Health 2.0: 5 Super Drinks That Will Help You Live Forever

Forget smartphones, immortality is the hot new thing in the tech business.

From Oracle boss Larry Ellison to Google cofounder Sergey Brin, billionaire tech executives are spending millions to avoid a date with the Grim Reaper. While the work being financed largely involves man-made solutions like nanotechnology, robotics and stem cells, the key to longevity is already available from the source of life itself: nature.

Nutrition expert and author Dr. Rhea Mehta says eating “living” foods like vegetables and fruits can both prevent the effects of aging as well as fix pre-existing health problems.

“If you eat dead foods that are highly processed and cooked and consume very little water, then it only makes sense that you are going to look a little bit more dead. In our case dead means aged,” explains the Toronto-based toxicologist.

There is a scientific basis for the age-old cliche, Mehta adds, noting “an apple a day keeps the doctor away because an apple is pre-biotic, meaning it has soluble fiber. It feeds your gut bacteria. Same with chia and flax seeds.”

RELATED POST: How To Live to 100 And Thrive While Doing So

On that premise, here are five easy snacks that will help you live longer, stronger and healthier:

Super-berry antioxidant smoothie:

Long recognized as an important molecule for preventing cancer and heart disease “antioxidants are great. They are found in things like blueberries, blackberries, goji berries,” says Mehta, explaining the health reasons behind this recipe. “There’s a really high antioxidant effect through berries which is one of the reasons why I capitalize on them for this recipe. They’re also sweet and beautiful tasting.”

• 1 cup greens (choice of romaine, spinach, kale, chard, bok choy)

Exotic anti-inflammatory smoothie:

Inflammation, cited as a primary driver of diseases including cancer, “can be the result of the environment, but one of the big causes is the western diet — basically the influx of toxins into our body.”

This includes processed foods, especially those with saturated fat, common allergens, such as wheat, soy, and dairy,  and foods that are high in refined sugar.” These highly processed sugars, like high-fructose corn syrup, Mehta notes, “are different from the natural sugars you find in fruits, which are actually used by your body as energy. Sugars hidden in processed and packaged foods are the leading contributors to diseases like diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. Fruits  are composed of fiber and nutrients like B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, which make them a powerhouse whole food.

Of course, even fruits should be eaten in moderation, as our bodies convert excess sugar into fat. To keep the sugars in fruit from being tagged as “excess” and causing a spike, you can eat them with things like avocadoes, nuts and seeds — basically foods with “good fats”, which help to slow the uptake of sugars into your blood.

• base: unsweetened almond or hemp milk (2.5 cups)

• 1 cup greens (choice of romaine, spinach, kale, chard, bok choy)

• 1/2 cup pineapple (fresh or frozen)

• 1/2 cup papaya (fresh or frozen)

• 1/2 avocado

 Cleansing, anti-inflammatory lemon drink:

For those who are too busy or simply uninterested in creating smoothies, a quick cup of warm water and lemon goes a long way. Busy zoomerati’s need only “squeeze the bunch of lemons once every few days and then throw the juice in the fridge in a sealed glass jar and have a little concentrate.”

The combination of warm water and lemon “will instantly start cleansing your liver and your bloodstream and essentially start your engine for the day.” For the more ambitious, this lemon drink is both tasty and cleansing.

• base: warm water, 1 cup

• 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed

• 1/8 tsp turmeric (freshly grated or powder)

• 1/8 tsp ginger (freshly grated or powder)

• 1/8 tsp cinnamon (freshly grated or powder)

Fruit ‘n’ nut chia pudding

“Seeds like hemp and chia are excellent because they are not only rich in protein and essential fatty acids, but they are also high in fiber, which is healthy for your gut,” says the nutrition expert.  “The fiber is going to be supporting your gut microflora which aid in nutrient absorption and the balancing of good bacteria. Our gut microbiome, when healthy, also produces vitamins that we rarely get from our diet (like vitamin K).”

• 2 tbsp chia seeds

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond or hemp milk

• 1/8 cup walnuts, chopped

• 1/4 cup berries (blueberries and/or blackberries)

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Green or white tea, with organic leaves

While green tea has been popular with health conscious boomers for decades, white tea is quickly becoming de rigeur among the longevity set. “There is a difference in the amount of antioxidants,” says Mehta. “There’s a lot of debate over what’s considered healthier. Green tea is a bit of a classic but white tea has recently been discovered as having more antioxidents. If you want to get the most out of your one tea a day, I would go with white tea.”

 Add lemon and/or ginger slice (optional)

Recommended: In the morning and/or in between meals