From exotic juices to cans of cocktail peanuts, more and more edibles in the supermarket are being dubbed “antiaging” by some marketer or media pundit. The real deal about munchies that keep you youthful? They come from the earth, not a vacuum pack.

We’re not the only ones who are saying that. Take a look at what the longest-lived people in the world are eating (if you know us, this list will look familiar, but with a few twists). Then, put their favorites on your own table.

Costa Rica: Beans for Breakfast
Residents of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula are four times more likely than most North Americans to live past age 90. One reason may be dishes like gallo pinto, a tasty mix of black beans and rice flavored with onion, red peppers, garlic, olive oil, cilantro, and a salsa lizano – a condiment a little like Worcestershire sauce. The Oz part of this team learned on a trip to Nicoya that big breakfasts that begin with beans rule there. But don’t limit yourself; this dish is great at any meal.

Nova Scotia: Wild Blueberry “Grunt”
Some of Nova Scotia’s picturesque villages are home to Canada’s highest percentages of centenarians – people who’ve lived for at least 100 years. One reason may be polyphenol-packed wild blueberries produced by the millions of tons on this island. Luckily, you can find frozen wild blueberries in your supermarket. Use ‘em to make a traditional “grunt"– lightly cooked blueberries (skip the sweetener that’s usually in the recipe; the berries are sweet enough!) served over a biscuit (but please, make it whole grain, or skip the biscuit altogether). It’s also known as a slump, a fungi, a buckle, or a bang belly.

France: Wine
In this country, local red wine is king. And for good reason. Moderate drinking (1 glass for women, up to 2 for men) with a meal a day seems to explain some of the “French Paradox"– low rates of heart disease despite a penchant for artery-clogging goodies like cheese. It may help explain why the French tie the Italians (another nation with a healthy love of wine) as Western Europe’s longest-living people. Wine’s magic seems to come from a few components: ethanol, which boosts levels of healthy HDL cholesterol; resveratrol, which new research suggests can mimic the life-extending effects of cutting calories; and polyphenols, which rev up the body’s own cell-protecting antioxidants. Why not try a red wine from a vineyard near you, or head for a heart-healthy zinfandel, syrah, pinot noir, or cabernet sauvignon?

Greece: Lots of Veggies, Little Meat
On some Greek islands, one-third of the residents have already celebrated their 90th birthdays. Their longevity secret? The famed Mediterranean diet. When researchers quizzed 23,349 Greek women and men about what’s on their plates, they found that death rates were lowest for those who ate the most fruit, vegetables, beans, and olive oil. The occasional glass of wine helped, too. So did fish, seafood, whole grains, and dairy products. What wasn’t on their plates also mattered. Those who ate red meat just a few times a month lived longer than those who indulged more frequently.
Eating lots of vegetables accounted for 16% of the youth-power of Mediterranean eating. Drizzle on a little olive oil and top with a scattering of walnuts and you can more than double the impact. Not only will it be delicious, the good fats pamper your heart and help your body absorb more of the carotenoids and other nutrients in cooked veggies and in salad greens.

Japan: Tofu
Tofu’s on sale in the produce department of nearly every supermarket. Good news, because on the Japanese island of Okinawa, it may be why residents age gracefully to 100+ more often than anywhere else on earth. Researchers credit this mild-tasting soy curd’s low fat content and high levels of good-for-you saponins and isoflavones. Chunk up some extra-firm tofu instead of chicken or pork in a stir-fry, or use soy crumbles in place of ground meat in a hearty spaghetti sauce. Marinate first to heighten flavour; we love it with ginger, garlic, and low-sodium soy sauce.

So instead of falling for an anti-aging additive pitch, steer yourself toward these flavourful, health-giving goodies. You’ll see what these cultures have known for years: When it comes to the tastiest anti-aging foods, Mother Nature makes the best.

Article written by Mehmet C. Oz, MD, and Michael F. Roizen, MD,

Courtesy: http://www.realage.com/blogs

Exercise is the key to healthy body. Everybody knows it but still they compromise on this fact. The result is – 60 percent people in America are overweight. Millions of people are suffering from Hypertension/high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol. Hospitals are full. Everybody is trying to find the solution in medicines but it has its own limitations.

Exercise is the cheapest way to improve upon various ailments, without any side effects. General excuse is non-availability of time.

Are you aware that INTERVAL TRAINING – newest exercise research is showing that you can cut your workout time significantly and reap even better benefits?

You break your exercise session into short segments that alternate high intensity with a rest period in-between. It can dramatically improve your cardiovascular fitness and fat-burning capabilities in a fraction of the time.

Take this latest study, in which men pedalled on a stationary bike for 20 minutes using interval training (they pedalled at the highest intensity they could for a minute, then pedalled slowly to rest for a minute, and so on for the 20-minute period). These men received the same benefits as they would have had they exercised at a lower intensity for one hour or more, leading researchers to say interval training “may represent an alternative to endurance training to improve metabolic health and reduce the risk for chronic diseases.”

Several studies have confirmed that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between burns more fat than exercising continuously for an entire session. This has been shown to hold true even when the session is not done at an extremely high intensity.

In one such study, those who cycled for 40 minutes, alternating four-minute bursts at 90 percent effort with two minutes of rest, improved their cardiovascular fitness by 13 percent, and were able to burn 36 percent more fat during a later hour-long moderate cycling session.

Another study took it even further, showing you can burn more fat exercising for 20 minutes than for 40 minutes!

In their trial, women either exercised for 20 minutes, alternating 8 seconds of sprinting on a bike with 12 seconds of exercising lightly, or exercised at a regular pace for 40 minutes. After exercising three times a week for 15 weeks, those who did the 20-minute, alternating routine lost three times as much fat as the other women.

The researchers believe this type of exercise works because it produces a unique metabolic response. Intermittent sprinting produces high levels of chemical compounds called catecholamine, which allow more fat to be burned from under your skin and within your muscles. The resulting increase in fat oxidation is thought to drive the increased weight loss.

Again, one of the best parts of interval training is that it cuts down on the amount of time you need to exercise, which is great if you don’t have time for hour-long cardio workouts.

Adopted from: http://fitness.mercola.com

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