7 Simple Ways My Diet And Routines Have Changed Since I Started Interviewing Experts About Longevity

The author at the Aging Research and Drug Discovery meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, on August 26, 2024.

Hilary Brueck, Business Insider

• As a reporter covering longevity and health, I'm skeptical of new products or fads.
• As I've met researchers and doctors around the world, I've picked up a few solid tips.
• Here are my seven favorite longevity tools, including foods and supplements.

As I've spent the past few years reporting on the rise of healthy aging and longevity research worldwide, I've seen the full spectrum of antiaging hacks. Some people spend thousands of dollars on supplements, others go to posh clinics for private, highly tailored services.

None of this is for me. Instead, I've picked up a few simple, cheap longevity habits.

Hearing researchers, doctors, and nutritionists lay out their arguments for why certain activities, foods, and pills were good for my long-term health, I eventually incorporated a few research-backed changes into my routine.

Here are my seven favorite daily longevity tips.

I eat more nuts and seeds than I used to

Walnuts are relatively inexpensive and rich in omega-3.

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Nuts and seeds are great sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and "healthy" fats. In short, it's all the good stuff that our ultra-processed diets often lack.

At home, I regularly stock different nuts and seeds. I keep a bag of ground flaxseed in the freezer to sprinkle over yogurt, oatmeal, and salads. I also ensure I have chia seeds — a staple for the breakfast balls I often prep in the summertime. And I like having pumpkin seeds around for a midday snack or sprinkled into dinner.

There's one kind of nut in my cupboard that deserves a special shoutout: the walnut.

Walnuts have the highest omega-3 concentration of any nut, which is a big reason Loma Linda cardiologist Gary Fraser puts them on his morning cereal, and why leading nut nutrition expert Joan Sabaté puts them in his daily longevity smoothie. I enjoy walnuts in Greek yogurt or on a lunchtime salad.

I've upped my leafy green intake

Leafy greens are great for your brain and your body.

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Green leaves are rich in nutrients like magnesium, iron, and nitrogen, and they help with digestion and gut health. Greens have also consistently been linked to better long-term brain health and cognition.

Dr. Dean Sherzai, half of the husband-and-wife team known as "The Brain Docs," says if you want to pick out one thing to improve your longevity, "just add green."

Sherzai recommends getting two servings of greens into your diet a day. When I'm doing my grocery shopping, I always add a bag of greens to the haul, whether it's arugula, spinach, or a spring mix.

Tracking my sleep has made some healthy habits stick

I use a smart ring to monitor my sleep.

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I've become one of those people who track their sleep and try to improve their sleep "hygiene" accordingly.

It started in 2024 when I attended a longevity conference in Singapore. It seemed like everyone there was tracking something with a smartwatch or ring. The experts doing some of the most cutting-edge research on how to help people stay fit and sharp into old age were tracking the quality of their sleep.

After a few weeks of using my own smart ring, I started to appreciate the daily insights.

The ring notices, for example, when I drink a beer right before bedtime. That's when my REM sleep (the memory-storing kind) decreases and my nighttime temperature goes up.

Sleep tracking has encouraged me to drink more herbal tea before bed, take more baths in the evenings, and be gentler to myself when I'm premenstrual. All of these changes have added up to slightly better daily sleep scores, as the quality of my sleep has trended upward.

I've committed to more strength training

More weighted squats and lunges.

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Any longevity expert worth their salt will tell you the best longevity treatment we have right now is exercise. Some of the most promising research into longevity drugs aims to mimic the many positive effects of exercise.

I used to only do half of the job, though. I loved cardio training and hated weightlifting. My wake-up call came when I suffered a stress fracture from running too hard, too fast, without prioritizing cross-training.

Building muscle through strength training as we age is good for bone health, pain management, and fat burning. In recent years, I've started adding more squats, lunges, and deadlifts into my routine. These are not just helping me get stronger, they're also improving mobility and making me less likely to get injured in the years to come.

A little less butter, a little more olive oil

I prefer olive oil to premade dressings and even use it for toast sometimes.

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I've started replacing some of the butter and seed oil in my life with olive oil. This is less about butter being "bad" (though there are plenty of nutrition experts who'd tell you it's not the best choice) and more about the health benefits of olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is rich in plant compounds called polyphenols, which are great for brain health, heart health, and reducing inflammation.

Nutrition expert Dr. Artemis Simopoulos recommends mixing olive oil 1:1 with butter for a healthier spread on toast. I haven't tried that yet, but I do sometimes replace butter for 100% EVOO on my toast, and I also sub out prepackaged salads and dressings for greens and olive oil.

Berries have become a near-daily treat

Yum.

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Over the past two years I've upped my daily berry intake, simply due to learning more about their health benefits. Berries are so rich in chemical compounds that they're like power fuel for our cells. Plus, they're better for digestion and gut health than anything sweet I might pick out of a vending machine.

I try to stock at least one to two kinds of berries in the fridge when they're in season, including blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

I started taking a supplement. It's not a multivitamin.

A blood test suggested I'm a bit deficient in magnesium.

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Supplements aren't magic pills, but as the name suggests they can help supplement what a person's diet or lifestyle isn't covering. While nutraceutical supplement companies in the US don't have to abide by the same rigorous standards as pharmaceutical drug companies, there are third-party supplement testing outfits that certify some brands.

In longevity circles, people tend to subscribe to a highly personalized version of supplementation. Often, they'll use blood tests and other "biomarkers" like cholesterol, blood pressure, and genetic testing to come up with a daily pill strategy.

About a year ago, on the recommendation of the Miora longevity clinic at Life Time Fitness, I did some bloodwork and started taking magnesium. It's a mineral that most Americans don't get enough of.

The magnesium supplement I buy sets me back about 28 cents per day. It is United States Pharmacopeia (USP) verified, meaning I can be reasonably confident that what's advertised on the label is in the bottle.

I got another blood test recently, and I'm no longer deficient in magnesium. I can't say the difference is obvious, but I have noticed marginal benefits for my muscle relaxation, sleep, and digestion.