Even though there’s no shortage of advice on how to eat in order to promote healthier aging, many of us still struggle in our day-to-day lives to figure out what to eat. For most, the options are overwhelming (In fact, Dr. Peter Attia has called most of us “overnourished”) and the temptations to stray from a healthy diet are innumerable. So, the question becomes, on a daily basis, how can we maintain a healthy diet without going crazy over restricting every last calorie or refusing every last treat? 

The good news is that restrictive, fad-driven diets garner little support from nutrition experts. Instead, most experts recommend an approach to eating that focuses on nutritional intake and balance of such healthy foods as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins without dictating harsh terms of what should go in your mouth at every meal. In fact, a recent post in Katie Couric’s newsletter surveyed national nutrition and healthy aging experts to distill their approaches to healthy eating (and thus healthy aging). All endorsed a strategy focusing on attention to your nutritional intake, whether that includes a daily multivitamin, adoption of the Mediterranean approach to eating (which includes essential nutrients such as olive oil, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains), or just ensuring that your regular diet includes foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and Vitamin E (peanut butter and almonds count!). In fact, if you’re in search of a good list of nutrient-rich foods to support longevity and healthier aging, grab your apron and look here. One word of caution: Nutritional needs can be highly personal so best to discuss what makes most sense for you with your physician or a nutritional consult.

Among many experts, the Mediterranean approach to eating continues to reign supreme as it’s considered a balanced and flexible approach to eating that includes the nutritional support necessary to lessen the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes, thereby promoting a longer and healthier life span. It’s among the most studied eating strategies in existence and while it promotes healthy aging, there is also data to support its value in lowering your risk of cognitive decline. While not specifically excluding any foods, the Mediterranean diet does recommend limiting your intake of fried foods, red meats, and processed and sugar-filled foods. 

However, there’s also been more recent attention paid to the MIND diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay), previously mentioned in agebuzz here and here. With specific focus as to whether this diet (which combines Mediterranean Diet elements with the DASH diet – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) helps to promote better brain health and reduced risk of cognitive decline, the jury is apparently still out. While earlier observational studies of this diet seemed to suggest that those who adhered closely to it had slower rates of cognitive decline, a recent clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine didn’t produce evidence to support this. Comparing participants who ate according to the MIND diet with those who did not, the study failed to show any major differences between the 2 groups when it comes to cognitive decline. It could be that more will be proven with better studies but for the moment, it’s not clear whether following the food recommendations of the MIND diet will achieve better healthy aging results than those of the Mediterranean Diet. But it’s also one other healthy eating strategy that might fit your nutritional needs and tastes. For more on this research and diet strategy, chop some healthy greens and look here. And for some additional resources and cookbooks featuring the MIND diet, click here.