How To Promote Healthy Aging: Start with Your Plate

Healthy aging is about more than just avoiding disease. It means staying mentally sharp, physically active, emotionally resilient, and independent. A large new study, published in Nature Medicine (1), investigated which dietary patterns contribute to this broader concept of healthy aging. The conclusion? What we eat truly matters.

And surprisingly often, the key starts with… plants.

The Study: Over 100,000 Participants Followed for 30 Years
Researchers from institutions including Harvard followed more than 105,000 men and women for up to 30 years. They didn’t just track disease and mortality, but also evaluated five domains of healthy aging:

• No chronic diseases
• Preserved cognitive function
• Good physical health
• Good mental health
• Reaching at least 70 years of age

Only 9.3% of participants met all five criteria. But those who scored highest for healthy eating patterns were significantly more likely to be in that 9.3%.

The Power of a Healthy Diet
The researchers compared eight different dietary patterns. All diets that scored high on quality—meaning they were rich in plant-based, unprocessed foods—showed positive effects. But the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) stood out.

Compared to participants with the lowest AHEI scores, those with the highest had:

• 86% higher odds of healthy aging (including physical, mental, and cognitive well-being)
• 2.24 times higher odds of achieving this even in later life (age 75+)

Other strong-performing patterns included the Mediterranean diet (aMED), the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), and the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI)—all considered “plant-centered” eating patterns.

What Is the Alternative Healthy Eating Index?
The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) is a scientific tool for assessing diet quality. It was developed to better predict the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

The AHEI evaluates how often you choose healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and plant oils—and how well you limit unhealthy choices like sugary drinks, processed meats, trans fats, and excess salt.

In the study by Tessier et al., the AHEI showed the strongest link to healthy aging: Those with the highest scores were up to 86% more likely to remain physically, mentally, and cognitively healthy into older age.

What’s on Your Plate?
The diets that scored the best had several things in common:

• High intake of: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, plant oils, and (to a lesser extent) low-fat dairy
• Low intake of: trans fats, sodium, sugary drinks, red meat, and processed meat

Notably, a high intake of ultra-processed foods was linked to a 32% lower chance of healthy aging.

Important detail: These associations were independent of other lifestyle factors like smoking, physical activity, and BMI.

Why This Matters
These results align perfectly with what we’ve been advocating at Plants for Health: A mostly plant-based, unprocessed diet doesn’t just support recovery—it also helps prevent disease.

And the researchers emphasize: It’s not about being 100% vegan—it’s about a diet that’s predominantly plant-based. That means about 80–90% plant-based, which is exactly the range where most participants in our research and the Plants for Health program land.

Small Steps, Big Impact
Want to take action, but not sure where to start? Start small:

• Add veggies or fruit to every meal
• Swap meat more often for lentils, beans, or tofu
• Choose whole grains over refined
• Limit snacks, sugary drinks, and ready-made meals

You don’t need to do it perfectly. As we say at Plants for Health: every step counts. Click here to learn more about our Plants for Health lifestyle program.