5 Evidence-Based Tips for Improving Your Health and Living Longer

If you do a search for health tips that will help you get in better shape and live a longer life, chances are you’ll find a ton of these tips. Unfortunately, the tips can be somewhat confusing, particularly when they come from experts who sometimes, hold opposing views about certain tips or ideas. 

However, there are few rock-solid wellness tips that have been proven by thorough scientific research to help improve your health and the odds of you living a long life. These are the tips that we’ll be sharing with you here. 

Cut Down on Your Sugar Consumption

Added sugars are a big contributor to obesity and diabetes. These are easily found in fruit juice –even supposedly sugar-free ones, refined sugars, and sodas. Added sugars have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, even in people who aren’t fat or overweight. 

So, it doesn’t matter if you’re currently fat or not. As long as you consume considerable quantities of added sugars, you’re likely to develop one of these terminal illnesses. So, what should you do instead? Cut out added sugars from your diet completely. 

Instead of drinking fruit juices, sodas, and other foods with added sugars, choose healthier alternatives like water –there are multiple brands of flavored water if you don’t like the “bland” taste of water. And if you need a sweetener, choose healthier options like honey and stevia.

Eat Natural Foods

By natural foods, we mean unprocessed foods; foods that are in their near-natural states. The problem with most processed foods is that they are vastly modified and different from their original states. They also often contain added chemicals like sweeteners, preservatives, flavors, colors, and much more. 

Instead of eating foods that are excessively processed, eat more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. For instance, the low intake of nuts and seeds has been linked to an increased odds of death from type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Plus, these fiber-rich foods are not only great for your colon, but they also deliver the maximum nutritional content to your body. 

Drink Coffee

It’s incredible that this incredible antioxidant-rich drink has had a lot of controversies surrounding it. Every day, there are conflicting stories from multiple sources. Some say it’s dangerous for you, others say it’s healthy. So, which one should you believe? 

Well, there are studies showing that the frequent intake of coffee may actually help you live longer and can help stave off the onset of ailments like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. 

However, as with all good things, you’ll need to take this in moderation. Research shows that it’s best to stick to a max of 3-4 cups per day. And even then, best to have the last cup by 4 pm if you want to sleep at night. You can always learn more about it by doing your personal research. 

Get More Sleep

The average adult is sleep-deprived, with less than 7 hours of sleep per night. Yet, studies have shown that the average adult requires 7-9 hours of sleep per day to function optimally. 

But that’s not all. Did you know that sleep deprivation can indirectly increase your risk of diabetes and excessive weight gain? That’s correct. Also, it affects your energy levels, further increasing your chances of developing depression and anxiety. 

So, if you haven’t been sleeping well, it’s time to start doing that more. Your health and well-being depend on it. So how can you get more sleep? First, set up a sleep ritual. This is a series of actions that help you unwind and prepare for sleep. Then, get rid of all the bright lights in your bedroom. This also applies to screens. 

The blue lights emitted from screens tend to keep your eyes activated, which means that it’ll take longer for you to go back to bed. And if you wake up in the middle of the night without being able to sleep, then it’s better to read a good book than browsing on your phone. 

Avoid Overly Burnt Meat

Yes, we know you love your smoked steak or barbequed chicken, but you need to be quite careful about this. Studies have shown that consuming overly burnt or charred meat is likely to increase your risk of developing certain types of cancers. And as you know, all cancers are terrible and potentially life-threatening. 

Conclusion

You may have noticed that the bulk of these tips are about food. That’s because food can be a leading cause of poor health in individuals (look for reference). However, done correctly, food can also be medicine which rejuvenates and truly nourishes your body whilst improving your health. 

Also, remember to throw in some weekly exercise in the mix. Remember this and apply it to your life, and you’ll most likely enjoy prolonged wellness and good health.