What are the best longevity foods?

If you’ve followed our many articles exploring the topic of nutrition for longevity, you’ll know that we concluded—while there are some dietary patterns that are generally better than others for life extension—there is no one single healthiest diet for longevity.

Longevity experts eat a range of different foods for longevity, and their diets vary from low-carb, to vegetarian, to Mediterranean.

Even our readers, whom we surveyed about which foods they eat to promote longevity, didn’t agree overwhelmingly on any one diet for long life.

Additionally, everybody is different, and people’s genetics, environment, and gut microbiome may all determine how their body reacts to different foods and diet patterns. For instance, according to a 2015 study in Cell:

“[W]e continuously monitored week-long glucose levels in an 800-person cohort, measured responses to 46,898 meals, and found high variability in the response to identical meals, suggesting that universal dietary recommendations may have limited utility.”

(Emphasis added).

All that said, while everyone is different, there are some general guidelines around longevity and diet that seem to hold for large populations.

For instance, replacing things like sugar and alcohol with things like lean protein and green tea seems to improve health and longevity biomarkers for most people.

Personally, I like to think about longevity diets as general guidelines, within which you can tweak and experiment to find the right mix of longevity herbs and superfoods that best suits your particular body and situation.

With that in mind, Rachel and I, working with Nils Osmar of NewLifeLongevity, set out to identify a longevity diet food list that you can use as an a la carte menu to fit into your current eating plan, wherever it makes the most sense.

Affiliate Disclaimer: Longevity Advice is reader-supported. When you buy something using links on our site, we may earn a few bucks.

The best longevity foods

To narrow down the massive number of potential longevity foods, we first brainstormed every possible variation of foods that increase longevity, then looked for research on the impact each had on seven different health categories: lifespan extension, anti-cancer, heart health, mind and mood, metabolic health, skin and hair, and muscle health.

That still left us with 50+ possible healthy longevity foods, so to bring our longevity food list to a manageable length, we determined a food had to meet the following criteria:

• At least one animal study showing median and/or maximum lifespan extension from the food itself or from a primary compound within it
• At least one randomized controlled trial (RCT) showing significant positive health effects in humans from the food itself or from a primary compound within it
• At least one observational/population study suggesting lower mortality risk or longer lifespan in humans from the food itself or from a primary compound within it
• Easily purchasable in most grocery stores in the United States

Many animal studies look at a specific compound found within these foods, such as oleic acid within olive oil, rather than the full food itself. While not ideal, we figured in most cases this is a close enough proxy for the food itself to include such a study in our criteria.

These best longevity foods are ordered alphabetically.

1. Avocado

Avocado consumption (eating ½-1 avocado per day) is linked to lower risk of heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Avocados are also high in oleic acid, which has been shown to increase lifespan in roundworms.

How to add avocado to your longevity diet:

Slice some up and add it to a salad, or on top of eggs, or within a wrap, or sandwich. Alternatively, make a killer longevity drink by using avocado as a base for a smoothie. I personally like to eat slices on their own with just a little salt on top!

2. Blueberries

Blueberries, like other berries including raspberries and blackberries, are high in anti-inflammatory polyphenols. Blueberry extract has been shown to extend life in fruit flies by 10%, increase maximum lifespan in roundworms by 14%, and improve memory in humans.

How to add blueberries to your longevity diet:

Ideally try to find wild blueberry products, including frozen (the freezing process can preserve certain healthy compounds which decrease over time in non-frozen berries), and early maturity berries if you can (green berries have the highest polyphenol and flavanol content). Add them to salads, smoothies, on top of yogurt, or grab a handful out of the fridge and stuff them in your mouth like a barbarian. Aim for about 178 g of blueberries a day (equivalent to 75-80 blueberries).

3. Carrots

Carrots contain several powerful longevity compounds. One of them, isofalcarintriol, extends the life of roundworms and reduces age-related frailty in mice. In humans, raw carrot intake consistently correlates with a lower risk for cancer.

How to add carrots to your longevity diet:

Aim for 32g/day or more of raw carrots (cooked or heat-treated carrots lose some important health effects), and consider adding them to salads, smoothies, or make a fun longevity dip with some Greek yogurt, lemon juice, parsley, and olive oil and dunk them in that!

4. Coffee

A well-known longevity drink, coffee consumption (even up to 8x cups/day) is linked to lower mortality risk. It also reduces cancer and cardiovascular risk, even when decaffeinated.

How to add coffee to your longevity diet:

Consider a light roast to cut down on possibly unhealthy levels of acrylamide, and stick to 2-4 cups of coffee a day, as benefits seem to taper off after that level. You may want to pair coffee with l-theanine (a naturally-occurring component in green tea) to moderate the impact of caffeine on concentration. Consider decaf coffee if you plan to drink it after noon, so as not to interfere with your sleep schedule.

5. Dried parsley

I sometimes add this top longevity food to my daily shots of olive oil in the morning, and that’s for several reasons. Dried parsley is high in apigenin, a potent anti-inflammatory compound that can improve mitochondrial health and that increases lifespan in fruit flies and in roundworms.

How to add dried parsley to your longevity diet:

I like to take this longevity herb in as many places as possible, including on salads, in smoothies, as a tea, and sprinkled, as mentioned above, on top of shots of olive oil. Aim for a little over a gram of dried parsley a day (about two teaspoons’-worth), which at 45mg of apigenin per gram, would get you close to the 51mg of apigenin examined in a 1999 study showing positive health effects.

6. Garlic

Garlic consumption (more than 5x per week) is associated with longer survival times among old people, and it has anti-cancer effects, potentially preventing some cancers and, in the form of aged garlic extract, helping to treat others.

How to add garlic to your longevity diet:

Raw garlic has the highest amounts of beneficial anti-cancer compounds, and heating garlic (even for as little as 60 seconds in the microwave) can eliminate a lot of them. However, crushing garlic and allowing it to sit for 10+ minutes before heating it can save some of those compounds. Consider adding raw garlic to a homemade salsa or guacamole, or taking some aged garlic extract either as a supplement or added to healthy dishes like a spaghetti squash pasta.

7. Lentils

Lentils are a low-glycemic index food shown to improve cholesterol and inflammation. They are also high in spermidine, which may have anti-cancer effects and has been shown to extend lifespan in mice making lentils potentially one of the best foods for longevity.

How to add lentils to your longevity diet:

Lentil soup was the specific form of lentils used to test for spermidine levels, so you could do worse than starting there. I also love cooked lentils as a base to put some roasted veggies like beets and kale on top of, drizzled with a yogurt and lemon sauce.

8. Mushrooms

Mushrooms have tons of health benefits, including protection from cognitive decline and cancer. Reishi mushrooms also extend the life of roundworms by 26%, and pink oyster mushrooms seem to extend the lifespan of Mexican fruit flies. I personally think mushrooms are one of the best foods to eat to live a longer life, so I try to include them in as many meals as possible.

How to add mushrooms to your longevity diet:

Raw mushrooms can be easily added to salads, smoothies, and sandwiches. Grilling and microwaving mushrooms seems to be the cooking method that best preserves bioactive compounds. You could also try a mushroom powder to add to drinks and teas, like Four Sigmatic’s reishi mushroom “calm elixir” powder.

9. Olive oil

Olive oil contains oleic acid, like avocados, and also contains compounds like hydroxytyrosol, which has been shown to increase the lifespan of roundworms by 14%. Olive oil may also be the longevity food responsible for the lifespan benefits of the Mediterranean Diet as its compounds target all the hallmarks of aging. In fact, it’s so important that I wrote an entire article on exactly how to pick the healthiest olive oil for longevity.

How to add olive oil to your longevity diet:

2-4 tablespoons a day of raw, extra virgin olive oil seems to be the sweet spot for longevity. Drink it straight from the bottle, like me! Or use it to top salads, yogurt, sauteed and roasted veggies, or beans and lentils. Make sauces or dressings by mixing some with a base like Greek yogurt or mustard.

10. Oysters

Oysters are rich in nutrients like zinc, vitamin B, and selenium. They also contain high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids good for heart health, cancer protection, and associated with lower all-cause mortality.

How to add oysters to your longevity diet:

Pacific oysters were shown to have some of the highest levels of Omega 3s, about three times those of eastern oysters, so aim for those. Additionally, cooking oysters, like with many other foods, reduces a lot of their nutritional content, so eat them raw if you can!

Though note, as a sharp-eyed reader pointed out: raw oysters, especially if eaten during the months of May through October, may contain Vibrio bacteria which can cause vibriosis, an infection that kills around 100 Americans a year. If this concerns you, and especially if you are immuno-compromised, maybe cook your oysters before eating them.

11. Pomegranate

Pomegranates are high in Urolithin A, a compound that protects against aging and inflammation. Pomegranate juice and pomegranate extract has been shown to extend roundworms’ lifespan.

How to add pomegranate to your longevity diet:

Pomegranate berries can be added to fruits, smoothies, and on top of yogurt. Additionally, since pomegranate juice seems to have many of the same health benefits, you can buy/squeeze some of that and drink it straight, or added to some water or other longevity drink like iced white tea.

12. Rosemary

Rosemary activates AMPK, the body’s repair and longevity pathway. It’s been shown to extend the lifespan of fruit flies, roundworms, and mice. It’s also a primary component of the diet of Acciaroli, one of the Blue Zones famous for having the largest number of centenarians.

How to add rosemary to your longevity diet:

Rosemary is a longevity herb that goes great with lots of dishes, including in salads, on top of proteins like salmon, chicken, or pork, and used to season dips and veggie dishes as well. If you grow your own rosemary, consider using the flowers of the plants, not just the leaves, as rosemary flowers were found to extend roundworm lifespan by 18%. My parents found a great rosemary tea that makes a tasty longevity drink either hot or cold.

13. Wheat germ

Wheat germ is one of the highest sources of spermidine, an anti-aging compound linked to life extension in honeybees as well as in yeast, fruit flies, roundworms and in mice, and also to reduced brain aging in humans.

How to add wheat germ to your longevity diet:

Wheat germ can be eaten raw (you can use it to top yogurt, add to a smoothie, or mix it in with cold cereal), but I tend to eat it as a porridge heated up with some water and heavy cream. According to a 2021 study, boiling and grilling foods leads to the most loss of spermidine, compared to sous vide or microwaving. However, they found that when boiling, all the spermidine lost was able to be recovered from the water in which the food was being cooked. That suggests to me it’s fine to heat wheat germ in a porridge or soup, so long as you’re not draining off any of the water or liquid content and instead consuming it all.

14. White tea

Tea contains the compounds EGCG and l-theanine, both of which have health and anti-aging effects, making tea a potent longevity drink. EGCG has been shown to extend lifespan in roundworms, and in rats, mice, and fruit flies. White peony tea has high EGCG content compared to even green teas and, because it is harvested earlier, absorbs fewer heavy metals while growing.

How to add white tea to your longevity diet:

Steep your white tea for 2-3 minutes, and do not consume the leaves themselves. You may consider adding some lemon juice as it may help your body absorb the healthy catechins of the tea better. Studies suggest 3-5 cups (250ml) of tea a day gives you the best longevity benefits.

15. Wild salmon

Wild Pacific sockeye salmon avoids pollutants while migrating and can be consumed at higher rates than most farmed fish without ingesting dangerous levels of carcinogens. It is rich in heart-healthy omega-3s and has extended lifespan in dogs, mice, and roundworms. Eating salmon also reduces the risk of heart disease in otherwise healthy individuals.

How to add wild salmon to your longevity diet:

Pan frying and deep frying salmon seems to cause the most loss of healthy omega-3 acids, while eating salmon raw (i.e. as sushi) or oven-baked seems to preserve the healthy fatty acids the best. I love to oven-bake salmon with some olive oil and crushed garlic, and season it with lemon juice after cooking.

Honorable mentions: 12 other top longevity foods

Due to space constraints (we need to have a cutoff somewhere, but maybe we’ll expand this longevity diet food list with an epic, comprehensive ebook of every potential longevity food later down the line; let us know if you’d like to see that!), there are lots of longevity foods we weren’t able to include in the full list. 

But a couple other foods to increase lifespan we considered (and still personally enjoy!) are:

• Allulose: Natural sweetener high in fiber that may improve insulin response.
• Broccoli sprouts/seeds: High in sulforaphane, which is good for brain health, but be sure to take with some mustard (I like to add them to a wrap or sandwich made from low-carb bread) as the myrosinase in mustard increases the bioavailability of the sulforaphane.
• Celery juice: High in apigenin like dried parsley.
• Chamomile tea: Also high in apigenin like dried parsley.
• Cocoa: I mix a tsp into my coffee or protein shake most days. Make sure to get non-dutched cocoa powder as the dutching process can remove a lot of healthy polyphenols.
• Dark leafy greens (like spinach and kale): A good source of healthy vitamins and polyphenols, and a key part of a recent diet shown to reverse biological age (as measured by an epigenetic age test).
• Eggs: A good source of both protein and choline, which the body synthesizes into glycine, a compound which protects the liver and has other beneficial health effects.
• Navy beans: Rich in phosphatidylserine which is possibly good for brain health.
• Nuts: High in protein, healthy fats, and other beneficial compounds like selenium (in Brazil nuts). I stick to almonds, and 1-2 Brazil nuts a day (it’s possible to overdose on selenium, so be careful with these), though longevity scientist James Clement, author of The Switch, recommends macadamia nuts for their good omega 3 to omega 6 ratio.
• Okinawan purple sweet potatoes: One of the top foods from the Blue Zones diet, I love making a hash out of these with chives from the garden.
• Sardines and anchovies: High in CoQ10, fish oil/healthy fats, and EPA/DHEA, and very low in contaminants like mercury.
• Turmeric: The curcumin in turmeric may protect against inflammation and cancer, but be sure to eat/take it with some black pepper/piperine as otherwise it’s not very bioavailable.
• 2-year+ aged cheddar: High in spermidine like wheat germ.

And unfortunately, one dishonorable mention for a darling of the spanner and biohacking communities: bone broth.

While tasty, bone broth does not seem like a good bioavailable source of collagen and collagen precursors compared to supplementation, according to a 2019 study. That removed it as a contender for this longevity food list.

Which top longevity foods did we miss? Add your favorites in the comments (ideally with a study and a recipe or two)!

Longevity foods FAQ

What are the best nutrients for longevity?

Most of the best longevity nutrients work by activating the body’s repair pathway (known as AMPK) and suppressing the body’s growth pathway (known as mTOR). Some of these include oleic acid (found in olive oil and avocados), apigenin (found in dried parsley and chamomile tea), and EGCG (found in white and green teas).

What food makes you live to 120?

No single food is currently known to make you live to 120, but many have been shown to extend lifespan in animals during research. These life extension foods include blueberries, olive oil, salmon, green tea, and Reishi mushrooms.

Which food increases life expectancy the most?

In animal studies, Reishi mushrooms were shown to extend the lifespan of roundworms by 26%, which is the highest percent life extension of any longevity food studied.

What diet is considered the best for human longevity?

There is no single “best” diet for human longevity due to the huge variety of human genetics and environments. However, several eating patterns have scientific research suggesting they would be a good diet for longevity for most people. These include the Mediterranean diet, and the Blue Zones diet, both of which emphasize local, natural foods, heavily plant-based, with most protein coming from fish, and including many longevity foods like olive oil, rosemary, and complex carbohydrates such as lentils.

What foods are good for Blue Zones longevity?

The Blue Zones longevity diet includes longevity foods like dark leafy greens, complex carbohydrates like beans and lentils, and healthy longevity herbs and nutrients like rosemary and olive oil.