This is our second extract from Dean Edward L. Schneider's new book, "AgeLess"; it's concerned with nutrition. It contains the first example of a Longevity Quotient (LQ) Quiz, so that you can see where you stand regarding your eating habits. It also gives a small selection from the numerous tips on good eating that the chapter contains. Robert Griffith, Editor.

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What's Your Longevity Quotient?

Take the following quiz to assess the effects of your eating habits on your healthspan. Add up the LQ points you earn in each area and enter the total in the "Your LQ Points" column. Be sure not to exceed the maximum score allowed for each item. For example, your fruit and vegetable score tops out at 50, even if you eat more than five servings a day. If you eat two portions of fruits and two portions of vegetables each day, you would write down "40" on the line under "Your LQ Points". If you eat 6 portions, even though this is terrific, you still put "50".

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		Your LQ Points	Maximum LQ Points
Fruits and Vegetables	10 points for each portion of fruits and vegetables you eat each day (1 portion = 1/2 cup)		50
Nuts	1 point for each portion (1 ounce) of nuts you eat each week		5
Fish	5 points for eating one or more portions of fish each week		5
Calcium	5 points for each 500 mg calcium supplement you take each day 2 ½ points for each cup of milk or yogurt you consume each day 1 point for each multivitamin tablet you take each day that contains 160 mg of calcium 1 point for eating lots of vegetables, soy products, or both		10
Vitamin D	If you are 65 and older: 1 point: For each 5 minutes you spend each week outdoors in sunshine (without sunscreen and with face, arms, and hands exposed) 1 point: For each hour you spend each week outdoors in sunshine with sunscreen and with face, arms, and hands exposed If you are 21 to 64: 4 points: For each 5 minutes you spend each week outdoors in sunshine (without sunscreen and with face, arms, and hands exposed) 4 points: For each hour you spend each week outdoors in sunshine with sunscreen and with face, arms, and hands exposed All ages: 8 points: If you take daily supplements containing 1,000 IU vitamin D 3 points: If you take a daily multivitamin or separate supplement containing 400 IU vitamin D 1 point: For each glass of vitamin D-enriched milk you drink per day		8
Folate	8 points for each 800 microgram (or more) folic acid supplement you take each day 4 points for each 400 microgram folic acid supplement you take each day 4 points if you take a multivitamin 1 point for each serving of bread, cereal, or other grain you eat each day		8
Red Meat	How often do you eat red meat (beef, pork, lamb, including cold cuts, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage, and so forth)? 3 points: Once a week or less 2 points: Two times a week 1 point: Three or four times a week 0 points: Five times a week or more		3
Whole Grains and Legumes	2 points for each portion of whole grains or legumes you eat per day		4
Fats	What do you usually cook with? 3 points for olive or canola oil 2 points for vegetable or corn oil 0 points for butter, margarine, shortening, or lard		3
Water	1 point for each glass of fluid you drink each day (except for coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcohol)		4
TOTAL			100

What does your nutrition LQ forecast for your future? Find your score in the following list to read my diagnosis:

LQ Score	The Dean's Diagnosis
91-100	You're a nutritional champ! Stick to your smart habits but read this chapter for some surprise pointers.
81-90	You're on track, but there's room for improvement. Some fine-tuning of your diet will better protect you against the diseases of aging.
71-80	Wake-up call: You're not eating to optimize your healthspan. It's time to make some changes.
61-70	Danger zone! Your dietary choices are jeopardizing your healthspan. You need to make a serious commitment to change.
60 or below	Disaster zone. You're at great risk for the diseases and disorders of aging and need to overhaul your eating habits from the ground up.

Whatever your score, take heart! Eating for a long, healthy life is a pleasure. And even small improvements to your diet can be beneficial. You can help prevent colon cancer, for instance, with just one more serving of a fruit or vegetable per day. One study found that people who averaged 1½ daily servings of fruits and vegetables were 65 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than those who upped their consumption to just 2½ servings per day. That's a lot of protection for one portion of veggies or fruit!

AgeLess Eating: The Three Cs

For the best protection against heart disease and cancer, choose the three Cs - cruciferous, citrus, and colorful produce. Here are the best ones:

• Cruciferous vegetables: bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and parsley
• Citrus fruits: grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines
• Orange and yellow vegetables and fruit: cantaloupe, carrots, mangoes, papaya, peaches, sweet potatoes, and winter squash

AgeLess Eating: Chocolate

It's no big surprise that the seed of the cocoa plant would have healthful properties, since many other plant seeds do, too (think beans and nuts). Dark chocolate is a rich source of catechins. These are the same flavonoids found in tea, but they're four times more concentrated in chocolate. And though chocolate is high in saturated fat, it appears that the stearic acid it contains does not have a negative impact on cholesterol; in fact, eating chocolate appears to improve cholesterol profiles.

• For a high-quality chocolate indulgence, choose dark chocolate, which contains the highest concentrations of catechins (flavonoid compounds) and the least amount of fat.

The Antioxidant Kitchen

• Cook tomatoes to maximize lycopene release. Make it pasta marinara tonight! - or enjoy some tomato soup, cooked tomato salsa, even ketchup (but be aware that this popular favorite contains a lot of sugar and salt).
• Add a dash of olive oil to raise your carotenoid quotient. Carotenoids are fat-soluble, so you need a bit of fat in a meal in order to absorb them.
• Sip a cup of green tea with honey for a tasty antioxidant cocktail.
• Dip strawberries in dark chocolate for a double antioxidant dessert.

AgeLess Eating: Overcoming Fiber Phobia

If you tend to avoid fiber because of the noise it makes in your digestive system, try these tips:

• Increase your fiber intake gradually and space high-fiber foods evenly throughout the day.
• Drink plenty of water to rehydrate the fiber strands.
• Try Beano, a digestive enzyme that helps process the complex sugars in fiber-rich foods such as beans, vegetables, and grains.

Ageless Eating: Don't Do This

Plenty of folks look for their fruits and vegetables in all the wrong places. Do not count any of the following toward your daily quota:

• Fruit drinks, including many juice-bar offerings and smoothies (These drinks are mostly sugar and water. Pure orange or grapefruit juice is fine.)
• French fries and potato chips (They are soaked with transaturated or polysaturated fats and short on nutrients compared to many other vegetables.)
• Commercially prepared snack foods - fruit pies, bars, breakfast cereals, and pressed fruit rolls (Where's the fruit???)
• Iceberg lettuce (It has little nutrient value.)

AgeLess Eating: Nutty Chocolate Snack

When walnuts meet dark chocolate, tastebuds rejoice! And in moderation, this combination can improve your longevity quotient with antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. To make your own chocolate-covered walnuts, toast walnut halves in a 3500F oven until fragrant, dip in melted dark chocolate. Cool on waxed paper until the chocolate rehardens. Enjoy!

Use the 'Printable Version' button at the bottom left of the page if you want to print out this article, including the LQ form.
More extracts on good nutrition from Dean Schneider's "AgeLess" will appear in the next article of this series. You can read more of his views on antioxidants in his collection on 'Oxidative Damage' - click on http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/longevity_dialogues/content/page1.htm