One hot dog could take 36 minutes off your life

Eating a hot dog could take 36 minutes off your life—but a healthier option of a serving of nuts might add 26 minutes to your life expectancy.

Looking at the food we eat in terms of minutes lost or gained could drive home the dangers of a diet of processed and fast food, say researchers from the University of Michigan.  

They evaluated more than 5,800 different foods and ranked them according to their impact on our life expectancy.  Substituting just 10 percent of calories from beef and processed meats for a serving of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes such as lentils and peas, and seafood could gain you 48 minutes of healthy, disease-free, living.

The healthier diet also has a positive impact on the environment, and releases fewer pollutants into the atmosphere.

It all comes down to healthier food choices.  Eat less processed meats and greenhouse-grown vegetables and replace them with field-grown fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and sustainable seafood and you’ll live a longer and healthier life.

(Source: Nature Food, 2021; 2: 616)

What do you think? Start a conversation over on the... WDDTY Community