Longevity is having a trillion-dollar moment. But when did getting older become something we needed to buy our way out of? The word longevity has increasingly taken over from what used to be called preventative medicine. There are subtle differences. The longevity industry asks 'how can I reverse, slow down or optimise ageing?', whereas preventative medicine asks a far more meaningful question: "how can I remain healthy, strong, independent, mentally sharp and able to enjoy my life for as long as possible?" A shift from lifespan to health span, not simply living longer, but living well for as long as possible.

The longevity market crafts scaremongering narratives to tap into our fear of ageing. Which helps to successfully sell us biological age tests, wearables, NAD+ injections and LED masks. Could you imagine finding out your biological age is actually higher than your actual age? The stress that would create is also not good for us! The simple act of looking after ourselves has become an overwhelming, expensive and monumental task. A 2 hour early morning protocol that requires us to track, measure and optimise every element of our already busy lives is not something we need.

Ageing is not something to fear and should not feel like another project to add to our ever increasing self care to do list. We are human, and we are messy and there is a joy in that. Our body is also not a machine and I often think all these products and tracking takes the focus away from what our brilliant body can do for us. Being human is not about perfectionism either, which I think is often the thief of wellbeing joy. Ageing is also a privilege that many of us don't get. We can't control the fact that we age, isn't ageing just living? I love ageing!

Preventative medicine is very much grounded in the agency we have over how we age, and positivity! 20-30% is genetics and the rest is epigenetics: what we eat, how we move, stress load, light exposure, how well we sleep and rest. It's all about how we live, not what we have bought. We have decades of research showing how food and lifestyle can support all the hallmarks of ageing and support our longer term cardiovascular, metabolic, brain and bone health. The beauty about food is that it will help all the systems in your body and we all have the power to change up what's on our plate. Yet food rarely gets the same attention as the latest wellness gadget. Probably because lentils and walnuts don't have a PR department so their immense benefits don't make front page news.

I created The Longevity Larder for my new book, The Post Menopause Method, which comprises of 18 foods or families of foods that repeatedly appear in the research around healthy ageing and preventative health and are consumed by some of the longest living women on the planet. Although you won't find them at any health optimisation summit sadly, you'll find them at the end of this piece.

I don't care if you have an LED mask, eating more oily fish, more antioxidant rich berries, protein rich food and sleeping well, is going to help your skin and hair way more than any red light will. If only blueberries had the same marketing budget that the red light manufacturers have.

But it's also important to remember that food isn't just about nutrition. It's about nourishment far beyond its constituent parts. It's about community, pleasure, celebration, love, ritual and connection. And this is what you can see in all the Blue Zones, countries across the world where some of the longest living people on the planet live. They're not counting their macros or testing their biological age or getting NAD+ injections or even going to the gym. They're cooking with often very basic foods, they're eating a lot of plants, they're eating with others, they're walking and gardening, they have purpose, and rituals around food. I think we've kind of lost sight of a lot of this in amongst our turbo charged, goal orientated, optimisation obsessed, modern day world.

Karen Newby's Longevity Larder

Extra virgin olive oil for its polyphenols and healthy fats. A Mediterranean Diet is consistently associated with a reduced risk of chronic disease such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and neurodegenerative disease. This is why it was first studied in the 1950s, because of low instances of cardiovascular disease in the region.

Green leafy vegetables for fibre, minerals and phytonutrients. Diets rich in colourful plants provide a vast array of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and fibre that support everything from our gut microbiome to reducing inflammation and supporting cellular health.

Berries and cherries for their polyphenol power to help our skin, our blood pressure and reduce dementia risks.

Nuts and seeds for healthy fats, protein, fibre and minerals. Nuts combine healthy fats, protein, fibre and polyphenols and higher consumption is associated with better cardiovascular outcomes.

Pulses and wholegrains to feed our gut microbiome and support metabolic health.

Oily fish for omega-3 fatty acids for our brains, our skin and our cardiovascular health.

Mushrooms, herbs and spices for their extraordinary diversity of bioactive compounds.

Fermented foods for the gut to support our mood, our cholesterol levels and our digestion.

Green tea and cacao for their polyphenol content. I do wish I liked green tea, I am still trying, for the amazing EGCG and antioxidant which comes up repeatedly in ageing research. Cacao I have less trouble consuming, dark chocolate is something I have daily!

And plenty of brightly coloured (including white) fruit and vegetables for nutritional diversity and fibre which has been associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

The Post-Menopause Method by Karen Newby is out on 8th October (Pavilion), hardback: £22 [Pre order now] (https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-post-menopause-method-a-nutritional-guide-to-ageing-well-karen-newby/6632fa5422a0da35)