The Tiniest Diet Change Could Help You Live Longer

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If you know you need to make some big diet changes soon, but are intimidated by a full nutritional overhaul, we have some good news for you. Every single little positive food choice you make helps you live longer, according to new research from Harvard University. All do have to do is get started.

The new study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, monitored the dietary habits and changes of more than 73,700 men and women over a span of 12 years. Each participant recorded details about his or her diet at the beginning of the study and re-answered food questionnaires every four years throughout the 12-year period so the research team could analyze any changes (both good and bad). They then scored each diet by ranking the healthfulness of the foods the participants consumed, accounting for any newly adopted habits.

When people integrated more wholesome foods into their diets over time, they improved their chances of living longer. And the more healthy foods they consumed, the better their longevity fared. Conversely, when people added more unhealthy foods to their diets over the study period, they increased their mortality risk.

The most interesting finding, though, was that any addition of healthy food lowered a person’s risk of early death. The researchers found that improving one’s diet by just 20 percent could reduce his or her premature death risk by 8-17 percent. That’s huge.

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“Our results highlight the longterm health benefits of improving diet quality with an emphasis on overall dietary patterns rather than on individual foods or nutrients,” senior study author, professor and chair of the Harvard Chan School Department of Nutrition Frank Hu said in a statement. “A healthy eating pattern can be adopted according to individuals’ food and cultural preferences and health conditions. There is no one-size-fits-all diet.”

This research supports a popular dietary lifestyle (notice we didn’t call it a diet) called the 80/20 rule. This setup suggests that if you make nutritious food choices 80 percent of the time, you (and your health) can afford to indulge the remaining 20 percent of the time with little consequence. It’s a truly balanced way of living — stock up on all the veggies and enjoy happy hour with your girlfriends. Win-win.

So whether you want to swap one typically unhealthy meal for a more nutritious option in your day or ditch a bad food habit entirely, know that any positive change in your diet will have a positive change on your lifespan, too. Every baby step counts. What could be more reassuring and motivating than that?