A Recipe For Longevity: 33 Of The Healthiest Foods On Earth

Is it possible to live to 125 or maybe 150? It's certainly a possibility, as discussed on Oprah Winfrey's recent show on longevity. She visited me at my farm to learn how, at 86, I am enjoying the robust health, energy, and mental creativity of someone many decades younger. My secret: large quantities of fruit and vegetables, plus an hour of daily exercise.

No pills, not even aspirin, and certainly no supplements ever enter my mouth -- everything I need comes from my fish-vegetarian diet, which incorporates 30-40 different kinds of fruit and vegetables every week. Even though I am Chairman and Owner of Dole Food Company, I do most of my own grocery shopping, and even took Oprah on an impromptu trip to Costco, in a day that included bike riding, exercise in the gym, and juicing vegetables in the kitchen. Oprah marveled at how much I eat, and yet never gain a pound. In fact, I expend a lot of energy in my 50-60 minutes of cardio and strength training every day. Plus there's the fact that fruit and vegetables tend to be lower in calories, but higher in filling fiber and other nutrients that help you feel satisfied.

By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity. Obesity accelerates aging even faster than smoking, according to scientific research.

We created the North Carolina Research Campus to study the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. It is the only campus in the world encompassing eight universities all working together for the benefit of health and longevity. These include Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina Central University, NC A&T State University, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State University. We've gathered a comprehensive array of famous scientists and scientific equipment under one roof, including a two-story, 950 megahertz, 8-ton superconducting magnet. It is the largest and most powerful magnet in the world and will help us look at both plant and human cells at the most minute level. We are constantly doing research on all fruit and vegetables, including the ones listed below, which are the mainstay of my diet.

The Healthiest Foods on Earth

Pineapple	Speeds post-surgery	Promotes joint health	Reduces asthma inflammation
Blueberries	Restore antioxidant levels	Reverse age-related brain decline	Prevent urinary tract infection
Spinach	Helps maintain mental sharpness	Reduces the risk of cancers of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate	Top nutrient density
Red Bell Pepper	Reduces risk of lung, prostate, ovarian and cervical cancer	Protects against sunburn	Promotes heart health
Broccoli	Reduces diabetic damage	Lowers risk of prostate, bladder, colon, pancreatic, gastric and breast cancer	Protects the brain in event of injury
Tomato	Reduces inflammation	Lowers risk of developing esophageal, stomach, colorectal, lung and pancreatic cancer	Reduces cardiovascular disease risk
Apple	Supports immunity	Fights lung and prostate cancer	Lowers Alzheimer’s risk
Artichoke	Helps blood clotting	Antioxidant Superfood	Lowers “bad” cholesterol
Arugula	Lowers birth defect risk	Reduces fracture risk	Protects eye health
Asparagus	Nourishes good gut bacteria	Protects against birth defects	Promotes heart health
Avocado	Limits liver damage	Reduces oral cancer risk	Lowers cholesterol levels
Blackberries	Build bone density	Suppress appetite	Enhance fat burning
Butternut Squash	Supports night vision	Combats wrinkles	Promotes heart health
Cantaloupe	Bolsters immunity	Protects skin against sunburn	Reduces inflammation
Carrot	Antioxidants defend DNA	Fights cataracts	Protects against some cancers
Cauliflower	Stimulates detoxification	Suppresses breast cancer cell growth	Defends against prostate cancer
Cherries	Alleviate arthritic pain and gout	Lower “bad” cholesterol	Reduce inflammation
Cranberries	Alleviate prostate pain	Fight lung, colon and leukemia cancer cells	Prevent urinary tract infection
Green Cabbage	Promotes healthy blood clotting	Reduces risk of prostate, colon, breast and ovarian cancers	Activates the body’s natural detoxification systems
Kale	Counters harmful estrogens that can feed cancer	Protects eyes against sun damage and cataracts	Increases bone density
Kiwi	Combats wrinkles	Lowers blood clot risk and reduces blood lipids	Counters constipation
Mango	Supports immunity	Lowers “bad” cholesterol	Regulates homocysteine to protect arteries
Mushrooms	Promote natural detoxification	Reduce the risk of colon and prostate cancer	Lower blood pressure
Orange	Reduces levels of “bad” cholesterol	Lowers risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, breast and stomach, and childhood leukemia	Pectin suppresses appetite
Papaya	Enzymes aid digestion	Reduces risk of lung cancer	Enhances fat burning
Plums & Prunes	Counter constipation	Antioxidants defend against DNA damage	Protects against post-menopausal bone loss
Pomegranate	Enhances sunscreen protection	Lowers “bad” cholesterol	Fights prostate cancer
Pumpkin	Protects joints against polyarthritis	Lowers lung and prostate cancer risk	Reduces inflammation
Raspberries	Inhibit growth of oral, breast, colon and prostate cancers	Antioxidant DNA defense	Lower “bad” cholesterol levels
Strawberries	Protect against Alzheimer’s	Reduce “bad” cholesterol	Suppress growth of colon, prostate and oral cancer
Sweet Potato	Reduces stroke risk	Lowers cancer risk	Protect against blindness
Watermelon	Supports male fertility	Reduces risk of several cancers: prostate, ovarian, cervical, oral and pharyngeal	Protects skin against sunburn
Banana	Increases Fat Burning	Lowers risk of colorectal and kidney cancer, leukemia	Reduces asthmas symptoms in children

One of my missions in life is to share this kind of knowledge with others, so they can live more vital, active, satisfying lives. Since acquiring major interests in Dole 26 years ago, educating the public on proper diet has constituted the agenda of my Dole Nutrition Institute. We publish the Dole Nutrition News -- enjoyed by 2.5 million subscribers (sign up at www.dolenutrition.com). We create cooking and nutrition videos, cookbooks, brochures, and other educational collateral, like the chart above. We also provide educational support to teachers, parents and kids through www.dolesuperkids.com.

While Arianna and I do not agree on all issues, we both believe in the importance of proper nutrition. I've known Arianna since she arrived in this country, many decades ago, and am godfather to one of her daughters. I've enjoyed many Mediterranean-style healthy meals at her home, and am helping her increase access to nutrition information, which is why I wanted to share some "food for thought" with her intellectually ravenous.

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David H. Murdock is Chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, Inc., the world's largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, packaged and frozen foods. He is also Chairman, CEO and owner of Castle & Cooke, Inc., a leader in real estate development.

Mr. Murdock advocates healthy eating to promote longevity. His Dole Nutrition Institute is dedicated to nutrition education through an award-winning monthly newsletter, health brochures, cookbooks, videos and the Dole Nutrition website. He recently dedicated the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory Building, the UNC Nutrition Research Building and the NC State Fruit and Vegetable Science Institute Building at the newly opened North Carolina Research Campus, representing a historic partnership with leading universities to advance knowledge about nutrition and disease prevention.

Comments

[kstuff]

Guess I'll become a fruititarian

[Ye-Ha]

Part 2

Now compare that to buying a locally grown fruit at your neighborhood farmer's market, or better yet, in your yard.

Do you REALLY want to be green?

Think about your food choices in these terms.

In all fairness to Dole, I checked the fresh pineapples and Dole's were from Hawaii and the competitors were from another country - sorry I don't remember now.

Mr. Murdock, you must read the comments to your blog, I challenge you to address the use of fossil fuels in the food industry.

Micheal Pollen - are you reading? Your book is what first opened my eyes.

Now I have my own blog, social networking site and, hopefully, a book coming out if I can get one of the publishers to bite.

And I have what I think are two really good ideas to "Green" up the food industry but I need much more notoriety before I say what they are because i want them to be heard.

www.culinaryhatchet.com
http://culinaryhatchet.ning.com
http://twitter.com/CulinaryHatchet
http://culinaryhatchet.yelp.com

[Ye-Ha]

Part 1

So, I was in the store yesterday and I compared a can of Dole pineapple slices in 100% pineapple juice to the "Western Family" brand. Fortunately, the serving size was the same for both, 114g, or 2 slices. Dole's was 60 calories and Western Family's was 70 calories. How can that be? The only thing that I can figure out with the high number of calories in these products compared to fresh raw pineapple is that they are playing games with the pineapple juice, perhaps concentrating it?

There was something else that I noticed, the Dole brand came from the Philippines whilst the Western Family brand came from Thailand. Why do I think that this is bad?

I think that it would shock most people to know that your food choices have more to do with how much fossil fuel that you use than the kind of car you drive.

Let me take a stab at listing the use of fossil fuels used in the production of a can of pineapple slices without doing detailed research:

Fertilizer production & transport
Motorized farm equipment
Vehicles used by farm workers
Juicing, slicing & canning factory
Production of the can
Production of the label
Production of the shipping boxes
Production of the shipping crate
Loading and offloading crates & boxes
Transportation to the US
Transportation to the store
Garbage truck used to take away the can
Electric can opener if you use one
Recycling or land filling the can

You get

[RyanGoldschlager]

Hi! Just sharing a couple mango recipes, each intended to be healthful preparations and including ingredients not on this list:

http://miocibo.com/2009/04/27/black-bean-mango-and-lentil-salad/
http://miocibo.com/2009/05/13/mango-an-quinoa-salad/

P.S. - No quinoa (or other whole grains), flax seeds (or other seeds), nuts, ...

[DoleNutritionInstitute]

Yes, we like quinoa! We at the DNI enjoy a quinoa dish with dried cranberries, apricots and pecans. You can find the recipe at http://www.dolenutrition.com/recipedetail.aspx?RecId=88 .
We enjoy other whole grains as well, for example oats. Oats are a mineral marvel, supplying manganese (supports bone development and wound healing), phosphorus (works with calcium to promote strong bones and teeth) iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and selenium as well as potassium. http://www.dolenutrition.com/articleDetails.aspx?RecId=212.
You mentioned flaxseed oil, which contains the highest amounts of alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. Read more at http://www.dolenutrition.com/articleDetails.aspx?RecId=1358.
And of course, you are right to note nuts. Nuts can do your body good when consumed in moderation and without the added salt or oils. http://www.dolenutrition.com/articleDetails.aspx?RecId=1442

[Ye-Ha]

Also, there is the shameless plug for Oprah.

Oprah - I challenge you to follow Mr. Murdock's regiment and lose that weight!

Mr. Murdock, please pass that challenge along to your friend.

Culinary Hatchet

www.culinaryhatchet.com

[neurolux]

I've found that chili cheese fries reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being....at least short term.

[gatogato]

Proof a good dealer doesn't do his own stuff.

[gatogato]

I am a vegetarian and have been for 30 years. I don't eat soy, wheat or corn.
I know those are saying forget this guy owns Dole...but c'mon now. Dole sells fruits in some of the most unhealthy versions available on the market. Syruped and sugared to the hilt. I have more respect for someone who sells candy than some one who sells fruit that is no different. If he cares so much - how about eliminating the bad ingredients from what he sells?

[bmonaghan]

I think more is to be learned not by single individuals who live a long, healthy life, but by communities where they average long lives. An individual could be a statistical aberration. But where we see a much higher average of people living to be old - we can - I think - learn much more. The link below goes to such a study.

http://www.prlog.org/10235925-nbc-reports-drinking-herbal-tea-leads-to-longer-healthier-life.html

[rini]

I don't think that there are any magic bullets out there.

One of the major problems with our lifestyle is that we ingest too much of the most important nutrient..­..calories­. Without them, we'd be dead. With too many calories we are bigger and stronger, but we also have cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and many other ills.

These vegetables may provide some important nutrients. I think their main benefit, though, is that they fill you up with fewer calories so that you eat less refined processed high calorie junk.

Oh, and they taste great.

[futate01]

Calories are not a nutrient darling, it is a measurement. It's like saying pounds or feet. It measures the energy required in a chemical reaction to create new compounds. Our bodies run on an average of 2000 calories a day the way your car runs on an average of 20 miles to the gallon.

Some foods require much more caloric stress to cause the chemical reaction to brake them down but they lack nutrients. Potato chips, french fires, ice cream, etc.

Anyway I can't educate you on here but please do you research and learn.

Here's a good place to start; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy

[Mark Prado]

Black eyed peas and beet root are two of the most overlooked, highly nutritional foods.

[QueenCeleste]

I'll add almonds, walnuts, olive oil, tea, and dark chocolate.

[rini]

Yum

[PJNoir]

I just find it self serving that Pineapples are listed in the first spot in a list comprised by David H. Murdock is Chairman and owner of Dole Food Company, Inc., Yes, Pineapples contains the enzyme bromelain, but that is found mostly in the core which is not used by most- and not canned by Dole.
As fruit goes Pinapples, melon, oranges & mangos are on the list to eat less often than blueberries, blackberries, apples and grapefruit. Also, Gary Taubes has taught us that beef is one of the best food choices. At least no KILLER grains were listed. Fear the bread- not the butter

[rini]

IMHO, there are many reasons not to eat red meat regularly. There was a recent study showing earlier death in people who ate it.

Also, there are environmental, worker's rights and humane concerns with beef. Never mind the fact that we still haven't taken measures to ensure that mad cow will not occur in this country.

[VoteOnPaper]

For years, the USDA has regarded Chenopodium sp. far superior to spinach in available vitamin content.

[RadicalRuss]

How in the world do you make a list of the world's healthiest foods without including hempseed, nature's greatest source of Omega-3s and Omega-6s and most digestible protein?

Maybe because Dole doesn't sell hempseed?

[VoteOnPaper]

Excellent point. Brazil nuts, flax seeds, and hemp seeds are whole foods I don't want to do without.

[RyanGoldschlager]

I thought omega-6s are actually harmful. ??? I am a huge advocate for hemp and flax seed (and quinoa, other grains, etc.)

Here is a great recipe for flax seed pesto: http://miocibo.com/2009/05/21/flax-seed-basil-pesto/

Super tasty, though with the cheese involved it is certainly not an everyday dish ...

;D