5 Ways to Add Years to Your Life

1. Next Time You’re Asked “Soup or Salad?” Order the Salad

+2 years

Italian researchers found that eating as little as 1 cup of raw vegetables daily can add 2 years to your life. Why raw? Cooking can deplete up to 30 percent of the antioxidants in vegetables.

To eat your quota, fill a ziplock sandwich bag with chopped red and green peppers, broccoli, and carrots. Toss the bag into your briefcase, along with a packet of dressing–the fat will boost your body’s absorption of certain nutrients.

2. Learn the Law of Lard: The Fat You Carry Today Could Kill You Tomorrow

+3 years

University of Alabama researchers discovered that maintaining a body-mass index of 25 to 35 can shorten your life by up to 3 years. (Excess body fat raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.)

If you’re allergic to exercise, sweat with your significant other. A Duke University study shows that sedentary men are 50 percent more likely to work out three times a week if their partners participate.

3. Crack Open a Fresh Can of Nuts and Extend Your Expiration Date

+3 years

When Loma Linda University researchers tracked the lifestyle habits of 34,000 Seventh-Day Adventists–a population famous for its longevity–they discovered that those who munched nuts 5 days a week, earned an extra 2.9 years on the planet.

Pick up the Planters NUT-rition Heart Healthy Mix: It contains all five key nuts, including walnuts, which are usually left out of nut mixes. Aim to eat 2 ounces a day.

4. Never Forget that Your Friends Have Your Back–Even When It’s Hunched Over from Osteoporosis

+7 years

In a study of seventysomethings, Australian researchers found that those with the largest network of friends had the longest lease on life. For the average man, this could add up to 7 additional years of existence.

Yes, some buddies may encourage risky behavior from time to time, but friendship ultimately provides more protection than peril. So try to learn a few new faces at work, trade lifting tips at the gym, or simply say “hey” to that neighbor you’ve never met. You can all thank each other later.

5. Repeat After Us: “There is Life After Retirement”

+7 ½ years

Or at least that’s what you’d better believe if you want to live that long. In a Yale University study of older adults, people with a positive outlook on the aging process lived more than 7 years longer than those who felt doomed to deteriorating mental and physical health.

Already envisioning decades of decrepitude? Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about: Selfless actions can put a positive spin on life and distract from unhealthy obsessing.