According to Dr. Michael Greger, a renowned doctor at some of the top medical institutions in the United States, a "simple dietary prescription" he calls the "Daily Dozen" can do just that.
The doctor shares that his "life-saver" is affordable, "readily available," and doesn't have any negative side-effects. Aside from having undergone extensive testing, most doctors would say that it is incredibly effective.
The Daily Dozen can reduce the risk for diabetes by 90 percent, heart attack by 80 percent, "halve your chance of having a stroke, and reduce your overall cancer risk by more than a third."
To determine the components of the diet, Dr. Greger collaborated with a team of researchers and volunteers. They looked into "evidence-based links between disease and nutrition" by reviewing at least 24,000 papers published on the subject in 2017.
The amazing results of the study have revealed that "the vast majority of premature deaths could be prevented" if more people knew about the Daily Dozen. Contrary to popular belief, deadly diseases "pre-programmed into our genes" only make up 10 to 20 percent of the risk. About 80 to 90 of the risk actually comes from our lifestyles.
The Global Burden of Disease Study, the most comprehensive study of disease risk factors until now, discovered that the major cause of "death and disability" in the United Kingdom is the British diet.
According to the study, which observed the lifestyles of 35,000 adults, only one percent of the participants scored four out of five. The scores measured if the adults "met a bare minimum of healthy-eating targets," such as consuming" fruit, vegetables, and whole grains" regularly. (Related: Type 2 diabetes diet: What to eat, what to avoid and how to get healthier with every meal)
Dr. Greger shares that this plant-based diet may "help prevent, treat, or even reverse" the three leading causes of death in the U.K. today: "heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer’s, and stroke."
The Daily Dozen works because it is a plant-based diet, and the foods it encourages you to eat more of help repair telomeres. Telomeres are a "small cap" attached at the tip of chromosomes that are found in your DNA.
They prevent DNA from unraveling and fraying. As we age, these telomeres get worn down and once they are "completely gone," cells can die.
Aside from quitting smoking, which triples the rate of telomere loss, changing your diet can help restore telomeres. Fruits, vegetables, and other antioxidant-rich foods can protect telomeres while "refined grains, fizzy drinks, meat and fish, and dairy can shorten them.
You don't have to deprive yourself of the foods that can shorten telomeres. Simply eat more of the foods in the Daily Dozen diet to help protect yourself against cancer, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease.
The Daily Dozen diet
Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen diet includes these foods and provides you with the following nutrients:
- Beans, legumes, and pulses (edible seeds of legumes)/three servings -- Protein, iron, zinc, fiber, folate, and potassium.
- Berries/one serving -- Fruits like strawberries contain antioxidants and nutrients.
- Fruits/three servings -- Antioxidants and polyphenol phytonutrients.
- Cruciferous vegetables/one serving -- Sulforaphane can be found in vegetables like broccoli.
- Greens/two servings -- Includes spinach and kale.
- Other vegetables/two servings -- Different polyphenol phytonutrients can be found in squash, pumpkins, and butternut squash.
- Flaxseeds/Linseedsone serving -- Contains lignans and omega-3 fatty acids.
- Nuts and seeds/one serving -- Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts.
- Herbs and spices/one serving -- Includes cinnamon, garlic, and turmeric.
- Whole grains/three servings -- Oats, brown rice, pasta, and wholemeal bread.
- Drinks/five glasses -- Water, teas, and coffee.
- Exercise -- Exercising for 60 minutes daily can help reduce "risk of mortality" by at least 24 percent.
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