3 Longevity Practices A Nutrition Specialist Learned From Observing People 70+

There's a reason wisdom is often associated with age. The more experiences, mistakes, and lessons a person faces—the better advice they can give. So when it comes to strategies for health and longevity, certified nutrition specialist and behavior coach Esosa Edosomwan, M.S., CNS, LDN, decided to go directly to the source.

While there's debate among doctors and nutritionists regarding the healthiest diet for longevity, the general consensus is that eating a diverse array of whole foods, rich in nutrients, does support an overall healthy lifestyle. For some, that might include sustainably sourced meat and fish, and for others, that means an entirely meatless diet. 

Of the people she spoke to, "a lot of them were eating high plant-based diets," Edosomwan says, "but not all." The key takeaway is to find the healthy eating style that works for you and stick to it, she says.

Digestion may not be a sexy topic, but maintaining regularity when it comes to poop and urine can help support kidney, liver, and gut health. According to Edosomwan, the longevity role models seem to understand this priority.

"They're drinking enough water; they're eliminating properly; their colons are functioning well," she explains.

Along with nutrition and organ support, prioritizing mental fitness also seems to play a role in longevity. "I really did notice that all of them had a very positive mental attitude. They all were very skewed toward looking on the brighter side of life," she says. "That probably had to do with being balanced nutritionally and incorporating healthy lifestyle tools." 

Those tools include exercise, mindfulness, or prayer. "Bernando LaPallo was a Christian and was really big on reading his Bible, whereas other people would do meditation or yoga all the time," she tells mbg.