and the Mediterranean  demonstatre that the role of these factors could contribute upto 40% of your chances of living above a 100yrs. 

If you are aware of a genetic predisposition,  it is important you work hard to eliminate other risk factors for the disease.  

If your parent suffers from cardiovascular disease then you should eliminate salt from your diet , keep your blood cholestetol in check and monitor your blood pressure regularly.

You are welcome to read my other health and beauty articles about specific topics. I would very much appreciate your feedback and comments. You can also contact me by clicking the button at the top of the page.

Thank you for coming here and hope to receive an invite to your 100th birthday, if you have not already celebrated it.

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