11 Health Habits That Will Help You Live to 100 Years

One of the biggest factors that determines how well you age is not your genes but how well you live. Not convinced? A study published in 2009 in the British Medical Journal of 20,000 British folks shows that you can cut your risk of having a stroke in half by doing the following four things: being active for 30 minutes a day, eating five daily servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding cigarettes and excess alcohol.

While those are some of the obvious steps you can take to age well, researchers have discovered that centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they eat, move about, and deal with stress—the sorts of things we can emulate to improve our own aging process. Of course, getting to age 100 is enormously more likely if your parents did. (Recent research suggests that centenarians are 20 times as likely as the average person to have at least one long-lived relative.) Still, Thomas Perls, who studies the century-plus set at Boston University School of Medicine, believes that assuming you've sidestepped genes for truly fatal diseases like Huntington's, "there's nothing stopping you from living independently well into your 90s." Heck, if your parents and grandparents were heavy smokers, they might have died prematurely without ever reaching their true potential lifespan, so go ahead and shoot for those triple digits. Follow these 11 habits and check out Perls' lifetime risk calculator to see how long you can expect to live.

1. Don't retire. "Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement," says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Chianti region of Italy, which has a high percentage of centenarians, has a different take on leisure time. "After people retire from their jobs, they spend most of the day working on their little farm, cultivating grapes or vegetables," he says. "They're never really inactive." Farming isn't for you? Volunteer as a docent at your local art museum or join the Experience Corps, a program offered in 19 cities that places senior volunteers in urban public elementary schools for about 15 hours a week.

2. Floss every day. That may help keep your arteries healthy. A 2008 New York University study showed that daily flossing reduced the amount of gum-disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria is thought to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflammation in the arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Other research has shown that those who have high amounts of bacteria in their mouth are more likely to have thickening in their arteries, another sign of heart disease. "I really do think people should floss twice a day to get the biggest life expectancy benefits," says Perls.
[Cancer and Age: Why We May Face a Tradeoff Between Cancer Risk and Aging]

3. Move around. "Exercise is the only real fountain of youth that exists," says Jay Olshansky, a professor of medicine and aging researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "It's like the oil and lube job for your car. You don't have to do it, but your car will definitely run better." Study after study has documented the benefits of exercise to improve your mood, mental acuity, balance, muscle mass, and bones. "And the benefits kick in immediately after your first workout," Olshansky adds. Don't worry if you're not a gym rat. Those who see the biggest payoffs are the ones who go from doing nothing to simply walking around the neighborhood or local mall for about 30 minutes a day. Building muscle with resistance training is also ideal, but yoga classes can give you similar strength-training effects if you're not into weight lifting.

Preparing A healthy Foods At Home

As parents, you understand the importance of providing nutritious meals for your growing children; and your home is the best place to start and invest in good nutrition! Home-cooked meals are generally considered more healthy and nutritious as you get to choose the types of ingredients being used and methods to cook each dish. Cooking at home is also an excellent way to save money.

Prep-o-cook!

It is not easy preparing meals for your family everyday. With your hectic schedules, time is always a major constraint. However, all it really takes is to think a few steps ahead; plan your food purchases and meals preparation ahead of time. To make the planning process fun, get your family members involved in the whole meal preparation process.

Plan WISELY

Start planning 2-3 days ahead or even on a weekly basis to save time. Be sure to incorporate different foods from each food group of the Food Pyramid. Plan different types of dishes and cooking styles so that you don't bore your family with the same type of dish or cooking style everyday.

Shop SMARTLY

Shop according to a prepared grocery list based on the menu you have planned. Choose fresh foods more than processed foods. Buy perishables such as fresh foods at the end of your shopping trip. When buying processed foods, read the nutrition information panel to look at the nutritional content. Don't forget to check expiry dates too.

Prepare EARLY

Prepare ingredients like onions, chillies, and garlic in advance and store them in airtight containers in the fridge. Prepare and freeze beforehand sauces, stocks or even extra batches of food. Store them in microwavable containers so that you can quickly heat them up later. Prepare foods that take longer to cook first; you can prepare other dishes while waiting for the food to cook.

Cook HEALTHILY

After all the planning and shopping, it's time to don your apron and get busy. The way you prepare and cook your food determines how nutritious your family meals turn out. Different cooking styles produce different results. This will also give you the chance to experiment with ingredients that can add extra health benefit or alter the texture and taste of a dish. A good tip to remember is that some cooking methods are healthier than others, for example, it's better to roast than deep-fry as fried foods contain more fat. For wholesome dishes, you can try the following cooking methods: Stir-fry This is a quick method of cooking that retains nutritional value. It's also easy to add lots of veggie goodness to your stir-fried dish. Soup Children find it easier eat soupy foods. You can boil a chicken to make soup and add vegetables, potatoes, rice or noodles in. Alternatively, you can try chicken porridge. For healthier stews and soups, minimise the use of oil. Steam This method of cooking is an excellent way to keep the food's nutrients and flavours in. Although steaming may take longer, you can save time by cutting fish, poultry or meat into smaller pieces. You can also save time by placing a bowl of chicken into a rice cooker (while it's cooking) so you can create two dishes instead of one. Steaming only requires a minimum amount of oil. Stew Stewing is a great way to introduce veggies like carrots and tomatoes that add colour and nutritional goodness. Stew can be prepared by using a slow cooker (crock pot) or stew over a stove. Bake You can bake chicken pie by adding veggies, spices and seasoning to chicken, placing everything into pastry dough and sticking it in the oven. Or bake chicken casseroles to provide children with the goodness of cheese. Roast Roasting is convenient, but do remember not to cover your fish, poultry and meat with too much oil. You can also roast potatoes and carrots simultaneously to enjoy a balanced meal. Grill Grilling is another healthy cooking method to cook meats, poultry and fish without using fat and oil. The heat from the grill will seal the outer part of the food, thus keeping the flavour and nutrients in. If you do not have a grill at home, you can always grill meat in a microwave, to speed up grilling time.

Healhy cooking tips Add veggies and fruits whenever you can. Opt for dishes that are low in fat, sugar & salt and high in fibre and nutritional value. Aim for healthy dishes and tasty dishes. Present foods in fun and interesting ways.

Cooking with Your Child

Children in their pre-school or primary school years are at an ideal age to learn about good nutrition. They're always interested to try new things. They're also capable enough to help you around the kitchen. Here are some easy tasks your child can help with: Wash fruits and veggies. Tear veggies into pieces. Garnish dishes. Mix ingredients. Help to set the table. Prepare simple snacks or side dishes like sandwiches, salad, mashed potatoes, etc. Preparing meals the old fashioned way - in your own kitchen - is not that difficult. With a little thought, planning and preparation, you could be enjoying delicious meals with your family. It can also be a wonderful way to bring your family together, while helping you save money.

The Way To Stay Healthy

How to lead a healthy lifestyle

There is my thought about five simple ways for your family to lead a healthy lifestyle and get back on track:

1. Get active everyday

• Regular physical activity is important for the healthy growth, development and well-being of children and young people.
• They should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day, including vigorous activities that make them ‘huff and puff’.
• Parents should be good role models and have a positive attitude to being active.

2. Choose water as a drink

• Water is the best way to quench your thirst – and it doesn’t come with the added sugar found in fruit juices, soft drinks and other sweetened drinks.
• Reduced fat milk for children over two is a nutritious drink and a great source of calcium.
• Give kids whole fruit to eat, rather than offering fruit juices that have a lot of sugar.

3. Eat more fruit and vegetables

• Eating fruit and vegetables every day helps children grow and develop, boosts their vitality and can reduce the risk of many chronic diseases.
• Aim to eat two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day.
• Have fresh fruit available as a convenient snack and try to include fruit and vegies in every meal.

4. Switch off the screen and get active

• Sedentary or ‘still’ time spent watching TV, surfing online or playing computer games is linked to kids becoming overweight or obese.
• Children and young people should spend no more than two hours a day on ‘small screen’ entertainment.
• Plan a range of active indoor and outdoor games or activities for your children, as alternatives to watching TV or playing on the computer.

5. Eat fewer snacks and select healthier alternatives

• Healthy snacks help children and young people meet their daily nutritional needs.
• Snacks based on fruit and vegetables, reduced fat dairy products and whole grains are the healthiest choices.
• Avoid snacks that are high in sugar or saturated fats – such as chips, cakes and chocolate – which can cause children to put on excess weight.