If you read the local obituaries, you know that more people are living longer than ever before. Modern health care and improved nutrition has extended the age that we die , far beyond  the normal age of death a century ago.  The question is, how much time, money,  and effort do you want to spend in order to extend your life.?   Do you  want to deprive yourself  of food and drink for decades,  with the hope of living longer than your ancestors.  How long do you want to live?

A strict vegetarian diet is supposed to add 6 years to your life.  It’s not clear how long you have to give up ice cream, meat , butter, fish,  honey and eggs in order  to reap the benefits.  If , at age 40, your meals consist of broccoli, carrots, beans, . and you continue to deprive yourself of yummy food for the next fifty years, will you look back and regret it? How many picnics and family dinners will have left you dreaming of a piece of fried chicken and a slice of chocolate cake?

Let’s say you decide to take the exercise and fitness route to longevity. How many hours will you sweat it out on a treadmill or weight lifting machine in a musty gym? How many months and years of time must you spend jogging through the park in summer heat and winter rain?  And then, around the age of 60, will you  need knee or hip replacement for those joints you wore out in decades of pounding the pavement and pumping  iron?

Some health researchers advise us to skip alcohol altogether.  Or, if you must imbibe, limit yourself to one glass of wine a week.  Doesn’t that make you wonder how Italians, and Germans with their beer, ever make it to 90?

No , I’m not recommending that we all become obese couch potatoes.  I simply think that moderation in all things leads to a happier life.   As a dietitian, I still believe the USDA food pyramid is the best guide to a healthy diet.  A 4 oz  strip steak  is a better choice than a 16 oz rib eye.  https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/09/26/back-basics-all-about-myplate-food-groups    But you can limit your calories to around 2, 000 a day while still enjoying an occasional piece of cheesecake .

I believe that all of us should exercise at least 15 to 30 minutes a day as long as it’s possible.  Maybe a little bit more if you’ve not yet retired.

Moderation in all things might not get me past the century mark, but I’ll take eighty good years of enjoying life as I like it.