The Real Secret of Brain Health

Dr. John Ratey has studied the brain for more than 40 years.

As a psychiatrist, he has always been interested in how we can make our brains function better. And while he appreciates the magic of modern medicine, he has found that lifestyle factors have the most profound effects on the brain.

In particular, he has found that exercise is the No. 1 thing we can do for brain health.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Ratey last week at his office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to learn more about the effects of exercise on the brain, and what we can all do in our own lives to reap the benefits.

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Dr. Ratey grew up as a competitive junior tennis player in Pennsylvania and competed in the US Nationals, so he was exposed to the power of sports and exercise from an early age.

And he was always fascinated by the brain, earning his first job out of college at Harvard’s Massachusetts Mental Health Center (MMHC).

But it wasn’t until attending the University of Pittsburgh Medical School in the ’70s that he really began to understand the causal link between exercise and brain health.

During that time, he learned about a hospital in Norway that was offering depressed patients to take either antidepressants or participate in an exercise program three times a day. Remarkably, both groups got better at the same rate.

That really piqued Dr. Ratey’s interest and he started to more closely follow exercise in the medical literature. His focus turned to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) when he learned about a Boston Marathon runner who developed symptoms of ADD after a knee injury forced him to stop running. The runner went to see Dr. Ratey and was put on ADD medication. However, after his knee was rehabbed and he was back training again, it was determined the medication was no longer necessary. That was back in 1982.

Dr. John Ratey

Since that time, Dr. Ratey has established himself as one of the world’s foremost authorities on the brain-fitness connection. He has written numerous bestselling books, including the groundbreaking ADD-ADHD Driven to Distraction series, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, and Go Wild. He is currently a clinical associate professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

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Today, people have become much more aware of the effects of exercise on the brain.

Dr. Ratey said public interest in this topic really took off in the mid ’90s and it’s never stopped.

“Today we just know so much more about what exercise does,” Dr. Ratey told me. “It is simply incredible how powerful it is for the brain. Forget about its effect on blood pressure, sugar loads, weight, buffing you up, all that. That’s a given. But the effect on your brain is amazing.”

The health and wellness boom over the last decade, and related media coverage, has exploded our awareness of what exercise can do to improve mood, anxiety, stress, learning, creativity, and motivation. Dr. Ratey said exercise is also the No. 1 weapon to prevent against brain erosion (including dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease), cancer, and inflammatory disorders.

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Most people already know about the benefits of exercise by now, so I wanted to ask Dr. Ratey to prescribe the perfect type of exercise for the brain.

“The best exercise is something that you enjoy, with someone, done outside, in nature, and something that you’ll come back to,” he told me.

He said the ideal exercise is something that will get your heart rate up and force you to use your brain. You have to pay attention when you’re outside, which is why a trail run is much better than running on the treadmill, for example (Dr. Ratey has the trail running injuries to prove the concentration required).

But I was a bit surprised when he went on to discuss the ultimate exercise for the brain.

“I always tell people, the best exercise probably that you can do is dance,” said Dr. Ratey.

He did qualify that he meant vigorous dance that gets your heart rate up, not just flailing around. The reason dance is so powerful for the brain is because you have to practice and mentally focus on the right movements. Additionally, you have to follow music, and often stay in rhythm with a partner or group. All of that puts an incredible demand on your brain.

“The more demand on the brain — it’s just like the more demand on your muscles — the more you’re going to build,” said Dr. Ratey.

In terms of cardiovascular exercise, Dr. Ratey is a huge fan of high-intensity interval training. “The more demand on your cardiovascular system, the better it’s going to be,” he said.

He also highly recommends squash. “That’s an incredible game,” he said. “High-intensity, probably the best aerobic workout I can think of.”

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So does Dr. Ratey follow his own advice?

Best practices are fine, but I wanted to know what he actually does in his own life.

“My routine has always been to stay very active,” he said.

Dr. Ratey has always had a habit of exercising in the morning. He has found the cognitive and emotional benefits of morning exercise stick with him long after the workout has finished.

He was an avid squash player for 30 years until a shoulder injury caused him to stop most racket sports. But even when he was a serious squash player, variety was always paramount.

In those early days, he would supplement his squash by going to the gym in the morning for weight training and a treadmill or elliptical workout. He was even one of the earliest adopters of the StairMaster, keeping one in his house (“We were animals on it!” he told me).

These days he does a lot of walking and running. On the day of our conversation, Dr. Ratey had gone for a morning run around the Charles River in Cambridge, and he was signed up to run a 5K over the weekend.

He also has a personal trainer come to his house twice a week for weight training. Although Dr. Ratey still does most of the exercises on his own, the trainer helps prevent injuries.

Dr. Ratey also spends a lot of time in Los Angeles with his wife, and they routinely start their west coast days with a morning 1.5 hour hike.

He and his wife have always been serious exercisers. Even their vacations are chock full of physical activity.

“Our ideal vacation is a place we go to called Rancho La Puerta, where you get up at 6am with a group of people,” he said, telling me the full group can be as large as 150 people. “And we climb a mountain for 2 or 3 hours in the desert in Mexico. And come down. And then every hour on the hour during the day there is another exercise activity you can participate in — yoga, tai chi, dance, spinning, the gym, circuit training.”

That’s Dr. Ratey’s perfect vacation. So you get the idea about the role exercise plays in his life.

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Putting it all together, I wanted to see what recommendations Dr. Ratey has for all of us to preserve our brains as we age.

“The secret of brain health in general is knocking down inflammation,” he said.

There are a number of ways to decrease inflammation, but he says exercise tops the list. “It’s the No. 1 recommendation for cancer treatment,” he said. “No. 1 is exercise. After obviously treating the cancer. But why? Because it boosts the immune system so greatly.”

After that, you have diet. Dr. Ratey says diet is probably as important as exercise, especially as we learn more about the microbiome and what food does to our body and our brains.

“I recommend to my patients and to everyone, limit your carb intake,” he said. “Especially processed food, which has mainly carbs in it.” He also advises to keep sugar levels in check, and to get sufficient protein and vitamins from your food (not from a pill).

One diet trend Dr. Ratey believes could have a beneficial impact is a daily fast — not eating from dinner the night before until lunch the next day. Most people say you can’t miss breakfast, but “Yes, you can,” says Dr. Ratey. “Because fasting is a way of stressing the body and stressing the brain in a very non-toxic way. And when you stress the body and the brain, you build it.”

Finally, Dr. Ratey stresses the importance of social connection for brain health. He said our addiction to electronic devices is stealing from our face-to-face human interaction with other people (not to mention, causing sleep deprivation which has negative health effects — Dr. Ratey doesn’t allow any screens in his bedroom). The addictive nature of screens is arguably the biggest problem in today’s world, according to Dr. Ratey. But exercise can be a very powerful antidote — especially exercise that fosters social bonding.

That’s why he is a huge proponent of joining a club or group exercise classes. He cited the amazing social networks (real, human social networks) that are built at fitness groups like Orangetheory and CrossFit. He said clubs like that bring together a wide mix of people who form genuine friendships around the common goal of improving their exercise. “A big part of the magic there is how the connection makes everything better,” said Dr. Ratey.

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Exercise. Diet. Social Connection.

With the major boxes checked, I asked Dr. Ratey if he had any final tips for brain health and longevity.

That’s when he was reminded of how a spry 92-year-old once answered that question:

“Sex!”

Of course, it probably helps to have a good sense of humor in the long run as well.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

How to Achieve Optimal Brain Health

The issue of brain health is personal for Max Lugavere.

Without any prior family history of neurological disease, Max’s mother suddenly started showing symptoms of dementia at just 58 years old.

Max’s mother had always been a high-performer — as a mom to her three young boys and as a business entrepreneur.

“It was a shock to the family, and it was something we faced with disbelief, because this was the first time any kind of mental cognitive challenge reared its head in my family lineage,” Max told me when we chatted by phone last week.

After the symptoms appeared, Max then accompanied his mother from doctor visit to doctor visit, where she was put through a battery of tests that did not yield conclusive answers or treatment plans.

Eventually she was diagnosed with an official neurodegenerative condition and prescribed drugs for both Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

But at that point, Max had become disillusioned with how the medical system was prepared to treat a complex condition such as dementia. He was not satisfied just to have his mother take these “biochemical band-aids,” and so he set out on his own to see if there was a better way.

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With a background in journalism, Max was accustomed to doing rigorous research and not accepting facts at face value.

He was determined to find out if there was anything that could be done to slow or improve his mom’s symptoms. And of course he became very interested in prevention so as to not suffer the same fate.

Max started by consuming a lot of information on his own — reading books, watching TED Talks, digging into PubMed, and focusing on the most credible peer-reviewed medical literature.

Once he had a foundational knowledge in place, he reached out to the top researchers in the field — the ones focused on lifestyle and dietary interventions for the management and prevention of cognitive disorders. He built relationships with these leading researchers and visited with them at their labs. As these relationships deepened, Max became one of the researchers himself.

In the years since, Max has established himself as one of the foremost experts in brain health. He has lectured at top academic research institutions and continuing medical education courses, co-authored a peer-reviewed textbook chapter used by clinicians for dementia prevention, directed and produced a documentary about the impact of diet and lifestyle on brain health, and last year released the New York Times bestselling book Genius Foods.

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Max has made it his life mission to learn everything he can about brain health and performance. Although his mom passed away last year, Max knows it is not too late to protect his own brain, and to help others do the same.

Much of Max’s research has centered around food, which plays a critical role in brain health in two key areas.

The first is ensuring the brain maintains plasticity as it ages. That basically means the brain’s ability to change, grow, and form new connections.

Max says one of the best ways to achieve this is by feeding the brain a healthful array of fats. Specifically, the brain really needs omega-3 fatty acids. The two crucial ones are DHA and EPA. “If you start eating wild salmon, pasture-raised beef, and omega 3-enriched eggs, you are pretty much checking off those boxes,” according to Max. You don’t need omega-3s in especially large quantities.

The brain also needs omega-6 fats, but the modern Western diet is already filled with those, and therefore it doesn’t require a conscious effort.

The second primary component of brain health is the brain’s ability to defend against the many stresses of modern life.

“Today one of the problems in the modern world is that our brains are being attacked from every angle,” says Max. “We’ve got a depleted food supply, we’re under-slept, we’re chronically stressed, we’ve got bright lights attacking our circadian inclinations at all hours of the day, we’re more sedentary than ever before, and we’re confronted with countless toxic chemicals in our food supply, our water, and in the air. Our bodies are strong and resilient and adaptable, but they can only contend with so much.”

We can help protect our brains against these stresses by not consuming an overabundance of omega-6 fatty acids (found in grain and seed oils in most packaged foods, including safflower, sunflower, canola, corn, and soybean oils), which can trigger inflammation in the body.

We also want to get enough fat-soluble antioxidants, such as Vitamin E which has been correlated with reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease (foods high in Vitamin E include avocados, almonds, sunflower seeds, and spinach).

Phytochemicals also work to protect our brain cells. Max is a big fan of carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin (found in dark leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, and broccoli), and astaxanthin (found in marine animals and algae). Cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, cabbage, and radishes) also help protect the brain over time and stimulate the body’s detox pathways.

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With these overarching principles in place, I wanted to dig into how Max actually eats on a daily basis.

He told me that he builds his diet around three core components: Greens, cruciferous vegetables, and high-quality protein.

He makes a point of eating a large salad every day. “The consumption of a big bowl of dark leafy greens every day is associated with reduced cognitive aging by up to 11 years,” Max told me. He makes sure to include a serving or two of cruciferous vegetables every day, such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

“And then also I am a big fan of proteins — grass-fed beef, wild salmon, chicken,” says Max. “I am a huge fan of properly-raised meat. I think that grass-fed beef is a health food, a superfood even.”

He says protein is important for several reasons. Protein is required to supply the building blocks for our brain’s neurotransmitters. Protein also helps to support the maintenance and growth of lean muscle mass, which is especially important as we get older. “There is a relationship between muscle strength and brain health,” Max says.

And protein is also valuable because it is the most satiating macronutrient. When we eat more protein, we tend to eat less carbs and harmful fats. Therefore Max prioritizes protein — along with fibrous vegetables — at every single meal.

He also eats organic as much as possible, because research shows organic foods tend to be more nutrient-dense and safer from pesticides and certain heavy metals.

Max adheres to a low carb diet, but he will eat starches such as sweet potatoes during times when he is especially physically active. In general, he avoids all grains. “Not because I think grains are toxic or anything like that — they are just not particularly nutrient-dense,” he said (although he strongly discourages the consumption of any grains for people who are pre-diabetic or diabetic).

When Max is on the road or eating out at restaurants, he doesn’t stress about being perfect — he does his best and leaves it at that. That might mean ordering a piece of farm-raised salmon along with some sautéed vegetables, even if he has no idea what oil they’re using.

When he’s flying, occasionally he’ll just fast, but other times he can get by with nuts and some beef jerky.

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Max acknowledges that nutrition is a polarizing topic.

“We have all these factions in the nutrition world,” he said. “We have zealots on the keto side, on the vegan side, on the paleo side. The reality is that the truth is always going to be somewhere in the middle.”

Although Max sees the merits of certain aspects of the keto and paleo diets — and stresses the importance of healthy fats for the brain — he is not one of the high-fat fanatics pouring coconut oil and butter on everything.

And while he eats a plant-rich diet, he is anything but a vegan.

“Everybody has their own point of view, and mine is that you really just want to eat real food in as close to its natural state as possible,” he says.

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To close our conversation, I asked Max to distill all of his learnings into the No. 1 thing people should do for optimal brain health. Since Max is the author of a book called Genius Foods, I was expecting a food-related response. But after thinking about it, he went in a slightly different direction.

“If I had to make one single recommendation, it would probably be to exercise,” he said. Exercise is so important — it is so critical both for brain health, but also for mental health.”

He said that exercise is an incredibly potent weapon to fight depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. And while he is a fan of certain types of aerobic exercise, he thinks resistance training (weight lifting) is underrated and probably the most important.

“I think it’s really important to be strong, and robust, and resilient, and vigorous — and resistance training is just a great way to achieve that,” said Max. “Most of the research centers around aerobic exercise, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see and hear more about the value of resistance training for the brain in the years to come.”

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There is no doubt that our brains and bodies are bombarded with stresses in today’s world.

With these dietary and lifestyle recommendations, Max is helping all of us to fight back.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

Healthy Living Interview Series

Hi everyone,

Recently I have been trying to connect with as many people as possible who share my passion for health and wellness. 

One of those people is Carlie Scharing, who has her Masters of Science in Kinesiology and is the owner of Body by Carlie personal training. 

Like me, Carlie believes that we were born to move, and she encourages people to do whatever workout they enjoy as long as it keeps them active. 

My go-to daily workout is a morning run, but I realize that isn’t for everyone.  The key is finding something you like and can stick with over time. 

Carlie has been seeking advice from experts all over the globe (including me!) to spread the message of healthy living and how simple it can be to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

This free interview series is now complete, featuring stories and tips from doctors, master trainers, fitness authors, wellness specialists, and more.

Here is the link to access the content, including my interview with Carlie.  It is totally free so give it a listen. 

Hope you enjoy!

Andrew

The Solution to Make America Physically Active

In the places around the world where people live the longest, they don’t actually pursue health.

They live longer because health ensues from the right environment.

That is according to Dan Buettner, Blue Zones founder and National Geographic fellow, who has spent the last 15 years studying the five places around the world — dubbed Blue Zones — where people live the longest (into their 100s) and are healthiest: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, California.

I had a chance to catch up with Buettner earlier this week, and he told me that in all five Blue Zones, people do not proactively exercise or seek health. Instead, physical activity just happens naturally as a result of their surroundings.

In the Blue Zones — just like in the US — Buettner says people go to work, over to their friends’ houses, out to eat, and get their kids off to school.

But in the Blue Zones — unlike most places in America — those daily commutes all represent occasions to walk. Residents of the Blue Zones are also known to grow gardens in their yard, and their houses are not full of mechanical conveniences. All of this means that these longest-lived cultures have made a habit of moving naturally every single day. And they don’t even think about it.

Compare that to the US, where 73% of people say they need to be more active and over 60% describe their lifestyle as sedentary. We typically address this issue by urging people to hit the gym or sign up for a 5K. But focusing on individual responsibility does not drive behavior change at a population level, according to Buettner.

“It is absolute delusion to think that we can convince 330 million Americans — three quarters of whom have already admitted they are not doing enough physical activity — to start exercising more,” says Buettner. “We have been trying this for 70 years and we still have 70% of Americans who are obese or overweight. It is not working.”

He acknowledges that a small percentage of people have the discipline and focus to stick with an exercise routine for 30 or 40 years to see the long-term health benefits. But for most Americans, Buettner believes the secret is living in an environment that empowers them to move mindlessly. “I think the answer is designing our cities for human beings,” he says.

Unfortunately most American cities over the last 70 years have been designed only with cars in mind — with high speed limits and wide lanes for cars, but no sidewalks, bike lanes, or green spaces for people. As a result, people are driving more and walking less. Buettner points out over 50% of American children walked to school in 1970. Today that number is about 10%.

There are, however, certain places in the US that are getting it right — Boulder, Colorado; San Luis Obispo, California; and Portland, Oregon, to name a few. In those locations, Buettner says people are measurably healthier with an extra 20 years of life expectancy over places like Tallahassee, Florida.

Photo by Alesia Kazantceva on Unsplash

Buettner and his team at Blue Zones have personally worked with dozens of US cities over the last decade to make them more walkable and bikeable. He points out that in almost every case, the BMI and obesity rate in those cities have dropped as a result.

“We have hard evidence that when you optimize a city for walkability, bikeability, public transportation, and cleaned-up parks, you can raise the physical activity level of a whole population by up to 30%,” says Buettner. “There is no gym, CrossFit, or exercise program that can get those types of results at a population level.”

The key is stacking the deck in people’s favor when it comes to movement — making the healthy choice the easy choice. To that end, Buettner and Blue Zones are now partnering with Degree Deodorant to create the Made To Move grant program that will provide half a million dollars in funding for city projects that promote increased physical movement. The partnership will fund pro-movement initiatives in five different US cities, such as repurposing vehicle lanes for active transportation, creating protected bike lanes, and improving local pedestrian environments. City officials and community organizations can apply for the grants on BlueZones.com. This is part of Degree’s commitment to create movement opportunities, tools, and resources for 10 million people by 2024.

All of this will help people get out from behind the steering wheel and onto their feet.

“If you’re walking more than about 45 minutes a day, you’re getting 90% of the physical activity value of training for a marathon,” says Buettner. “So when you are addressing populations, you want to make it easy for them.”

That is exactly what happened in Buettner’s hometown of Minneapolis, which made a commitment a decade ago to prioritize quality of life. Bike lanes were created, trees planted, and safe sidewalks added. As a result, Minneapolis was recently named the fittest city in America.

Buettner and his team are now working towards a similar fate for cities all across the country.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

My Philosophy on Diet and Exercise

There is a lot of complicated and confusing information out there about diet and exercise.

But that is primarily because “experts” want to sell books or patent their own method.

In reality, the true experts agree on the fundamentals that are most important for a healthy life. And that shared understanding is what is most important to know and incorporate into our own routines.

I have read countless books and articles about diet and exercise, and experimented for many years with what works best in my own life. After all of my learning and testing, here are my key takeaways on diet and exercise:

Diet

There is no doubt that diet plays a central role in health and vitality.

The one thing that all experts agree on is the bulk of your diet should be fruits and vegetables. If you follow just that one piece of advice and make fruits and vegetables at least 50% of what you eat, you will be light years ahead of most other people.

Eat a variety of whatever fruits and vegetables you like (the only things that don’t count are white potatoes or any type of fried vegetables like French Fries). There are valuable nutrients in all fruits and vegetables, so fill your plate with them. If you do that, you will also be crowding out most of the bad stuff.

The rest of your plate can be filled with healthy protein and whole grains. If you are vegan or vegetarian, you can get protein from all kinds of beans, nuts, and seeds. If you eat meat, it is fine to add in some fish, chicken, or beef. But meat should be considered a side dish or condiment, not the main course. Avoid processed meats, such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and cold cuts.

Whole grains provide a great source of fiber. You can round out your plate with unprocessed whole grains such as oats, quinoa, or wild rice. Minimize processed grains such as bread and pasta, unless you are an especially savvy shopper and know how to avoid the junk (which is hidden in nearly all packaged bread these days).

Applying this philosophy, a great meal would be a large salad with lots of veggies, quinoa, and some salmon. Or a veggie stir fry over wild rice. Or oatmeal with a heavy dose of mixed berries and walnuts.

If you build your plate around fruits and vegetables, and round it out with healthy protein and whole grains, there just won’t be room for the real problem foods (such as white bread and pasta, and packaged sweet and salty foods). And even when you do indulge from time to time, it won’t be that big of a deal if you normally eat according to this philosophy.

As for beverages, drink water, tea, and coffee (without milk/cream or sweeteners ). A little bit of alcohol is okay, but limit it to a drink or two at night. Avoid sugary drinks such as fruit juice and soda.

This all probably sounds like common sense eating principles, and that is exactly the point. Stick with these basics and forget all of the other complicated stuff. You will be much healthier as a result.

Exercise

Movement should be an essential part of daily life.

The current exercise guidelines call for 150–300 minutes of exercise per week, which equates to about 30–40 minutes of exercise per day, assuming you exercise most days. I think that gets it about right.

I recommend dedicated cardio exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, with 1–2 off days per week (which would give you at least 150 minutes of exercise for the week right there). I personally go for a 30-minute run in the morning at least 5 days per week, but your form of exercise can be whatever you enjoy most (walking, swimming, cycling, etc.). And feel free to mix it up from one day to the next. I run at a moderate pace, just enough to make me breathe heavy and get a sweat going.

I also recommend some of your exercise be a bit more vigorous (in addition to, or in place of, some of your moderate exercise days). I turn up the intensity by playing squash 1-2 times per week, which taxes my body and my mind with the complex movements and strategy involved. You can dial it up a bit with a sport you enjoy (e.g. soccer, basketball) or any other type of workout that you like (Peloton, group fitness classes, etc.).

You should also build in some strength training and flexibility exercises at least two days per week. You could make this a part of your weekly routine by doing yoga and/or light weights on your cardio off-days (or lighter workout days). While the bulk of your workout routine should be cardio, incorporating some strength training will keep your muscles and bones strong, and flexibility training will keep your body loose and pliable (counteracting the cardio which tends to tighten you up).

To summarize, get at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise nearly every day. Dial up the intensity for 1–2 of the workouts. And round out your routine with strength training and yoga 1–2 days per week.

Beyond your dedicated workouts, use your body as your mode of transportation as much as possible. Walk or ride your bike to work or to the store if that is a possibility. Make it a habit of always taking the stairs. If your default mode is to use your body to get places, you will rack up even more meaningful physical (and mental) benefits.

If you do track your activity, a good goal is at least 10,000 steps per day (factoring in your dedicated workouts and all other activity throughout the day).

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There you have it — my philosophy on diet and exercise. This approach takes into account all of my learning and personal experiences, and is built around basic and highly-effective guidelines.

I truly believe if you eat and move in this manner, you will add energy to your days and healthy years to your life.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

How to Create the Perfect Mental State of Relaxed Alertness

The ideal mental state is “relaxed alertness.”

This is characterized by being fully aware and focused, yet with an effortlessly calm mind.

This state is achieved when alpha waves are dominant in your brain.

Human beings only have 2 mental states while we are awake — alpha and beta.

We spend most of our lives in the beta state, as we rush through the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Beta is when our minds are moving fast, checking things off our to-do list, and bouncing from one thing to the next. While people can be productive in this state, the rapid mental activity in beta mode has been linked to depression and anxiety. When your mind is racing and you can’t seem to get out of a negative pattern of thinking, that’s when beta waves are taking over. You likely know the feeling.

Alpha, on the other hand, is characterized by being clear-headed, present, and fully in the moment. Alpha waves create a sense of peace and well-being in your mind and body. When people are in this state, they seem to exude charisma as their mind focuses only on the here and now. This is also the state when athletes and other performers are at their best — also known as being “in the zone” or the “flow state.” Unsurprisingly, alpha brain waves have been shown to boost creativity and resilience to stress, and reduce anxiety and depression. When your mind is free, peak performance and enjoyment is naturally achieved.

While spending some time in the beta state is unavoidable, we don’t want to spend too much of our lives in overdrive. Life is more pleasurable in the alpha state.

So how do we achieve this feeling of calm focus?

One way to do it is through long-term meditation practice. Expert meditators with thousands of hours of practice regularly achieve the alpha state in their daily lives. It is certainly recommended to begin and stick with a meditation practice (I am a particular fan of the Waking Up app from Sam Harris) — in the early going, you will generate alpha waves specifically during your meditation time, and gradually you’ll notice that relaxed mental state creep into more of your day.

Meditation is a worthy long-term endeavor, but for this article I am more interested in quick-fix ways to enter the alpha state. When we are anxious and stressed, we don’t want to wait years for mental clarity.

Instead, here are some shortcuts:

• Perhaps the most fast-acting way into the alpha state is by drinking tea. Specifically, you need to drink black, green, or white tea, all of which naturally contain a substance called Theanine. Drinking just two cups of green tea (thanks to the Theanine) significantly generates alpha brain waves and moves you into a state of relaxed alertness. Daily tea consumption is also linked to living a significantly longer life, reduced cancer risk, and enhanced brain and liver function. Drinking tea should be a part of your daily regimen.

• There is reason to believe Theanine supplements can create the same alpha effects as actually drinking the tea. I always prefer consuming a product in its natural state, but Theanine supplements seem to be effective and generally safe to consume. I have been trying these Theanine gummies recently and have noticed a calming effect after about 30–40 minutes.

• Alpha waves are created by doing aerobic exercise. Personally, I have found that a 30-minute morning run clears and relaxes my mind for the full day ahead. This is the best tool I can personally vouch for to get into the alpha state. Yoga has also been proven to significantly increase alpha brain waves.

• Relaxing in a peaceful setting for about 90 minutes has been shown to activate alpha brain waves (this time frame will be shortened for experienced meditators). If you can spend that time outside in nature, the effects can be even more profound.

• When you feel relaxed while drinking alcohol, you are feeling the effects of alpha brain waves. One glass of wine can be helpful to slow down your racing mind — but stop yourself at one drink, otherwise your overactive mind will come roaring back once the buzz wears off.

• You can listen to specially-designed music to enter specific brain states. Check out binaural beats to help quickly tune your brain to the alpha state.

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There you have several fast-acting tools to quickly get into the alpha brain wave state.

Please let me know in the comments section about other effective tips and tactics that work to calm and free your mind.

Here’s to all of us spending more time in the alpha state of relaxed alertness.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

The Best Exercise Routine For Longevity

Exercise has changed my life and career more than any other habit.

I exercise most mornings, primarily for the mental clarity it brings me throughout the remainder of the day. I can achieve this mental sharpness with just a 30-minute run in the morning at a moderate pace (9–10 minute mile).

But in addition to optimal daily performance, I also aspire to live as long and healthy a life as possible.

Therefore, I went in search of the best exercise routine for longevity.

Dr. Valter Longo is one of the world’s foremost experts on longevity. He is the director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and of the Program on Longevity and Cancer at IFOM (Molecular Oncology FIRC Institute) in Milan.

Dr. Longo has studied longevity for more than 30 years, and he has concluded how to exercise to increase healthy lifespan. In fact, his research shows that physical activity is the number 2 factor affecting lifespan, behind only diet.

Here is the routine that Longo recommends to maximize longevity:

Walk fast for an hour every day

This doesn’t need to happen all at once. For example, if the train station is a 15-minute walk away from your house, and you do that each way, that’s 30 minutes right there. Then you could pick a coffee shop that is a 15-minute walk away from your office, and make a daily visit. Those might not be your exact circumstances, but you get the idea — find places that are walkable and go there every day. On the weekend, walk everywhere, even faraway places — do your best to leave your car in the garage or driveway all weekend long.

Do cardiovascular exercise for 2.5–5 hours per week

Running, cycling, or swimming are all great options, but the type of exercise you choose isn’t important. The key is working your body to the point of breathing rapidly and sweating. A simple way to hit this exercise threshold is to have a stationary bike and a road bike (go outside when the weather permits, otherwise ride indoors), and make a point of riding for 30–40 minutes every other day, and for 2 hours total on the weekend.

Use weight-training or weight-free exercises to strengthen all muscles

This can be the classic gym routine, but your muscles also become stronger when you take the stairs instead of the elevator (Longo advises to always take the stairs!), walk instead of driving, grow food in your garden instead of buying it, and do manual work around the house instead of hiring someone to do it. When you do engage in a hard weight-training session, consume at least 30 grams of protein in a single meal within 1–2 hours afterwards to maximize muscle growth.

…

In terms of how long you should exercise per week, research shows that most of the beneficial effects are caused by the first 2.5 hours. For example, a large Australian study of over 200,000 people aged 45–75 found that those who exercised (at moderate to vigorous levels) at least 2.5 hours per week had a 47% reduction in overall mortality. Going up to 5 hours per week led to a 54% reduction in mortality. Ensuring at least some of that activity was in the vigorous range dropped the risk of dying by another 9 percent.

Another very large study involving more than 650,000 people in the U.S. and Europe showed that mortality was reduced by 31% for people who exercised for at least 2.5 hours per week at moderate intensity (or for more than 75 minutes at vigorous intensity). Increasing the exercise totals to 5 hours at moderate intensity (or 2.5 hours at vigorous levels) lowered the risk of dying by 37%.

Examples of moderate exercise include fast walking or slow jogging (faster than 4 mph), cycling (10–12 mph), or gardening. Examples of vigorous exercise include climbing stairs or hiking, cycling (faster than 12 mph), playing soccer, or jogging (faster than 6 mph).

So there is certainly some additional benefit of going up to 5 hours of exercise per week, with some of the exercise being in the vigorous range. But there are diminishing returns after 2.5 hours, and you want to avoid overworking your body by going much beyond the 5-hour limit per week. Over-exercising will cause damage over time to your knees, hips, and joints. You don’t want your body to break down prematurely because of over-taxing it.

…

My personal routine includes a 30-minute casual run in the morning, about 5 days per week. So I achieve 2.5 hours of moderate exercise per week thanks to my morning run. Then I add in some vigorous exercise by playing about 2 hours of squash per week (I play about twice a week, for an hour each time). So in general, I would say that I get about 4.5 total hours of exercise per week.

And then I make a point of always taking the stairs. For example, I take the stairs from the parking garage at my office up to my floor, which is a total of 111 steps. Climbing those stairs every morning invigorates me for the work day ahead. Having meetings on other floors throughout the day enables me to rack up even more flights of stairs.

On the weekend, I walk everywhere possible. Take today for instance (I am writing this on a Sunday). I played squash for an hour this morning, and walked to the club and back — 15 minutes each way. Now I am writing this from a coffee shop that is a 15-minute walk away from my house. Once I return home, I will have walked for a total of one hour, in addition to my one hour squash session. I place a high value on living in a walkable area!

My routine is lightest in the area of strength training. I do 145 pushups each day, but otherwise don’t do any type of weight training. Squash is a full body workout, but I would like to add in some more upper body strength training to ensure that my muscles stay strong as I age.

…

I have found exercise to be a powerful performance-enhancer on a daily basis, and now I know how to exercise to increase healthy lifespan.

I hope you find these guidelines easy to follow and achievable. I would love to hear from you about the exercise routine that works best for you.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

Follow The Process, Not Your Passion

I believe that happiness in life is all about finding the right fit.

And following your passion alone is not sufficient to find that right fit.

I learned this the hard way.

Baseball was my biggest passion for as long as I can remember.

One of my earliest memories — at the age of 4 — was watching my hometown Boston Red Sox take on the New York Mets in the 1986 World Series. I was so into baseball and the Red Sox that I stayed up long after my parents went to bed to watch the end of each game.

I remember religiously watching baseball on TV, even if the telecast was in French or any other language.

I learned to read from baseball cards.

I know a lot of kids love sports, but I really loved sports. I consumed and analyzed every single Red Sox game, start to finish, via TV, radio, or (if I was lucky enough) in person. I was allowed to miss school to attend every Opening Day at Fenway Park. Whenever I was at the actual ballpark, I would never let my parents leave until the last out was recorded.

I memorized all of the player and team stats and could rattle them off at will. I remember fantasizing about meeting the athletes, sitting in the dugout, and what it would be like to step out on a real Major League field.

But I never imagined I could actually work in sports.

I always thought I would be a lawyer. I loved the idea of analyzing a case, doing deep research to uncover the winning evidence or facts, and then pulling it all together for a victory in the courtroom. It all seemed so thrilling, and that was the path I intended to pursue. I was a Pre-Law Major in college and planned to attend Law School after graduation.

But then I miraculously landed a job within my #1 passion instead. I got an internship with the Boston Red Sox in 2003 — between my junior and senior years of college. Talk about a dream come true!

Since the actual sport of baseball was my true love, I wanted my position to be as close to the game as possible.

But the intern position within the Baseball Operations department (a path that could eventually lead to becoming a General Manager) was already taken. So I got placed in the Media Relations department instead.

The Media Relations department was the intermediary between the team (players, coaches, and front office) and the media (sportswriters, TV and radio media, etc.). The department coordinated all media interviews, press conferences, and disseminated team information and statistics.

This all sounded good enough to me, even if I really didn’t know anything about the media (other than reading the Boston Globe sports section every day, and watching Sox games on TV).

I still couldn’t believe I was actually going to be working for the Boston Red Sox. I literally would have taken any job with the team.

What followed — on paper — seems like a fantasy come true.

I worked for the Red Sox for five seasons, from 2003 through early 2008. During that time, the Red Sox won two World Series Championships, breaking an 86-year drought in the process, winning it all for the first time since 1918. I was rewarded with two authentic World Series rings, same as the players received.

I traveled with the team on road trips, flying on the team plane and staying in the team hotel. I interacted with all of the star athletes, from David Ortiz to Manny Ramirez to Curt Schilling. I was in the locker room before and after the games, in the dugout and on the field during batting practice, and witnessed champagne spraying in the clubhouse when the team won their titles.

As a kid, I dreamed about sitting in the Fenway Park dugout or stepping out on the field, and I was able to have that experience more times than I can even remember.

This should have been the textbook example of why you should follow your passion, and what is possible when you do so. And don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade these once-in-a-lifetime experiences (not to mention, I met my wife while working for the Red Sox).

The only problem is that I didn’t actually like the work that I was doing, or the lifestyle that I was leading.

Media Relations was okay, but I certainly didn’t love it. I loved the sport of baseball itself, but was not passionate about the media industry. The media wanted constant access, the players wanted constant privacy, and I was caught in the middle trying to serve both parties.

The media was insatiable with their requests, so it was constant reactive work, and I didn’t have the opportunity to think creatively.

I repeated the same daily process of compiling team news and statistics, and updated the records before and after every game, in a cycle that seemed never-ending. I doubt the media read or used even 5% of the information I serviced to them. After a while, my work seemed like a waste of time.

The lifestyle was brutal as well. I worked business hours and baseball hours. A typical day would start at 8 or 9am, and I wouldn’t leave the ballpark until at least 1.5 hours after the game (usually around 11:30pm). That means I would frequently clock 90+ hour work weeks. A 10-day consecutive stretch of home games would drain every last ounce of my energy. And there never seemed to be an end in sight. The baseball season is 162 games long — there is a game nearly every single day — over a span of six months. And that doesn’t even include Spring Training (February — March) or the playoffs (October).

When you factor it all in, the ‘offseason’ really was only three months. And I was still working a regular schedule (40–50 hours per week) during those offseason months, unlike the players who had that time completely off.

And unlike the players, my pay was miserable. Professional sports teams know there are thousands of people lining up for front office jobs, so they can get away with paltry compensation. Meaningful pay doesn’t come until you are a senior executive, which could be decades away.

I wound up staying in baseball for another two years after the Red Sox, moving on to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a more proactive and creative Public Relations position. But at that point, my passion for baseball had run out and I was ready to leave the sport altogether.

I left baseball in 2009, and doubt I’ll ever go back. What began as a childhood love and my biggest passion is now barely an interest. I don’t watch baseball games on TV anymore, rarely make it to the stadium, and I’m blissfully out of touch with the stats and standings. Perhaps someday that will change — especially as my kids get older — but for now baseball is more of a source of stress than pleasure.

I am grateful for all of the amazing baseball experiences I had, but this is an example of what can happen if you make your passion your profession. Sometimes passions are better off remaining hobbies.

…

So if following your passion is not the perfect answer, what is a better path?

I believe you are better off following the process of work, instead of blindly pursuing your passion.

If you love the process of the work you do — because it is in line with your personality and strengths — you will stay motivated to stick with it. Whereas following your passion could involve a process of work that does not match your true nature (as was my case with baseball).

When I was in college, I would have been smart to learn more about my true personality, my values, and the type of work I enjoyed.

I didn’t do enough of that thoughtful introspection (or at least wasn’t led by it), and wound up pretty far down a path that did not suit me in the end.

Fortunately, these days there are a number of tools to determine your true nature before you get so far down the line.

Here are a few assessments I recommend:

• StrengthsFinder

• HIGH5

• WingFinder

• Enneagram

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

Once you fully know about yourself, you can investigate jobs and job paths that match your unique personality, values, and strengths.

Would I have been better off becoming a lawyer? I don’t know. And fortunately I have now found work that I love, as I have meandered my way through the worlds of Sports/Active Lifestyle and Brand Marketing.

But I believe the quickest path to finding work that you love is uncovering your true personality, and connecting that to the type of work that you will do.

If that can happen within your passion, then that could be the best of all worlds.

But you’re better off starting with process, not passion.

As billionaire investing icon Ray Dalio says, “The happiest people discover their own nature and match their life to it.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

The Ultimate Pre-Game Meal

While researching for my recent story The Eating Habits of the Best Athletes in the World, I was surprised to learn that LeBron James and Sidney Crosby eat the exact same thing just before they compete.

I was intrigued by the fact that two of the greatest athletes in the world, from two different sports, fueled up in the same manner. And I wondered if the habit extended even broader among professional athletes.

LeBron and Crosby both eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before games, and it turns out many other top pro athletes do as well.

I hadn’t realized that the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the NBA’s secret addiction.

The PB&J was credited as the secret weapon of the 2007–08 Boston Celtics championship season, and then it quickly spread across the rest of the league. Now nearly every NBA team makes PB&J sandwiches readily available to their players.

And it doesn’t stop with the NBA.

MLB legend Derek Jeter ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich an hour before every game, NFL star Rob Gronkowski downs a PB&J (with a glass of chocolate milk) before every football game, and even golfer Dustin Johnson gets his energy for a round of golf from the same sandwich (although he opts for almond butter with his jelly).

If it works for LeBron, Crosby, Jeter, and Gronk, it might just work for you, too.

…

But why do so many athletes reach for a PB&J before the game?

The most common explanation is that PB&J is comfort food and the athletes grew up eating it. This means that it is a soothing meal that puts athletes at ease before competition. In that sense, it is a meal that helps achieve peace of mind — a critical component for top performance.

Athletes are also notoriously superstitious, so when they hear about a routine that works, they quickly look to gain that edge.

The PB&J is also readily available, quick and easy to prepare, substantial enough to keep you satisfied, and yet light enough not to weigh you down.

In terms of actual nutrition, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is not the best, but it’s not bad.

A PB&J does have healthy fats, carbs, and protein to provide quick energy. And you can boost the nutrition content by choosing 100% whole grain bread (which adds fiber) and low-sodium peanut butter. Jelly does contain a lot of sugar, but that isn’t awful if you are taking in the other nutrients.

That said, it seems as though the benefits are primarily mental — our brain experiences pleasure when we bite into a PB&J, it makes us feel happy, and “when you feel good, you play well,” according to Brett Singer, a dietitian at the Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Medicine Institute.

…

After hearing about all of these great athlete stories, I decided to add a PB&J into my own pre-game routine. Granted, my athletic pursuits are quite different than LeBron or Gronk.

But I do play in a regular squash league and am certainly game for some easy performance-enhancing tactics (legally, of course).

Especially with matches in the evenings after a long workday, I need to find ways to keep my energy up. I learned this the hard way — there was one time when all I had was an apple between lunch and a 7pm match, and I could barely make it to the finish.

It’s been about a month since I added the PB&J to my pre-match routine. I have been using Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Bread, Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves for the jelly, and Teddie Smooth All Natural Peanut Butter.

I have to say, it is one of the most satisfying things you can eat. And I now seem to have more energy on court, more strength in my legs, and more confidence knowing that I have adequately fueled up.

Maybe it is just the placebo effect, but I do feel some performance benefits from a simple PB&J.

Even if that just means feeling strong and playing to my potential, that’s a win for me.

If you are also looking for a little performance boost, give the humble PB&J a try.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

In Defense of Whole Grains

There are several popular diets these days that prohibit eating any grains. In particular, The Paleo Diet, The Ketogenic Diet, and Whole30 Diet are three of the hottest diets right now, and none of them allow for any grains.

It is true that cutting out grains will help with weight loss in the short term, but eliminating whole grains is detrimental to long-term health.

The evidence clearly shows that whole grains promote health and should be a part of any effective eating plan.

Specifically, eating just 2–3 portions of whole grains per day has been shown to reduce the risk of getting a heart attack or prematurely dying of heart disease by 30%, and lower the risk of all forms of cardiovascular disease (heart attack, stroke, or the need for a procedure to bypass or open a clogged artery) by 21%.

Those numbers mean that eating enough whole grains daily is as powerful as high blood pressure medications in alleviating hypertension.

Considering 75 million American adults have high blood pressure — one in every three American adults — we would be smart to consume more whole grains, not less.

But whole grains do much more than just lower blood pressure.

Eating at least 70 grams of whole grains daily has been shown to lower the risk of total mortality by 22% and reduce the risk of cancer mortality by 20%.

Whole grain consumption has also been shown to lower cholesterol and protect against inflammation in the body.

It should come as no surprise that people are encouraged to load up on whole grains on the Mediterranean Diet, which was just named the #1 healthiest diet by a panel of the nation’s foremost nutrition experts.

Whole grains also play a key role in centenarians’ diets in every Blue Zones region in the world. That means the longest-lived people in the world eat whole grains daily.

…

Grains in general get a bad rap because of all the processed refined grains that exist in our food system today.

Refined grains (like white bread and white rice) are stripped of valuable nutrients in the refining process, including the removal of the germ and bran.

That is a problem because bran is filled with fiber and other nutrients that help regulate blood sugar, prevent blood clots, and lower cholesterol.

And the germ is packed with healthy fats, vitamin E, B vitamins, phytochemicals, and antioxidants.

Once the bran and germ are removed, the only part of the grain that is left is the soft, chewy, easy-to-digest endosperm. That’s why white flour is fluffy and tastes so good, but it is missing most of the nutrition (and food manufacturers add lots of other junk to refined grains these days).

Whole grains offer a “complete package” of health benefits, but all three parts of the whole grain — the bran, germ, and endosperm — need to be intact to reap those benefits.

Whereas refined grains are associated with a range of negative health outcomes, from obesity to diabetes to heart disease.

It is therefore critical to select and eat actual whole grains, instead of the processed and refined stuff.

…

By now, hopefully you are convinced of the importance of whole grains, but it can still be confusing to buy truly nutritious whole grain products.

That is because words like multigrain, whole grain, and whole wheat show up on nearly every package of food these days, and it is very misleading.

To help simplify the process, your best bet is to choose an unprocessed whole grain in its natural form (which means just one ingredient).

Popular, easy-to-find unprocessed whole grains include brown rice, barley, corn, quinoa, oats, rye, wheat berries, and wild rice.

If you do opt for whole grain bread or pasta with more than one ingredient, you need to look on the back of the label and perform some basic math to ensure you are really getting whole grains without the unhealthy additives.

Specifically, look at the label and make sure the serving size ratio of carbs to fiber is equal to or less than 5-to-1 (for example, if you divided 15 grams of carbs by 3 grams of fiber like in the Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted whole grain bread, that would equal 5 and would pass the test).

Following the 5-to-1 rule is the way to buy healthy whole grain products, according to Dr. Michael Greger, author of the groundbreaking book How Not To Die. If you prefer to cook at home, here is a great fiber-rich whole wheat spaghetti recipe.

…

Whole grains should make up roughly 1/4 of your overall diet, according to the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate, the official dietary advice from Harvard doctors and medical professors (fruits and vegetables should account for at least half your plate, and the remaining 1/4 should be healthy protein).

In general, you want to aim for at least three servings of whole grains per day (one serving is equal to half cup of cooked brown rice, one slice of whole grain bread, or a cup of whole grain cereal).

I typically eat two slices of whole grain toast in the morning (topped with olive oil or peanut butter) to cover off on two of the servings, and then I try to add in some brown rice, quinoa, corn, or whole grain pasta for lunch or dinner. Oatmeal is another easy option to start your day with whole grains. And popcorn (unflavored and without added salt) is an incredibly simple whole grain snack.

It doesn’t matter which whole grains you eat, as long as you eat enough of them overall. Select the whole grains you like best.

…

Don’t be confused by trendy diets that eliminate all grains. You might lose some weight in the short term, but it’s not worth sacrificing your long-term health.

A variety of whole grains should be included in any healthy eating plan. True whole grains are nutrient-dense and protective against many of our most dreaded diseases.

Processed refined grains should be avoided, but you should be eating whole grains every day for optimum health.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

The Top 11 Business Books of 2018

I love to read business books that help me learn and grow, but sometimes it is hard to know where to start — especially because there are 11,000 new business books published every year.

To help narrow down my reading list, I went in search of the best-of-the-best business books from the past year. I researched just about every top media outlet that has been publishing “Best of 2018” lists, including Inc., Fast Company, Financial Times & McKinsey, Business Insider, Amazon, Goodreads, as well as the books recommended by Bill Gates, Barack Obama and other successful people.

I then cross-referenced the lists to see which books showed up multiple times. It turns out that, among the seven lists I studied, only 11 books made the cut more than once.

That made an easy cutoff point for an overall Top Business Books of 2018 list. A “list of lists,” if you will.

I figure that if more than one top business media outlet believes a book is among the very best from the past year, that book is certainly worth my time (and yours).

The order of the Top 11 below is based on the number of times that book showed up on the various media lists I examined. For example, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou, is ranked #1 because it landed on five of the seven top lists I read, two more than the next closest competitor (the number of top lists for each book is included in parentheses after the author’s name below).

For tie-breakers, I referenced the book’s ranking from the lists I researched, as well as customer reviews and ratings on Amazon.com.

If you keep reading past the overall Top 11 below, you will see the full list from each of the media outlets I studied (as well as links to purchase any of the books).

And at the end of this article, I share my personal favorite business book from the past year.

TOP 11 BUSINESS BOOKS OF 2018

1. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (5)

2. The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser (3)

3. New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World — and How to Make It Work for You by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms (3)

4. The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle (2)

5. Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans (2)

6. Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr (2)

7. Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord (2)

8. Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World by Rand Fishkin (2)

9. Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change by Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz (2)

10. The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age by James Crabtree (2)

11. Capitalism in America: A History by Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge (2)

Here are the Best Business Books of 2018 as selected by each of the top media outlets I researched:

Inc.

• Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans

• Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda

• Dying for a Paycheck: How Modern Management Harms Employee Health and Company Performance — and What We Can Do About It by Jeffrey Pfeffer

• Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business (and Everything Else)by Ken Auletta

• Leap: How to Thrive in a World Where Everything Can Be Copied by Howard Yu

• Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World by Rand Fishkin

• The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership by Fred Kofman

• New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World — and How to Make It Work for You by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms

• Regulatory Hacking: A Playbook for Startups by Evan Burfield with J.D. Harrison

• When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink

Fast Company

• Can You Learn to Be Lucky?: Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others by Karla Starr

• My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired by Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander

• Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change by Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz

• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear

• Calm Clarity: How to Use Science to Rewire Your Brain for Greater Wisdom, Fulfillment, and Joy by Due Quach

• Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley

• Building on Bedrock: What Sam Walton, Walt Disney, and Other Great Self-Made Entrepreneurs Can Teach Us About Building Valuable Companies by Derek Lidow

Financial Times & McKinsey

• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

• New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World — and How to Make It Work for You by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms

• The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age by James Crabtree

• Capitalism in America: A History by Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge

• The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy by Mariana Mazzucato

• Give People Money: How a Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, and Remake the World by Annie Lowrey

Business Insider

• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

• Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change by Beth Comstock with Tahl Raz

• Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises by Ray Dalio

• Mastering the Market Cycle: Getting the Odds on Your Side by Howard Marks

• Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang

• Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More by Morten Hansen

• Leaders: Myth and Reality by General Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, and Jason Mangone

• The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

• The Job: Work and Its Future in a Time of Radical Change by Ellen Ruppel Shell

• Capitalism in America: A History by Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge

• Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord

• Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World by Bethany McLean

• It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Goodreads

• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

• Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk

• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

• Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord

• Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr

• The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser

• Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work by Alison Green

• How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith

• Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World by Rand Fishkin

• Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life by Francesca Gino

Recommended by Bill Gates, Barack Obama and other successful people

• Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box by The Arbinger Institute (Recommended by Slack co-founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield)

• That’s What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell Them) About Working Together by Joanne Lipman (Recommended byBillionaire investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban)

• The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser (Recommended by self-made millionaire and media mogul Arianna Huffington)

• Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Recommended by Salesforce co-CEO Keith Block)

• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (Recommended by Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates)

• The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh (Recommended by Wharton professor and organizational psychologist Adam Grant)

• The New Geography of Jobs by Enrico Moretti (Recommended by Former President Barack Obama)

• New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World — and How to Make It Work for You by Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms (Recommended by Virgin Group founder and billionaire Richard Branson)

Amazon

• Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

• Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

• Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans

• The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser

• Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr

• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker

• The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age by James Crabtree

• Astroball: The New Way to Win It All by Ben Reiter

• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brené Brown

…

And finally, my personal favorite book of the past year (although it was actually published in late 2017) is Meaningful Work: A Quest to Do Great Business, Find Your Calling, and Feed Your Soul by Shawn Askinosie and Lawren Askinosie.

That book changed how I think about work and life more than anything else I read over the past year. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I hope you all have a great year of reading ahead of you in 2019!

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

The Eating Habits Of The Best Athletes In The World

We all want to know the secrets of the most successful people in the world.

Of course, part of their success can be attributed to natural talent, but some of their lifestyle habits and routines can be applied to the rest of us as well.

For this article, I focus on the eating habits of elite athletes.

Food affects our performance — whether in sports or business — arguably more than any other lifestyle factor.

Therefore, I sought to learn how the best athletes in the world eat, and what lessons we might be able to take away and apply to our own lives.

Here is what I found:

LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the best basketball players of all time. He has won 4 NBA league MVP Awards, 3 NBA Championships, 3 NBA Finals MVP Awards, 2 Olympic Gold Medals, and an NBA Scoring Title.

Credit: Wikipedia

LeBron discussed his daily diet while being interviewed for The Tim Ferriss Show.

For a recent game-day routine, LeBron started his day with an egg white omelet with smoked salmon, and gluten-free pancakes with berries.

For lunch, he had whole wheat pasta, salmon, and vegetables.

Right before the game, he had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

At halftime, he had sliced apples with almond butter on top.

Right after the game, he immediately downed a protein shake. He uses a plant-based protein powder with almond milk, along with some fruit, in the shake. He stays away from whey protein or animal products for the first hour after a game to give his body a chance to properly recover.

For dinner, LeBron had chicken parm with a rocket salad and a “beautiful” glass of cabernet (LeBron is a wine lover — especially Bordeaux and Cabernet).

In general, LeBron tries to eat organic throughout the year. And he is constantly hydrating with water, especially during the season. He specifically stays away from artificial drinks, artificial sugars, and fried foods during the season. His body is constantly in recovery mode during the season so he tries to eat as clean as possible.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady is arguably the greatest football player to ever live. The 41-year-old is still at the top of his game, having amassed 5 Super Bowl titles, 4 Super Bowl MVP Awards, and 3 NFL league MVP Awards.

Credit: Wikipedia

Brady notoriously follows a highly-disciplined diet.

On an average day, Brady drinks 20 ounces of water with electrolytes immediately upon waking. He is nearly always hydrating, drinking 12 to 25 glasses of water a day, always with electrolytes added (However, he minimizes water during meals, so as to not interfere with digestion — he stops drinking water 1/2 hour before each meal, and waits an hour after each meal for his next glass of water).

After hydrating first-thing, he will have a morning smoothie that contains blueberries, bananas, nuts, and seeds. His smoothie is nutrient-dense, high in fat, high in protein, and high in calories.

He will then get in a morning workout, followed by a protein shake with one scoop of protein powder, almond milk, and electrolytes.

Lunch for Brady is often a piece of fish, surrounded by lots of vegetables.

Brady is also often snacking throughout the day. Common snack options for him include a protein shake, protein bar, fruit (such as grapes, banana, or apple), chips and guacamole, hummus, or raw vegetables.

For dinner, he will have another nutrient-dense meal that includes a lot of vegetables.

He rarely drinks alcohol or has any type of dessert. He also does not drink coffee or tea, but sometimes will drink a cup of bone broth.

In terms of overall principles, Brady eats mostly organic, local, plant-based foods. He follows an ‘alkaline diet,’ which he says minimizes inflammation in the body. His diet is 80% made up of alkalizing foods, like Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and dandelion greens (other alkalizing foods include broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, spinach, and kale). He limits “acidifying” foods — such as white rice and bread, cold cuts, pineapples, and yogurt — to only 20 percent of his diet.

Brady eats a lot of protein (on some days he will have 3–4 scoops of protein powder), but he does not eat protein combined with carbohydrates such as potatoes or bread. Instead, he chooses to mix proteins or carbs with vegetables, which he says is optimal for digestion.

He also avoids many foods, including: Bread and pasta that contain gluten, breakfast cereal, corn, dairy, GMOs, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, sugar, artificial sweeteners or soy, fruit juice, grain-based foods, jams and jellies, most cooking oils, frozen dinners, salty snacks, sugary snacks, sweetened drinks, white potatoes, and prepackaged condiments like ketchup and soy sauce!

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time. He has won a record 20 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and has been ranked #1 in the world for 310 weeks during his career (including 237 consecutive weeks at one point).

Credit: Wikipedia

Federer’s diet also follows a routine, but it is much less regimented than Brady’s diet.

Federer begins his day with homemade waffles with raspberry syrup, along with some cereal. He washes it down with a shot of vinegar, coffee, and freshly squeezed juice.

Two hours before every match, Federer eats pasta with light sauce — a routine he has followed for 20 years.

For dinner, it is all about variety for Federer. He loves Italian, Japanese, and Indian cuisines.

Fonduta and raclette are his favorite overall dishes. Bananas are his go-to snack.

But Federer doesn’t take his diet too seriously. He lives a healthy lifestyle, but enjoys a range of foods and sees eating as part of life’s pleasure.

He has confessed to liking ice cream and chocolate, as well as wine and champagne — and he doesn’t feel guilty about it. And when he’s not playing tennis, he splurges on biscuits, fondue, and daily desserts.

Federer has said, “For me, food and drinks and all that stuff is also a way of life to enjoy myself. It’s also part of a hobby for me. I’m not going to change it now, to be honest. I enjoy myself this way.”

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt earned the title of ‘Fastest Man Alive,’ winning 9 Olympic Gold Medals, and holding the world record in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay. He is widely considered the greatest sprinter of all time, dominating the sport for 3 consecutive Olympics.

Credit: Wikipedia

Bolt was not especially disciplined with his diet during his younger years. In fact, legend has it that he consumed 1000 chicken nuggets while in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

But he needed to focus more on his nutrition in order to achieve unprecedented longevity in his sport.

As Bolt aged, he specifically paid more attention on consuming enough vegetables and protein.

A typical training day for Bolt would begin with a simple egg sandwich. Then, after a short workout in the weight room, he would have a light lunch of pasta with corned beef.

For snacks throughout the day, he would eat mangoes, pineapple, and apples. But he would eat light during the day in order to digest quickly and have enough energy for training.

His largest meal of the day would be at night, when he loaded up on vegetables like broccoli (even though he didn’t like broccoli!). He paired the veggies with foods like yams, roasted chicken, or Jamaican dumplings.

And, like all other elite athletes (especially those training in the heat), he was constantly hydrating throughout the day.

Now that Bolt is retired from sprinting, he might be consuming more of his biggest food craving: hot wings.

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby is one of the best hockey players in the world. He has won 3 Stanley Cup Championships, including back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, as well as 2 Olympic Gold Medals.

Credit: Wikipedia

Crosby is another athlete who thinks about what he eats, without being too rigid about it.

He eats mostly organic foods that are local and sustainable. He especially loves the beautiful produce in Nova Scotia in the summer.

A typical breakfast for Crosby might include steel-cut oats, organic eggs, and locally-sourced turkey bacon. He usually has greens as well, like spinach or asparagus.

He also often has a protein smoothie with cow colostrum, blended banana, blueberries, and kale.

Similar to LeBron, Crosby’s usual pre-game meal is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

And like Federer, Crosby has a bit of a sweet tooth. He has said, “I like my sweets, and I like the odd cheat meal more than I should: fast food, pizza, cake, donuts, too.” He especially loves Tim Hortons’ Timbits as a special treat.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is one of the most accomplished athletes of all time, winning 39 career Grand Slam tennis titles (23 singles, 14 doubles, 2 mixed doubles). She has been #1 in the world for 319 weeks since first achieving that ranking in 2002. She is considered by many to be the greatest female athlete ever.

Credit: Wikipedia

Serena Williams has been known to follow a strict diet, especially when training to get back on the court after the birth of her first child in 2017.

During that time, she adhered to a vegan diet and did not eat sugar. Instead she loaded up on plenty of nuts, beans, lentils, and sprouted quinoa.

During the tennis season, a typical day of eating for Serena will include a cup of oats for breakfast with strawberries, tangerines, and almond butter on top.

For lunch, she will have a salad with lettuce, spinach, mandarin oranges, cherry tomatoes, lime juice, onions, pita croutons, and sliced almonds.

She will add in some snacks throughout the day, such as a toasted Ezekiel bread sandwich with almond butter, and a beverage made of lemon juice, matcha green tea, and cinnamon.

For dinner, Serena will have a cup of brown rice with hemp and chia seeds, along with a salad with fresh veggies.

However, when Serena is on a break from tennis, she has been known to indulge in favorites such as tacos, fried chicken, beignets, pizza, and french fries.

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There you have it — the eating habits of 6 of the greatest athletes of all time.

These athletes all focus on eating well, overall choosing healthy organic foods — predominantly vegetables, clean protein, and healthy carbs.

But they also cheat a bit too, whether it’s wine (LeBron), fondue (Federer), wings (Bolt), tacos (Serena), or donuts (Crosby). The highly-regimented Brady has also been known to splurge from time to time, even if it’s just on avocado ice cream.

These athletes are all supremely talented, and their diets help to maximize their potential.

We can all eat well to maximize our potential as well… with some dessert mixed in along the way.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

Want To Preserve Your Mind? This Is How To Eat

We all want to be as mentally sharp as possible on a daily basis, and preserve our minds as we age.

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are among the most dreaded diseases, but it now appears as though we can protect our brains with simple dietary choices.

For clues about how to eat for optimal brain functioning, we can look around the world for the places with the lowest rates of cognitive decline.

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The lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world are in rural India.

Out of one hundred senior citizens in rural Ballabgarh India, only about three of them on average will develop Alzheimer’s disease within the next decade. That number jumps to about 19 out of one hundred senior citizens in rural Pennsylvania.

The people in rural India eat a diet that is low in meat and high in grains, beans, and vegetables.

That is consistent with the world’s Blue Zones — the longest-lived places around the world — where people eat a 95 percent plant-based diet rich in beans, greens, grains, and nuts.

Contrast that with the United States, where people eat over 220 pounds of meat — per person — each year. Americans get only about 12% of their calories from vegetables.

Unfortunately, high saturated fat intake (from meat, dairy, and processed food) is associated with cognitive decline and memory loss. And the U.S. has the 2nd highest rate of Alzheimer’s in the world.

…

However, if you take away the meat, you might take away some of the risk.

According to Dr. Michael Greger, author of How Not To Die, “In the U.S., those who don’t eat meat (including poultry and fish) appear to cut their risk of developing dementia in half.”

And the longer meat is avoided, the lower the risk. For example, compared with people who eat meat 4 or more times per week, the dementia risk of people who have eaten vegetarian diets for at least 30 years is 3 times lower.

Unfortunately, the opposite also seems to be true. If you go from a vegetable-based diet to a meat-heavy one, the rate of cognitive decline increases.

For example, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s in Japan has shot up over the past few decades, attributed to the shift from a rice-and-vegetable-based diet to a diet featuring triple the dairy and 6 times the meat.

…

So what are some simple recommendations?

The Dietary and Lifestyle Guidelines for the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease now calls for vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), fruits, and whole grains to replace meat and dairy products as primary staples of the diet.

The Mediterranean Diet, for example, follows those principles and has been associated with slower cognitive decline and lower risk of Alzheimer’s. It appears as though the high vegetable consumption and lower ratio of saturated to unsaturated fats are the critical protective factors.

If you want to have the best-of-the-best brain foods, Dr. Greger says the special antioxidant pigments in berries and dark green leafy vegetables make them the brain foods of the fruit and vegetable kingdom.

Eating just a handful of berries per day could slow your brain’s aging by more than two years.

In addition to diet, I am also a huge proponent of cardiovascular exercise (at least 30 minutes) first thing in the morning to stay mentally sharp throughout the day.

…

The advice is clear: Stay active, eat more fruits and veggies, and cut down on meat.

As Dr. Greger says, “A wholesome diet and exercise may offer your best hope for remaining sharp and healthy into your twilight years.”

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

The Healthiest Wine In The World

There is conflicting information out there about the health benefits (or consequences) of wine.

Certain research shows that moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers.

On the other hand, some research shows there is no safe level of alcohol consumption at all.

What we do know is that people in the world’s Blue Zones — the places around the world with the highest life expectancy — drink alcohol moderately and regularly (1–2 glasses per day on average; The only exception to this is the Adventists in Loma Linda, California, who do not drink at all).

In fact, Blue Zones researchers concluded that a daily dose of wine is one of the 9 most powerful lifestyle habits shared by people who’ve lived the longest.

Blue Zones centenarians serve as proof that you can consume alcohol regularly and live to 100 (and beyond).

…

Of course there are other factors associated with alcohol that could be contributing to their longevity.

It could be that their daily happy hour is a way of “downshifting” and reducing stress after a long day. We know that stress leads to chronic inflammation, which is associated with every major age-related disease, so finding ways to cope is essential for health.

Or perhaps drinking is beneficial because it brings people together with friends and family on a daily basis. We know that social relationships are vital for health as well.

Whatever the reason, a daily glass or two of wine certainly doesn’t seem to be doing them any harm.

And maybe some of their excellent health and longevity can be explained by the wine itself.

Photo by Jean-Luc Benazet on Unsplash

Resveratrol, the polyphenol found in the skin of grapes, is known to protect the body against damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Red wine in general is thought to have anti-inflammatory benefits.

And there is one wine that stands above the rest for its health benefits.

The healthiest wine in the world is the robust red wine from Sardinia (one of the Blue Zones locations) called Cannonau.

Sardinians are known to drink 3 to 4 small (3-ounce) glasses of Cannonau a day on average, spread out between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a late afternoon social hour in the village.

Cannonau wine has 2–3 times the level of flavonoids (known for their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits) as other wines.

Daily consumption of this antioxidant-potent wine could explain fewer heart attacks and lower levels of stress among men in Sardinia (Sardinia has nearly 10 times more centenarians per capita than the U.S.)

If you are looking to combine your daily wine hour with a dose of health, try to find a bottle of Cannonau at your local wine shop. It is not yet well known outside of Sardinia.

If you can’t find Cannonau, other dry red wines can offer similar health benefits. Cannonau is the Sardinian name for the Grenache grape, and Grenache wines are common in most wine shops.

Credit: Wikipedia

Overall, the jury is still out on the specific health benefits of alcohol. And this information doesn’t mean you should start drinking if you are not already.

But people in the world’s Blue Zones show that you can enjoy alcohol moderately and regularly, and still make it to a happy 100.

This Is The Type Of Bread You Should Really Be Eating

I love bread.

There isn’t much better — or more satisfying — than tearing into a freshly-baked, warm loaf of bread.

Obviously I’m not alone. People have been eating bread for over 30,000 years, and it remains the most widely-consumed food in the world.

Bread is a simple delicacy.

A traditional loaf only needs 4 ingredients: Flour, yeast, water, and salt.

And yeast (as an added ingredient) is actually unnecessary with natural leavens or sourdoughs.

It’s no wonder that bread has been a reliable source of nutrition and sustenance since the earliest days.

…

But go into any grocery store these days and look at the ingredient label on a package of bread. You’ll see a lot more than those few basic ingredients.

To pick on an easy target, Wonder Bread’s Classic White bread has over 30 ingredients, including things like high fructose corn syrup, monoglycerides and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide, monocalcium phosphate, modified corn starch, ammonium sulfate, and calcium propionate.

I’m not sure what all of those things are, but they don’t sound much like flour, yeast, water, and salt. And I don’t really want them in my body.

Wonder Bread Classic White Nutrition Information

It’s no surprise that Wonder Bread is remarkably white and light, stays soft and “fresh” on the shelf for weeks, and presumably is quite fast and cheap to produce.

But the use of unhealthy additives is not restricted only to the likes of Wonder Bread.

Take Nature’s Own Honey Wheat Bread, for example. You’d think this bread would be pretty good for you. After all, Nature’s Own promises no artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors, and no high fructose corn syrup.

Plenty of people seem to be buying into this promise — The Nature’s Own website says their Honey Wheat bread is the #1 selling loaf of bread in the U.S.

But look a bit deeper, and you’ll notice that in each loaf of that bread you’ll get inflammatory-fat-laden soybean oil, monoglycerides, and DATEM — a shelf-stabilizing emulsifier that is often made from artery-clogging partially hydrogenated oils.

Nature’s Own Honey Wheat Bread Ingredients

Nature’s Own shouldn’t feel so bad, though. Both the 100% Whole Wheat bread from Arnold and the 100% Whole Wheat bread from Pepperidge Farm also include soybean oil, monoglycerides, and DATEM. Buyer beware.

There is just a lot of junk in mass-produced bread these days, even in the supposed “healthy” stuff. It is affecting the way that we feel on a daily basis and impacting our long-term health.

I believe over-processing and unhealthy additives are to blame for the spike in “gluten sensitivity” in recent years, and not actually the gluten itself (excluding the small percentage of people who have Celiac disease). Gluten gets a bad rap, but we should really be looking elsewhere.

But instead of obsessing over all of the bad stuff that is put into our bread, and how it’s making us sick and tired, I’ll instead focus on the type of bread we actually should be eating.

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For starters, aim to get as close to the original recipe for bread as possible. If you can find bread with only the four original ingredients (flour, yeast, water, salt) — or close to it — you’re well on your way.

If you can buy that bread from the person who actually baked it (and can tell you how they baked it), that’s even better.

Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash

But you also want to make sure that the flour used has not been bleached, refined, or “enriched” — which is typical in most commercial bread today — otherwise the nutrition content has already been stripped out. Enriched white flour causes your blood sugar to spike, and can lead to weight gain and a range of diet-related diseases.

On the other hand, true whole grains (those not bleached, refined, or enriched) are nutrient-dense, keep you full longer, and have a milder effect on blood sugar.

We know that whole grains are healthier than white flour, but we also know that the front of bread packaging cannot be trusted. Words like multigrain, whole grain, and whole wheat show up on nearly every package of bread these days, and it is very misleading.

Instead, you need to look on the back of the label and perform some basic math to ensure you are really getting whole grains without the additives.

Specifically, look at the label and make sure the serving size ratio of carbs to fiber is equal to or less than 5-to-1 (for example, if you divided 15 grams of carbs by 3 grams of fiber, that would equal 5 and would be acceptable). Authentic whole grain bread is naturally high in fiber because the wheat germ and bran are still included.

Following the 5-to-1 rule is the way to buy healthy bread, according to Dr. Michael Greger, author of the groundbreaking book How Not To Die.

…

I am a big fan of the Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted whole grain bread from the Food For Life brand. The low sodium version of that bread is arguably the healthiest bread in the grocery store.

With 15 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber, Ezekiel 4:9 bread passes the health test. The science on the potential benefits of sprouted grains is still in its early stages, but available data points to many health benefits.

Ezekiel 4:9 is one of the healthiest bread options in the grocery store

Mack’s Flax bread from Silver Hills Bakery is another tasty and approved option (18g Carbs, 5g Fiber, 3.6 ratio).

Eating just 3 portions of whole grains a day (equivalent to 3 slices of the above approved breads) appears to be as powerful as high blood pressure medications in alleviating hypertension.

Just 3 portions of whole grains have been shown to reduce the risk of getting a heart attack by 15%, and the risk of getting a stroke by about 25%.

In case you are wondering, none of the “offending” breads mentioned in the previous section pass the 5-to-1 test. Wonder Bread Classic White (29g Carbs, 2g Fiber, 14.5 ratio), Nature’s Own Honey Wheat (14g Carbs, less than 1g Fiber, 14 ratio), Pepperidge Farm 100% Whole Wheat (23g Carbs, 3g Fiber, 7.6 ratio), and Arnold 100% Whole Wheat (22g Carbs, 3g Fiber, 7.3 ratio) all clock in with more than a 7-to-1 ratio of carbs to dietary fiber. Some are better than others, but all should be avoided in favor of healthier options.

I choose to eat my Ezekiel 4:9 morning toast with olive oil, which has also been shown to have a range of health benefits.

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Another option for healthy bread is to do as the Ikarians do.

You may have heard that Ikaria, Greece is one of the world’s Blue Zones — the places around the world with the highest life expectancy. Ikaria has been called the island where people forget to die. Residents of Ikaria stay healthy into their 90s and 100s with very little risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, or any other diseases of old age.

Ikarians eat true sourdough bread that does not contain bakers yeast. Instead, their sourdough bread utilizes a lactobacilli (a beneficial strain of naturally-occurring bacteria) based starter culture, which “digests” the starches and glutens while making the bread rise. This process creates an acid that gives sourdough its slightly sour taste. The resulting bread actually has less gluten than even breads labeled “gluten free,” and has a naturally longer shelf life. True sourdough bread is slow-burning and nutrient-rich.

However, most “sourdough” breads found in stores are actually fakes, containing yeast and/or a sweetener. Go to your local bakery or grocery store and ask how they make their sourdough to ensure you get the real thing (made from real sourdough starter instead of yeast). Or bake your own Ikarian-style sourdough bread using this Blue Zones recipe.

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The bottom line is that bread can play an important role in your diet, but you have to pay close attention and select wisely.

Photo by Liene Vitamante on Unsplash

Choose bread with the fewest number of ingredients (ideally baked fresh, locally).

Make sure you are getting nutrient-dense 100% whole grain bread by following the 5-to-1 carbs-to-fiber rule.

Or opt for true sourdough bread like the centenarians in Ikaria eat.

Follow these simple rules and you can continue enjoying all of the pleasures of bread without the negative health consequences.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

Walking Can Save Your Life

I am a huge proponent of exercise.

I often write about the mental and physical benefits of exercise, and believe my morning running habit has changed my life and career more than anything else.

But I also realize that exercise doesn’t appeal to everyone, and it isn’t always enjoyable in the moment. An exercise habit is also very hard to get started, especially if you haven’t been active in a while.

If you have been living a sedentary lifestyle, a 30-minute run probably seems out of the realm of possibility, let alone joining a SoulCycle class or Barry’s Bootcamp. I totally get it.

But you don’t need to do high intensity interval training or push your body to the limits to see the benefits of exercise.

Walking — an activity that is available to nearly everyone — produces remarkable health benefits.

Even if you haven’t exercised in a while, it is still pretty easy to get up and go for a walk. No heavy weights or judgmental gym instructors required.

It turns out that the simple act of walking is the best thing we can do to improve our overall health and increase longevity.

Following the recommended exercise guidelines — which call for just 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity (equal to a brisk walk, at a pace of 3 miles per hour) per week — has been shown to lower the risk of death by 31% compared to people who get no leisure-time activity.

That means walking for just 30 minutes per day, 5 times per week, can slash your risk of dying by nearly a third. Going up to 1 hour of walking per day (7 days a week) drops the risk of death by 39%.

If that seems like a lot of activity right out of the gates, even very low levels of walking can help you live longer. Just 2 hours of walking per week — equivalent to around 17 minutes per day — has been shown to lower the risk of premature death.

Walking also reduces the risk of numerous diseases, including breast cancer, colon cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

But walking doesn’t only help stave off disease and help you live longer. Walking also helps you live better.

Walking has been shown to improve memory and cognitive function. In fact, a daily walk could cut the risk of developing dementia by 40%. Walking also lowers stress and improves mood.

So you can expect to be mentally sharp and happy during your extra years.

If the above benefits aren’t enough to get you out the door, consider also that walking is free (other than a pair of sneakers), can be done pretty much anywhere, and has one of the lowest injury rates of any form of exercise.

The bottom line is our bodies were made to move, and walking is the easiest form of movement.

If you want to live longer and better, make a habit of going out for a daily walk.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

A Daily and Weekly Checklist for a Better Life

Some actions yield significantly higher returns than others.

There are 5 things you can do on a daily basis, and another 5 things to do on a weekly basis, that will dramatically improve your life.

When I say improve your life, I mean help you make the most of each day, and live a longer and more fulfilling life.

Here is a daily and weekly checklist for a better life:

Daily Checklist

1. 30 Minutes of Moderate Exercise

Taking just 30 minutes per day to move your body — which equates to only 3% of your waking hours — will produce profound mental and physical benefits.

You will be mentally sharper, less anxious, and have a more optimistic outlook on life. You’ll lose weight, look better, and reduce your risk of numerous diseases.

Moderate exercise can be as simple as brisk walking. A daily walk has been shown to reduce the risk of dementia by 40%, and walking even as little as two hours per week could help you live longer.

If you find walking painful, then it might be worth checking in with your doctor to see if you need orthotics. Check out The Good Feet Store Reviews to find the right type of support for your feet.

Other examples of moderate exercise include biking, jogging, hiking, swimming, or even yard work. It really doesn’t matter what the activity is as long as you get your body moving and heart pumping.

A good rule of thumb is that you should sweat from exercise at least once per day.

2. 10 Minutes of Meditation

Meditation is another daily habit that works wonders for your mind and body.

Meditation has been proven to lower blood pressure, reduce stress and anxiety, increase focus, and strengthen your memory.

And while the benefits of meditation accumulate over time, you can see dramatic results with just a 10-minute practice per day.

There are numerous highly-regarded apps to help guide you through the process. Check out Headspace, Calm, 10% Happier, or Insight Timer.

3. 10+ Minutes of Reading/Learning

In our rapidly-changing world, it is more important than ever to be continuously learning. It is also highly fulfilling to be a lifelong learner.

It is no surprise that reading is a common habit among the world’s most productive and successful people.

Devote at least 10 minutes per day to reading or some other form of learning (this could be an audio book, podcast, TED talk, etc.).

Cultivating this practice will expand your mind, deepen your interests, and make you more interesting at cocktail parties. You don’t need to read for hours on end, but make sure to turn the page every day.

4. 5+ Servings of Fruits and Vegetables

I have read numerous books about the ultimate human diet, and the science is very clear on one point: a whole-food, plant-based diet is best. Every great diet revolves around fruits and vegetables.

Eating mostly fruits and vegetables is arguably the most important thing you can do for your health and longevity.

Eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day has been shown to add an extra 3 years of life expectancy.

But more is even better.

Eating at least 7 portions of fruit and veggies a day can lower your risk of premature death by 42%. Going up to 10 servings a day is associated with double-digit percentage decreases in the risks for heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature deaths.

5. 8 Hours of Sleep

As much as I hate to admit it, sleep is essential for health and vitality.

Adequate sleep makes you happier, improves learning and memory, and prevents against diseases like Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.

We need to be getting about 8 hours of sleep per night. Anything less won’t cut it.

If you want to establish a healthy relationship with sleep, here is a toolkit for a great night’s sleep.

Weekly Checklist

1. 45 Minutes of Vigorous Exercise

While a moderate daily exercise routine is essential as a foundation, it is also important to turn it up a notch on a weekly basis.

Aim to get up to at least 70% of your maximum heart rate for at least 45 minutes. You can work up to this intensity over time.

These high-intensity workouts have been proven to boost happiness and your ability to focus, while strengthening your heart and cardiovascular system.

Examples of vigorous exercise including running, swimming laps, biking uphill, singles tennis or squash, soccer, basketball, circuit weight training, and various other group or individual fitness activities.

This weekly workout can replace one of your daily moderate exercise sessions.

2. 30 Minutes of Yoga

A weekly yoga practice will help to reduce stress, challenge the brain, and increase your flexibility.

Yoga has also been proven to reduce inflammation, improve heart health, enhance sleep, and build strength.

You don’t need to practice yoga every day to see these benefits, but it should be a part of your weekly routine.

3. Attend Faith-Based Services

Practicing your faith or religion helps connect you with like-minded people, creates a sense of community, and focuses you on something bigger than yourself.

Research shows that attending faith-based services once a week adds 4–14 years of life expectancy.

This holds true regardless of the faith you practice.

If you do not connect with any religion, try joining a club that aligns with your interests instead. Joining a group that meets even once a month has been shown to produce the same happiness boost as doubling your income.

This could be a book club, walking club, wine tasting club, sports club, or anything else that is meaningful for you.

4. Volunteer or Give Back

Volunteering (or some other form of giving back) enables you to make a difference in other peoples’ lives, and it makes you feel better about yourself at the same time.

The world is in need of your skills, time, and resources. So find a cause that is important to you and pay it forward on a weekly basis, whether that means helping people access Sokolove Law about their mesothelioma illness, volunteering to walk animals at a shelter or donating money to the local school.

Volunteering or donating money has been shown to make people happier and more financially successful as well.

If you feel strapped for time, then keep it simple. Even buying a coffee for someone behind you in line at Starbucks will brighten the day.

Giving back — with your time or money — provides meaning in your life, and it is simply the right thing to do.

5. Make Social Plans

Social relationships are the number 1 predictor of overall happiness in life.

Strong relationships are vital for health, productivity, career success, and overall well-being.

While it would be ideal to socialize for 6 hours each day, it is far more manageable to commit to one social outing per week.

Many of the above daily and weekly habits can be done with others in a social setting, so that’s a great place to start.

You could also consider arranging a weekly happy hour with friends or get your neighbors together for a potluck dinner.

Additional Tips

When it comes to living a better life, finding effective ways to take better care of your overall health is key, especially when dealing with specific, persistent complaints. For example, if you routinely find yourself dealing with shingles, then you may want to begin to research different home remedies for shingles. This way, you can deal with the issues as soon as they arise, before they begin to cause any discomfort or pain. Holistic approaches are often key in cases like this!

Additionally, it's beneficial to embrace a proactive approach in managing any chronic conditions you may have. For instance, seeking outpatient treatment for bipolar disorder can provide structured support without the need for hospitalization. Alongside these specific treatments, embrace flexibility in your daily schedule. For instance, if your energy peaks in the morning, tackle the most challenging tasks first. If you're a night owl, reserve evenings for creativity or relaxation. By aligning your tasks with your natural rhythms, you can optimize productivity and ensure that your self-care practices, including those for mental health, are as effective as possible.

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There you have it — daily and weekly habits that are practical and actionable to improve your life.

Use these checklists to plan your days and your weeks.

If you build in these items before you plan anything else, you will be way ahead of the game.

You will be maximizing your days and adding years to your life. And you’ll have fun doing it.

Live by this daily and weekly checklist and you will live a better life.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for health, happiness, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

We Are Feeding Our Kids Known Carcinogens

We know that smoking is bad for us.

Smoking has clearly been proven to cause cancer (and many other diseases), and therefore a health-warning label is required to appear on every pack of cigarettes. It has been that way for over 50 years.

Alcohol, too, is a known carcinogen. Alcohol bottles must also bear health-warning labels, and it has become common knowledge that excessive drinking causes health problems.

Of course cigarettes and alcohol can only legally be purchased and consumed by adults.

But there is another known carcinogen that many people consume every day and feed to their children.

In fact, there are over 100 known human carcinogens.

But only a few of these are related to diet and lifestyle (most are chemicals in the environment and other exposures).

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If there was something you were doing every day that was known to cause cancer, wouldn’t you want to know about it?

Perhaps, like cigarettes and alcohol, some people would choose to do it anyway.

If you knew something caused cancer, would you give it to your kids? Probably not, just like you wouldn’t want to expose them to toxic chemicals.

But there is a high probability that you are regularly eating a cancer-causing food, and putting it on your kids’ plates, too.

That cancer-causing food is processed meat.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (the cancer agency of the World Health Organization) has classified processed meat as a carcinogen, something that causes cancer. That means that processed meat is a Group 1 carcinogen, in the same class as asbestos and tobacco.

Red meat is classified as a probable carcinogen (Group 2A), something that probably causes cancer.

Processed meat includes hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, and some deli meats. Any meat that has been treated in some way to preserve or flavor it is processed meat (e.g. salting, curing, fermenting, smoking). Red meat includes beef, pork, lamb, and goat.

This finding was reached by 22 experts from 10 countries who reviewed more than 800 studies to reach their conclusions.

Rock-solid proof.

Eating just one hot dog or 4 strips of bacon every day leads to a double-digit increase in colorectal cancer risk, and for red meat there is evidence of increased risk of colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.

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We are 100% certain that processed meat causes cancer.

About 34,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide are attributable to diets high in processed meat.

And although eating red meat has not yet been proven to cause cancer, if the reported associations were proven to be causal, diets high in red meat could be responsible for 50,000 cancer deaths per year worldwide.

Those numbers don’t even include the other negative health outcomes caused by eating processed and red meat, such as high blood pressure and heart and cardiovascular disease.

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You may think that bacon is one of the joys of life, and still choose to eat it and serve it to your kids, but you should at least know about the risks.

Although these findings are several years old, most people have no idea that processed meat causes cancer. They grew up with hot dogs and cold cuts, and therefore give those foods to their kids as well.

Yes, the occasional hot dog or hamburger is probably okay, just like the occasional cigarette or martini won’t kill you.

But if the risks of tobacco and alcohol are widely known — and those products are required to display health warnings — then processed meat should be held to the same standard.

Processed meat is known to cause cancer.

Every package of processed meat should display that fact.

It is inexcusable that millions of pounds of processed meat are eaten every year (the average American eats nearly 18 pounds of bacon alone per year), and served to our kids, without the health risks being front and center.

Perhaps many people would make the same food choices anyway.

But I know I’ll think twice before I give my kids another hot dog, and I certainly won’t make a habit of giving them processed and red meat.

I wouldn’t encourage my kids to take up smoking, and I won’t steer them into a meat-based diet, either.

Your Phone Is A Stress Machine

How many times per day do you check your phone?

If you are like the average American, that number hovers around 80 times per day.

Or if you’re a millennial, it might be a staggering 150 times per day!

Chances are you instinctively grab your phone when waiting in line at Starbucks, when bored in a meeting at work, and probably even when you’re stopped at a red light.

It is likely that you check your phone first thing in the morning (61% of people do) and last thing before bed (75% of people bring their phone to bed).

Although you might not want to admit it, you could be on your phone for over three and a half hours per day (the average for US adults), which adds up to more than 50 days per year!

The reality is that the average person checks their email 15 times per day, and workers spend 6.3 hours a day checking and responding to emails.

What is this addiction to our phone — and constantly being connected — doing to us?

It making us seriously stressed out.

Nearly one-fifth of Americans say their use of technology stresses them out, and stress levels run highest for “constant checkers.”

Additionally, constant checkers feel disconnected from their family — even when they are together — as a result of technology, and are less likely to meet up in person with friends and family because of social media.

Research shows that people who frequently check their email are more stressed than those who check less often. The effects are worst for people who check email constantly after work hours.

We also know that excessive social media use causes stress, and contributes to lower levels of happiness and wellbeing.

Technology use is a controllable source of stress. And it is wreaking havoc on our health.

Stress leads to chronic inflammation, associated with every major age-related disease in the world.

Your phone — filled with all of your email and social media scrolling — is a verifiable stress-inducing machine.

We need to gain control over our technology if we want gain control of our health and wellbeing.

If you are ready to make a change — and take control of your devices — here are a few rules to live by:

• Do not check email immediately upon waking or last thing before bed. This approach is championed by Tim Ferriss who says that email first thing derails your priorities for the day and email right before sleeping gives you insomnia. Putting this into practice has been a life-changer for me.

• Schedule 2–3 blocks per day for email, instead of constantly reading and responding as new messages come in.

• Never reach for your phone while driving or stopped in traffic. If necessary, pull over to set your navigation or respond to a message.

• Try leaving your phone in your pocket the next time you are waiting in line. Look around you and see what you notice when you aren’t buried in your phone.

• Leave your phone in your pocket the next time you meet up with a friend. This will work wonders for your relationships. If need be, excuse yourself to take a call that requires immediate attention.

• Unplug after work hours. I personally go offline for 12 hours each day — from about 8pm — 8am. I also try to avoid email and social media for one full day each weekend. Keeping this schedule enables me to ‘down shift’ and prioritize my family and my health.

You don’t need to tackle all of these right away. Start with just 1–2 of these habits and see what happens to your stress levels and general wellbeing.

Once you start seeing the benefits, maybe you’ll go phone-free more often.

There is no way to truly experience life if you are head-down in your phone.

It’s time to put the phone down and start living.

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for happiness, health, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

What You Should Really Be Eating, In Plain and Simple Terms

There is so much conflicting information out there about what you should be eating.

Dietary guidelines and best practices have changed drastically over the years, and it has become very hard to know who to trust.

Therefore I have studied this topic at length over the last several years, poring over books, scientific studies, and learning from the true experts in the field.

This is a very worthy endeavor — according to some reports, nutritional excellence has the power to virtually eliminate your risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as significantly reduce your risk of a variety of cancers.

After extensive research into the ultimate human diet, the science has become very clear on one point:

A whole-food, plant-based diet is best. Every great diet revolves around fruits and vegetables.

The most fundamental and understandable guidelines are set forth in the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate (the official dietary advice from Harvard doctors and medical professors), specifically:

Ensure at least 1/2 of your plate is vegetables and fruit

At least 50% of your food intake should be fruits and vegetables. However, less than 14 percent of Americans eat enough fruits and vegetables every day.

Eating mostly fruits and vegetables is arguably the most important thing you can do for your health and longevity.

According to research from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day has been shown to add an extra 3 years of life expectancy.

But more is even better. Eating at least 7 portions of fruit and veggies a day can lower your risk of premature death by 42%. Going up to 10 servings a day is associated with double-digit percentage decreases in the risks for heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and premature deaths.

Choose organic, seasonal, and local vegetables whenever possible (reference the Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 list when deciding to buy organic or not). Include both cooked and uncooked vegetables, and aim for a variety of colors, from dark green to bright yellow and orange.

Fill your shopping cart with these detoxifying plants: Cilantro, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, radishes, brussels sprouts, turnips, watercress, kohlrabi, rutabaga, arugula, horseradish, maca, rapini, daikon, wasabi, bok choy, artichoke hearts, beets, dandelions, mushrooms, onions, garlic, ginger, and seaweed.

Dark leafy greens are the king of the vegetable kingdom in terms of nutrient-density. White potatoes should be minimized because of their high glycemic index.

Berries top the nutrition chart among fruits, but all kinds of fruit are great. Just make sure to choose whole fruits over fruit juices (which have been stripped of nutrition content).

Make whole grains 1/4 of your plate

Whole grains — including whole wheat, barley, wheat berries, quinoa, oats, brown rice, and whole wheat bread and pasta — are more nutrient-dense and have a milder effect on blood sugar than white bread, white rice, and other refined grains.

When selecting bread, look for 100% whole wheat, sprouted grain, whole grain rye, pumpernickel, and true sourdough bread. Look at the label and make sure the serving size ratio of carbs to fiber is equal to or less than 5-to-1 (for example, if you divided 15 grams of carbs by 3 grams of fiber, that would equal 5 and would be acceptable). I am a fan of the sprouted Ezekiel bread from the Food for Life brand.

Oatmeal is a great breakfast choice to get your day started with whole grains (top it off with ground flax seed, nuts, and mixed berries for even more nutrition).

Make protein 1/4 of your plate

Beans and nuts are great plant-based sources of protein, so it is best to start there. Small amounts of carefully-selected fish, chicken, and meat are also acceptable. Animal protein can play a role in your diet, but as a condiment (2–3 ounces, a few nights per week), not the main course.

When selecting fish, go for wild caught (not farmed) SMASH fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, herring) over large-mouthed, long-lived fish (shark, swordfish, tuna). And if you eat poultry or meat, make sure to get pastured chicken or grass-fed beef. Eggs should also be from chickens that are pastured, not factory raised.

Stay away from processed meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and cold cuts.

Eat healthy plant oils in moderation

Choose healthier oils such as olive, MCT, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, and peanut, and stay away from partially hydrogenated oils which contain unhealthy trans fat.

Include other good fats such as avocados, nuts, and seeds.

Drink water, coffee, green tea, and red wine

Avoid sugary drinks (soda, boxed juices) and limit milk/dairy (1–2 servings per day). Limit wine consumption to no more than 1–2 glasses (5 oz.) per day (max of one glass per day for women, two for men).

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If you are following the above guidelines, there will be very little room for unhealthy foods such as salty snacks (chips, crackers) and packaged sweets (cookies, candy bars, cakes).

If you are looking for a cheat sheet grocery list, the best longevity foods are (according to The Blue Zones research of centenarians around the world):

• Beans (black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, black-eyed peas, lentils)

• Greens (spinach, kale, chards, beet tops, fennel tops, collards)

• Sweet Potatoes

• Nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews)

• Olive Oil (green, extra-virgin is best)

• Oats (slow-cook or Irish steel-cut are best)

• Barley

• Fruits (all kinds)

• Green or Herbal teas

• Turmeric (spice or tea)

Blue Zones area centenarians eat a 95% plant-based diet rich in beans, greens, grains and nuts.

If you base your diet around these foods, you just might make it to 100 as well!

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for happiness, health, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.