My grandfather passed away last month. He was 95—and independent, healthy, funny and mentally sharp, till the very end. My grandmother (his wife of 70 years), 91, is alive and well. At my grandfather’s funeral services, I marveled at the number of folks—family and friends—in their late eighties and early nineties who came to pay their respects. My grandpa had lived a good, long life. A lot of the people in his community seem to be enjoying that same healthy longevity. What’s the secret?Sure, good genes have a lot to do with how long you’ll live. So does chance (my mother’s mom, for example, died as a result of a car accident). But more and more, research shows that healthy habits can keep you living longer and better. My grandfather had a great social network and was quick to laugh: two things that predict a long life, according to research. His parents immigrated to the United States from Italy (so did my grandmother’s) and he basically ate like a Mediterranean: he grew a huge garden and ate loads of vegetables and fruit; much of the meat he ate was lean game, such as venison. He enjoyed fish. Olive oil was, and still is, a staple in my grandmother’s kitchen.
3 diet tricks of people who live longer
