The Centenarian Secret: Foods Doctors Eat Every Day for Maximum Healthspan

35. Adzuki Beans: The Piling-Shedding Powerhouse

Adzuki beans, small red pulses highly valued in traditional Japanese and Chinese cuisine, offer a unique metabolic advantage often overlooked in Western diets. While lentils are a great source of fiber, adzuki beans are a diuretic powerhouse, traditionally used to help the body gently shed excess fluid and sodium, reducing the silent burden on the kidneys and cardiovascular system. Their unique fiber and saponin content also aid in cholesterol management and help regulate blood sugar, protecting against the metabolic stiffness that accelerates aging. Furthermore, adzuki beans contain molybdenum, a trace mineral critical for detoxifying sulfites, a common preservative. Their versatility allows them to be incorporated into sweet dishes (like anko paste), soups, or as a hearty side dish, offering a gentle yet profound daily support for fluid balance and detoxification—two key elements of resilient healthspan.

36. Reishi Mushroom: The Stress and Sleep Modulator

Reishi mushroom, known in traditional Chinese medicine as the "Mushroom of Immortality," is championed by longevity experts not for its vitamins, but for its adaptogenic and calming properties. It contains triterpenes that act on the central nervous system, helping to balance the body’s response to chronic stress (by lowering cortisol) and promoting deeper, more restorative sleep. Since poor sleep and high stress are two major accelerators of aging and inflammation, Reishi offers a fundamental, indirect route to a longer healthspan. Doctors often recommend Reishi extract or powder in evening teas or warm drinks. This simple addition supports internal homeostasis, ensuring the body spends more time in recovery and repair, essential for long-term cellular health.