The Best Diet for Healthy Aging (Updated)

Food for healthy aging: Swapping just 1 percent of plant protein in place of animal protein was associated with significantly less age-related deficit accumulation.
Aging is the topic of my forthcoming book, How Not to Age, out in 2023. I can’t wait to share all of what I found!
This update has changes to the reference of eggs around 0:43.
Some of my other popular videos on aging and longevity include:
• How to Counter the Inflammation of Aging (nutritionfacts...)
• Fruits, Veggies, and Longevity: How Many Minutes Per Mouthful? (nutritionfacts...)
• Do Flexitarians Live Longer? (nutritionfacts...)
• Methionine Restriction as a Life-Extension Strategy (nutritionfacts...)
• How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years (nutritionfacts...)
• Turning the Clock Back 14 Years (nutritionfacts...)
• Longer Life Within Walking Distance (nutritionfacts...)
• Telomeres: Cap It All Off with Diet (nutritionfacts...)
• The Okinawa Diet: Living to 100 (nutritionfacts...)
• Caloric Restriction vs. Animal-Protein Restriction (nutritionfacts...)
• Increased Lifespan from Beans (nutritionfacts...)
• The Benefits of Calorie Restriction for Longevity (nutritionfacts...)
• Does Intermittent Fasting Increase Human Life Expectancy? (nutritionfacts...)
• How to Increase Your Life Expectancy 12 to 14 Years (nutritionfacts...)
• How to Boost FGF21 with Diet for Longevity (nutritionfacts...)
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Have a question about this video? Leave it in the comment section at nutritionfacts.... and someone on the NutritionFacts.org team will try to answer it.
Want to get a list of links to all the scientific sources used in this video? Click on Sources Cited at nutritionfacts.... You’ll also find a transcript and acknowledgements for the video, my blog and speaking tour schedule, and an easy way to search (by translated language even) through our videos spanning more than 2,000 health topics.
Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM
Captions for this video are available in several languages; you can find yours in the video settings.
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[@michaelschultz8126]

It’s unbelievable that we still have to pursued (many) people to eat healthy plant based Whole Foods when almost 1/3 of the world’s population are obese and the environment is literally breaking down in front of us

[@AR-de7ij]

Animal farming is one of the major contributers to pollution, carbon release, and deforestation. But eating plant based, we can ameliorate environmental damage. Then maybe the planet can support the surviving people, who can be in better health from a plant based diet.

[@the8thchurch461]

I am plant based but know that it doesn't make one slim. Vegetables have carbs in their own right. Add to that you have nuts which are high in fats and you have a fat person there before you can say Jack Robinson. Then when you factor in Dr. Greger's American greed of 3 slices of bread and 3 cups of grains daily, voila! We have a proper fatty right there. Of course I am not blaming the dear Dr. for making me fat. He recommended exercise which I didn't include in my daily dozen because I am time pressed. Still....

[@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG]

thx

[@martykerns3802]

Follow the money. A substantial portion of Americans work in industries related to the production of food; they are the hardest to convince that they need to eat healthier. Then there are those who are paid so poorly they think they can’t afford to eat non-processed foods. Then there’s the matter of educating people on eating healthy. Medical professionals, from admissions clerks to nurses to neurosurgeons are taught that disease is all due to genetics. As Dr Greger quotes from his med school admissions process, one interviewer, a pediatrician, said: nutrition is superfluous to human health.

[@rpolee9035]

And why are people obese not because they eat meat and probably not when they eat only wholefood veggies , but they do get fat from plant based ultra processed foods like seed oils, chips,fries,mayo,bread,cerials , burgers and chicken dripping in seed oils(sauces) with a nice Coke etc etc. But sure blame the meat thats the one thing we have been eating for as long as there are humans the thing we evovled on that made our brain get bigger surely this has to be the big bad evil food thats killing everybody it has to be !!

[@2woman1Journey]

I've been plant based 4 years and LOVE it. No high cholesterol,no Thyroid issues, everything literally went away

[@davidjohnson2001]

My Guy Dr G!!....Got all The Books 📚 !!! Going for 120!!

[@char2304]

Me too 😊

[@egris00]

😅👍

[@aurorasurrealis1032]

Eyyy, going for 120 seems great!

[@AndrewPawley11]

I love this channel!

[@WiseMindNutrition]

Gotta eat them plants!

[@michaelmackey754]

Great video…thanks

[@lorah3005]

👍 Whole food plant based for the environment and health; vegan for the victims!

[@chrishayes5755]

why is it that if you look at the maasai tribe or other tribes who eat exclusively organic / wild meat you don't find almost any diseases associated with the standard american diet? beef in particular is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on earth. organs and bone marrow obliterate any plant food. buffalo sustained native americans for thousands of years and they didn't have almost any of the diseases associated with the SAD. meat animals are treated inhumanely - in DISGUSTING and unethical ways. these animals are extremely diseased, kept alive only by modern medicine. I'd like to see studies on ethically raised organic meat, not the trash found in supermarkets.

[@beepbeepnj2658]

@@chrishayes5755 Actually you are wrong. The Maasai eat a high carb plant diet and have very low total cholesterol levels of about 120 mg/dL and 60 LDL mg/dL and George Mann got the arteries of the Maasai in the 1970's and they had extensive atherosclerosis like that of very old USA men. You don't have low cholesterol levels and a BMI of 19-21 eating a high animal diet as that was a myth about the Maasai started in the 1860's. This high carb plant diet and low cholesterol levels are a sign of malnutrition and cause heart disease, cancer and stroke. Perhaps you are thinking about the Inuit who do consume a high animal based diet since that was what was available for most of the year but now they are getting industrial foods and their health is starting to go down because of it.

[@chrishayes5755]

@@beepbeepnj2658 source for this please: "The Maasai eat a high carb plant diet "

[@beepbeepnj2658]

@@chrishayes5755 It is clear though that meat features only rarely on the Maasai menu. The main part more than 50 percent, consists of vegetarian food. The preferred meat is that of sheep and goats, whereas the meat of traditional Zebu cattle is only rarely eaten. "A cow will only be slaughtered for ritual festivities by the Maasai," 2010 Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) analyzed the diet of a nomadic tribe in the Kajiado District.

[@chrishayes5755]

@@beepbeepnj2658 not saying you're wrong but almost every single article or source I find says they eat meat, organs, bone marrow, blood, milk, honey, herbs, fruit and tree bark. didn't find much about them eating lots of vegetables and it seems clear that they're eating lots of animal based foods, often times raw. so why aren't they dying from eating so much meat? that's my question. - Traditionally, the Maasai diet consisted of raw meat, raw milk, honey and raw blood from cattle-note that the Maasai cattle are of the Zebu variety. Most of the milk is consumed as fermented milk or buttermilk (a by-product of butter making). Milk consumption figures are very high by any standards.[88][89] The Maasai herd goats and sheep, including the Red Maasai sheep, as well as the more prized cattle.[90][91] Although consumed as snacks, fruits constitute a major part of the food ingested by children and women looking after cattle as well as morans in the wilderness.

[@gm7304]

My name is Greg this dude has taught me so much I'm a Greger jr

[@morellayepez-millon4009]

Good information. Thank you 👍🏼🙏

[@EvaQrz]

I already have this book.

[@mbkile6762]

Wishing there is a Dr. Greger for dogs. Hate the dry dog foods.

[@marigoldenergy8512]

Dr. Karen Becker is a vet who you might find interesting. She has researched nutrition for dogs and cats. However, she is not pro-vegan for your pets if that is what you are looking for.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

I am REALLY impressed that you can type on a keyboard. Wow! Good boy!

[@chrishayes5755]

@@marigoldenergy8512 why would anyone be pro-vegan for pets that are carnivores and OCCASIONAL omnivores? that's called animal cruelty, neglect and abuse. feed them a species appropriate diet: meat, organ, bone, tripe, eggs.

[@mbkile6762]

Oh, I did not intend my comment to imply dogs should be vegan. Just wish there is a person as wonderful as Dr. Greger who would teach what a health dog diet looks like.

[@mbkile6762]

Thank you, thank you, marigoldenergy for the reference.

[@awesomelife3710]

HUGE difference in quality of life and longevity. Vegetarians eat artery-clogging, cardiovascular disease causing, high saturated fats such as eggs, butter, cream, whole cow’s milk, ghee, etc. Vegans on a whole foods, plant-based diet do not. There is a lengthy study available online that reports the big differences in health and lifespan between Loma Linda, California omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. The vegans outperform the other two groups by a significant margin in both health markers and longevity.

[@youbeever]

Care to explain how exactly food such as eggs, butter etc "CAUSE" "artery-clogging" from a biochemical and mechanistic approach? According to you, what is the mechanism through which atherosclerotic plaque forms? I am not asking about what "research publications" are saying. Research papers do not constitute "science" as they can be corrupted just as easily as politicians due to conflict of interest. They can be part of the scientific conversation for sure but must also correlate to a high degree with known hard science that have stood the test of time. There are no publications (unbiased RCT's) to date that can demonstrate "cause and effect" with regards to what you mentioned. The lipid hypothesis established since the 7 countries study (actually 22 but that's another conversation) is just that, a HYPOTHESIS. It never could demonstrate "cause and effect" and yet it was adopted as such by the mainstream "healthcare" system. So, without purely relying on biased "studies", what would be the scientific mechanism that can unequivocally explain how animal-based food including saturated fat "cause" disease such as cancer and CVD?

[@Arksway]

Dr Gregor, after your banana smoothie video, I did some research and due to some lingering confusion please enumerate. The antinutrients, which include lectins, oxalates, phytates, phytoestrogens and tannins, are thought to restrict bioavailability of key nutrients, while other studies conclude they may have health promoting effects. I know cooking foods inactivates most antinutrient effects. In addition should we avoid bananas, peal apples etc when cooking isn’t possible ?

[@rohanbsharma]

he mentions that bananas are absolutely still fine to eat, especially on their own as a snack, just avoid putting them in smoothies where they dampen the positive effects of antioxidant-rich foods slightly

[@Arksway]

@@rohanbsharma will do …I’ll definitely change that immediately. Thank you.

[@colby6512]

Recommendation for future videos. Nutrition and testosterone levels. Nutrition and mental health - I’m aware there are some videos already. Great channel I find nutrition fascinating and practical because in the west we have a lot of control in our choice of what to eat and impact our life and others (cooking, grocery hauls) for the better.

[@LorenceGray]

적절한 신체활동과 충분한 수면이 필요

[@Prodigious1One]

Yeah, I'm trying to eat a diet that is majority plant based.

[@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG]

i eat a diet plant based unless i dont have access to potato and b12 i dont see reason to eat animal corpse or their secretions without concent

[@j.fabricioelias227]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@auikerngesund5624]

Noch nicht auf deutsch. Aber hoffentlich bald

[@tahall5646]

Iss Obst und Gemüse!

[@-Kerstin]

Previous wording: [...]and egg protein was the worst, meaning egg whites. Swapping 3 percent of calories of egg whites for plant protein was associated with more than a 20 percent reduction in overall mortality[...] New wording: [...]and egg protein was the worst, found mostly in the egg whites. Swapping 3 percent of calories of egg protein for plant protein was associated with more than a 20 percent reduction in overall mortality[...]

[@jakubchrobry3701]

What's your point? So he corrected a simple mistake. Is this meant to be a gotcha? Also, you might want to include references of where you got the quotes. Maybe in his original wording, he was referencing a research paper. Unfortunately, I don't know that because you failed to provide any references. That's sloppy work.

[@-Kerstin]

​@@jakubchrobry3701 "What's your point?" I obviously and clearly showed what was updated in this updated video. That you are can be confused about this is mind boggling. "Is this meant to be a gotcha?" No? "Also, you might want to include references of where you got the quotes." The references are the previous wording and the new wording on this video we are commenting under. "Maybe in his original wording, he was referencing a research paper." Obviously he was if you watched the video we are both commenting under. "I don't know that because you failed to provide any references. That's sloppy work." I'm commenting directly on the video I'm talking about, I don't know what more you want.

[@jakubchrobry3701]

@@-Kerstin Again, what's your point? You did not answer. I had no idea this was an updated video and your comment did not say that (that's why I asked for a reference). I honestly thought the "previous wording" was from one of his books. Did the research paper say egg whites or egg protein? Please provide page number and paragraph because I don't have the time for pedantic nonsense.

[@-Kerstin]

​@@jakubchrobry3701 "Again, what's your point?" I've already spelled it out for you. "You did not answer." I've addressed every question you've asked. "I had no idea this was an updated video and your comment did not say that" It is in both the title and description of the video we are commenting under. "I honestly thought the "previous wording" was from one of his books" That is a wild assumption. "Did the research paper say egg whites or egg protein?" You would know if you watched the video we are commenting on. "Please provide page number and paragraph because I don't have the time for pedantic nonsense." The word 'pedantic' means "overly concerned with minute details", you are asking for the exact wording because you don't care about the exact wording? The page number is page 1, the paragraph is the results paragraph of the paper doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2790. but I'm not quoting the paper I'm quoting the video as I've explained numerous times.

[@jakubchrobry3701]

@@-Kerstin Why even engage in a dialogue if you are not going to say anything but spout a bunch of passive-aggressive nonsense. You've said nothing. You are obviously a troll that is here to hate on Dr. Greger, vegans and plant-based people. If you are not a troll, do you actually think people care that Dr. Greger corrected his video by changing egg whites to egg protein. Again, what was your motive to point out this correction. You still have not provided an answer.

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

🥦❤

[@aroundandround]

0:21 All of the blue zones eat modest amounts of meat. It is disingenuous to imply that any amount of meat is a net negative, which this channel constantly does.

[@the8thchurch461]

Take it to the mat now, wil you? Not everyone loves meat. My home country Botswana is the biggest producer of beef but I never liked the meat and found it nasty and hard to digest. I am glad of people like the dear doctor here for their message. I never liked any type of meat and am relieved to know I don't need it.

[@chrishayes5755]

@@the8thchurch461 the exception doesn't make the rule.

[@awesomelife3710]

Actually, I took the time to read a very lengthy study about Loma Linda omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. The omnivores had the most diseases, the vegetarians less so but they had considerably shorter lifespans than the vegans, who outperform the other two groups by many years and health markers.

[@aroundandround]

@@awesomelife3710 Citation? I can cite you a study showing that pesco-vegetarians in Loma Linda had modestly lower mortality than vegans during the study period, but am not aware of any study showing vegetarians had “considerably shorter lifespans” than vegans.

[@martinnichols45]

Bill Pearl and Jack Lalanne were eating a lot of egg whites and they live till 96 ........

[@elliotpollard9083]

That's awesome! You should write in to the authors of this study, they need to add to the data!

[@each1teach141]

George Burns lived to 100 and he smoked. So there’s that too…

[@victorgomez5608]

@@each1teach141 Each rule has its exceptions. According the most of science’s studies, the strict plant- based diet is superior to the diet which include animal foods. Inclusive our digestive track is designed to eat plants only, especially, fruit. The basic complete diet consists of fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, roots and all salad leafs as well as inflorescences. More than 50% of this diet should be raw. And enough water consume.

[@each1teach141]

@@victorgomez5608 Oh no, don’t get me wrong! I agree with you 100%! My point was that one anecdote, one outlier doesn’t refute the findings of thousands of high quality research that proves that a WFPB is necessary for optimal health.

[@beepbeepnj2658]

@@victorgomez5608 There is no science a strict plant based diet is superior. Plant Chompers KZbin channel has 3 health influencers videos. The 4 that he hand picked that 1) lived the longest, 2) and in the best health, 3) and with awards and honors, 4) and with faultless exemplary track records in life, 5) and perfect wikipedia pages with no controversial claims, 6) and who helped save millions of lives for humanity, Dr. Kummerow 102, Dr. Hinohara 105, Dr. Denmark 114, and Dr. Zheng Ji 110, all 4 ate a small to moderate amount of animal foods 2 or 3 times every day, along with a balanced diet in the 4 basic food groups in moderation with no junk food and all 4 kept super fit. All 4 said the best protein is from animal foods. And by the way George Burns used cigars as a prop and you don't inhale cigar smoke, he did not smoke cigarettes and he kept slim and fit and had a good diet.

[@TheOrdener]

This is more propaganda than information. How were these studies done? What are the causal mechanisms responsible for the results of the studies? Do you just assume your audience is too stupid or too uninterested to understand these things?

[@PlantbasedSilvi]

Ober 1 Million and 12 000 Docs are stupid, but you know it better..a good joke😅

[@Josh.c.2468]

I love red meat good protein.

[@awesomelife3710]

I don’t love having my arteries blocked by meat. I prefer healthy arteries that work the way they are designed to by eating a whole foods, plant based diet.

[@NicoleAZ145]

You can get protein in lots of plant sources. Dr. Greger has loads of videos about this. Meat is terrible for you.

[@MicheleWilliams-by8ud]

​@@awesomelife3710omg, meat doesn't clog arteries. Sugar & seed oils do. Don't be brainwashed.

[@ashleyquinsay9523]

@@awesomelife3710I don’t want my hair and teeth to fall out bc I’m lacking vitamins and minerals like B12 which is common for vegans to be low in.

[@rpolee9035]

Yeah says the man with the bad eyes and no muscles eat you re greens and you be just like me a tiny little man with no muscle at all. You wanna be a tiny little man be like me and fade away in the wind😂😂😂😂

[@AbXy-rg2th]

why do get the impression that this channel only promotes vegetarianism.

[@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG]

whole food plant based diet trough science and nutrition what does it have to do with vegetarian? milk and cheese has no specific nutriment we cant get from whole food plant baed diet but have nutriment we dont need and potentialy toxic? why eat drink saturated fat? why drink eat unessential amino acid? why drink eat unessential sugars like lactose? btw hes not vegetarian hes vegetalian some vegetalian dont have ethic toward animal and dont care veganism some vegetalian use vegan as quicker way to say "eat plants" some vegetalian eat plants and hurt animal unessentialy. why do i get impression that you have no idea what vegetarian vegan omnivore whole food plant based diet, plant based diet (not whole food) , carnivore.. diference is? i wonder! have a great day good luck with animal corpse and secretions

[@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG]

imagine promoting longevity, health, for cheaper, and more ethical oh nvm... thats not important

[@AbXy-rg2th]

@@RealLifeMassMultiplayerRPG i wonder why you are so butt hurt, maybe it's the lack of nutrients you're not consuming.

[@awesomelife3710]

HUGE difference in quality of life and longevity. Vegetarians eat artery-clogging, cardiovascular disease causing, high saturated fats such as eggs, butter, cream, whole cow’s milk, ghee, etc. Vegans on a whole foods, plant-based diet do not. There is a lengthy study available online that reports the big differences in health and lifespan between Loma Linda, California omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. The vegans outperform the other two groups by a significant margin in both health markers and longevity.

[@NicoleAZ145]

@@AbXy-rg2thThe lack you’re not? Nice grammar. Also you’re the butthurt one. Yes he promotes plant based nutrition. So what? You don’t have to follow him.

[@davidjohnson2001]

Warren Buffet is Pushing Mid 90's and His business Partner Charlie Munger almost 99....Said if eating green vegetables extended his life 5 years He still wouldn't eat them....."I like to Enjoy what I eat"....

[@ainsleyameerali7622]

And when they both get Sick by bad eating.. they will regret it

[@JacobSTSVox]

That’s why we don’t take nutrition advice from people with prostate cancer.

[@JacobSTSVox]

To live long, or to live well?

[@JacobSTSVox]

One more thing, not everyone is as white as Warren Buffet.

[@ainsleyameerali7622]

@@JacobSTSVox both and why not ????

[@zakariyaibrahim5439]

What about how not vet bald😂

[@이태웅-v7v]

적절한 신체활동과 충분한 수면이 필요

[@bohditony]

💚🌱

[@JimMork]

Dr. G. The case you and other with the same perspective have made is convincing. But tonight I wondered: If maybe 50 percent went plant-based, can the global ag system produce the plants? Oh, I'm sure Big Ag will go after some newly popular foods. But will it be enough? My own conventional doctor asked if I could afford to eat healthy. But my collected insurance for this doctor's services is a lot. So my thought was "either pay here or pay there."

[@k.h.6991]

Fortunately, eating plants isn't just healthier, it's also cheaper. Beans and rice are associated with poverty for a reason. So replace your meat and dairy with beans, and buy vegetables and fruit with the money you saved. While fresh is good, frozen is also fine.

[@healthyliving7226]

Aging is sexy. If we don't age we're like a plastic bag that won't decompose 😊

[@dxmondxmned3543]

Yes, aging is inevitable, but it's not sexy losing your functionality/mobility, and it's not inevitable; that's the point, my friend. Embrace Impermanance,as well as maintaining physical health and well-being. A plant based diet,cardio/ resistance training & some good luck is the way.