• Business Insider has spoken to many centenarians about their tips for living to 100.
• Many believe that eating well has helped them to live longer.
• Their tips include eating whole foods and having the occasional treat.

Living to 100 is relatively rare: only 0.03% of the US population are centenarians, according to an analysis by Pew Research Center.

But Pew predicts that the number of centenarians in the US will quadruple by 2054, as life expectancy increases. Genes, environmental factors, and luck play big roles in how long someone might live, but lifestyle choices matter, too.

Here's how eight centenarians who have spoken to Business Insider eat, which may have contributed to their health and longevity.

Eat fresh, whole foods

Many of the centenarians BI has reported on eat lots of fresh, whole foods — and not much meat.

102-year-old Deborah Szekely has been a pescatarian all her life, and grows a lot of her own vegetables on the ranch in Baja California, Mexico, where she still works.

Pearl Taylor, also 102, based in Dayton, Ohio, said she eats a mostly vegetarian diet, and meat on occasion. She also swears by her homemade green juice, which contains aloe root, celery, parsley, ginger, and water sweetened with Splenda.

Meanwhile, Lousie Jean Signore, the second oldest person in New York at 112 years old, follows the Mediterranean diet, which is high in whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans, and olive oil.

Signore eats salad, fruit, and vegetables every night, and adds tomato sauce, garlic, or olive oil to all her main meals, as BI previously reported.

The Mediterranean diet is widely considered to be the healthiest way to eat, and research has linked it to improved heart health, weight loss, and preventing cognitive decline.

Cook at home

Taylor prepares all of her meals and hasn't eaten a pre-packaged meal in "years," she said.

This is common among centenarians, many of whom grew up before fast food and microwaveable meals became widely available.

For example, 101-year-old William, from Toronto, cooks all his meals, featuring lots of sardines, which he thinks are his longevity secret.

Jack Van Nordheim, 101, known as Uncle Jack on social media, never developed a taste for fast food, instead preferring simple homemade meals such as boiled chicken.

Eating more home cooking can mean people eat fewer ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to major health problems, including depression, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that participants who cooked at home five times a week were more likely to follow healthy ways of eating such as the Mediterranean diet; eat more fruit and vegetables; and be a healthy weight.

Eat moderately…

Many Japanese centenarians follow the principle of "hara hachi bu," which means they eat until they are 80% full, Yumi Yamamoto, who works for LongeviQuest, an organization that verifies the ages of supercentenarians, told BI.

Yamamoto's great-grandma, Shigeyo Nakachi, was the second-oldest living person in Japan when she died in 2021. Yamamoto said that Nakachi never ate to excess and wouldn't finish a whole chocolate bar in one sitting.

Similarly, the mantra of Ireland's oldest man, 108-year-old Martin McEvilly, who cycled regularly until he was 99, is "everything in moderation."

For McEvilly, this means only drinking alcohol on Sunday evenings, when he enjoys three pints of Guinness.

… but treat yourself

Although Japanese supercentenarians tend to eat in moderation, Yamamoto said they still treat themselves.

Kane Tanaka, the second oldest person in recorded history, who lived to 119, enjoyed a bottle of Coca-Cola every day, she said.

Likewise, Szekely enjoys the occasional serving of coffee ice cream, and Uncle Jack attributes his longevity to eating dark chocolate and honey daily.

Experts agree that incorporating treats into your diet can make healthy eating more sustainable. Dietitian Nicole Ludlam-Raine promotes the 80/20 diet, where you eat healthily 80% of the time and allow yourself to eat what you like the other 20%.

• Colon cancer rates for people under age 50 are going up across countries both rich and poor.
• In the US, rates for older adults are declining, while early-onset colon cancer is on the rise.
• Scientists are starting to uncover clues about how modern diets and lifestyles play a role.

Colon cancer is quickly becoming a young person's disease in countries around the world.

A new study released Wednesday in the Lancet Oncology documents rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer across rich, highly-industralized parts of North America and Europe, and in middle-income areas worldwide.

"We found this trend is not just about high-income, Western countries," lead study author and cancer researcher Hyuna Sung told Business Insider. "It reaches the parts we didn't see before, such as South America and Asia."

During the 5-year period from 2013 to 2017, colon cancer rates in young people went up in 27 of 50 countries Sung's team examined worldwide. Though the study only includes one country in Africa (Uganda), it is still some of the most recent, comprehensive data available on colon cancer rates around the globe. And it shows colon cancer rates spiking in young people living in countries like Turkey, Ecuador, and Chile.

The trend is not hitting all countries equally, though. While in the US, early-onset colon cancer rates continue to rise to unprecedented levels, there are outliers in the data, like Italy, Spain, and Latvia, where the rates appear relatively unchanged year over year.

"This study is quite expected," associate professor Ganesh Halade from USF Heart Health Institute, who was not involved in this study, told BI, while poring over the new data, and noting the rising rates across several continents. "Fundamentally, our diet is changed"

Halade's own colon cancer research, published earlier this week, identified how ultra-processed foods can fuel colon cancer, wreaking havoc on the immune system, and worsening inflammation.

"It's very obvious the way that this disease trend is going on right now," he said. "We need to go back and consider our diet, sleep, and exercise."

Why colon cancer is striking younger people in richer countries

It still seems to be the case that the richer a country gets, the more young people are at risk of developing colon cancer. Countries with some of the steepest gains in under 50 colon cancer cases in recent years include Australia, New Zealand, the US, South Korea and Japan.

"Children and adolescents in these highly industrialized and urbanized countries were probably among the earliest to uptake detrimental dietary exposures and sedentary lifestyles associated with economic wealth," the study authors wrote.

In other words, driving around in a car, sitting at a desk, and eating more convenience food every day for decades on end may not be great for our overall health, and might have some connections to these cancer trends. Once inflammation skyrockets, Halade said, cancer has an easier time both sprouting and thriving. His anecdotes? More sleep, movement, and home-cooked food.

There seems to be a pronounced uptick in the incidence of early-onset colon cancer among people born after 1950, suggesting that there are lifestyle and environmental exposures impacting Gen X, millennials, and Gen Z in ways their baby boomer parents and predecessors like the Greatest Generation didn't experience.

At the same time, thanks to more cancer screenings and less smoking, colon cancer rates in older adults are going down in many rich countries around the world, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, South Korea, and Israel.

What we eat and how we live matters, it seems

Scientists are still endeavoring to untangle exactly what is driving the early-onset colon cancer risk, but there seem to be some clear signals in the data about the food system we live in. Another new study released earlier this week suggested that our modern diets, filled with candy, sugary drinks, and processed foods, don't have enough of the healthy fats and nutrients our bodies need to keep cancer-driving inflammation in check.

Foods rich in omega-3, like leafy greens, fatty fish, nuts and seeds can help prevent the inflammatory processes that over time lead to cancer. But sweets, chips, sausages, and packaged cakes seem to fuel tumors, while also crowding out more unprocessed, healthier choices in our diets.

Still, food can't be the whole story. It's clear that a family history of colon cancer, as well as the unique dance your genetics and your environment play, have key roles in your personal level of colon cancer risk. Experts are looking into environmental factors like air pollution, microplastics, and more sedentary lifestyles for clues about what else may be driving the increase in young colon cancer.

In an exclusive interview with Business Insider's Mia de Graaf, Sen. Bernie Sanders talks about his push to improve labels on ultra-processed foods across the US, RFK Jr.'s plans to overhaul the industry, and the obesity epidemic.

• Ultra-processed foods are linked to health issues including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
• Dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine wrote a book on UPFs and has two young children.
• Ludlam-Raine focuses on feeding her children nutrient-dense foods, but said UPFs can be part of a balanced diet.

As a dietitian who has written a book on ultra-processed foods and a mother of two, Nichola Ludlam-Raine has a few tricks for getting kids to eat a nutritious diet.

With "How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed," which was published earlier this year, she aims to demystify UPFs and help readers find a healthy balance between processed and whole foods.

Ludlam-Raine told Business Insider she takes a similarly balanced approach to feeding her two children, aged six and three. However, children are not just small adults and have different requirements, she said.

UPFs — generally considered to be foods involving ingredients and processes you wouldn't find in a typical home kitchen — have been linked to various health issues in adults, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. A 2023 review of studies by researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo found children who consume more UPFs are more likely to be overweight and develop cardiovascular health issues and gum disease.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting the consumption of heavily processed foods. However, an estimated 70% of baby food in the US is ultra-processed.

Ludlam-Raine explained what parents need to know about feeding their children, and the tips and tricks she uses with her kids.

Think about how nutritious a food is, not just if it's a UPF

Ludlam-Raine thinks parents shouldn't panic if their children are eating UPFs that are still nutritious, such as fruit yogurts, wholemeal bread, and baked beans (a kitchen staple for many in the UK, where she is based).

She believes it's more important to keep an eye on kids' intakes of foods that are high in fat, sugar, or salt (and low in fiber and nutrients) rather than worrying too much about whether a food is technically a UPF.

Sugar isn't a UPF, but that doesn't mean you should consume it with abandon, Ludlam-Raine said.

"There are plenty of non-UPF foods that kids shouldn't be having in excess, things like butter, cream, and sugar," Ludlam-Raine said. Sugar can lead to tooth decay, while too much high-fat food can lead to excess weight.

And while adults are becoming more aware of the benefits of increasing their protein and fiber intake, she said children don't need anywhere near as much.

For example, US guidelines advise that girls aged between two and four should consume two to four ounces of foods containing protein per day. Too much protein can put stress on the liver and kidneys of children, and make them more prone to dehydration.

"As long as they're having a predominantly whole food diet with their five portions of fruit and veg a day, the odd amount of UPF — healthy or less nutritious — is fine," Ludlam-Raine said.

However, Ludlam-Raine added that she would pay more attention to ingredients were she based in the US, where food regulations are more relaxed.

"Things are really highly and tightly regulated here as opposed to in America where I would not buy certain things like brightly colored foods," she said.

Earlier this year, California banned red No. 40 and five other chemicals from public school foods, and food dye and UPFs are a focus for President-elect Donald Trump's controversial pick for the position of Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Make 'snack plates' combining treats and whole foods

If your child wants a cookie, saying no can backfire.

Allowing occasional treats in moderation is important to prevent unhealthy relationships with food later in life, Ludlam-Raine said, and research suggests that restricting foods such as sweet treats can lead to children ultimately overeating them.

"It's not about banning these foods because if you ban foods then that can lead to secret eating and binge eating in the future," she said.

This is why she often makes snack plates for her children that incorporate both the treat they want and more nutrient-dense whole foods.

"I add fruit, veggie sticks like peppers, breadsticks, nut butter, and biscuits or Pom Bears. So he has his preferred food that he wants alongside more nutritious foods and it's fine," Ludlam-Raine said. (In the UK, cookies are called biscuits, and Pom Bears are a type of British potato chip.)

At first Ludlam-Raine's son wouldn't eat the vegetable sticks, but now does. Making the plates look colorful and appealing also helps, she said.

"He really likes running fast," Ludlam-Raine said. "So I tell him that if he wants to run fast, you have to eat these types of foods for energy. So he understands that he's fueling himself."

Be a role model

Ludlam-Raine's three-year-old daughter is a fussy eater but she's found that modeling healthy eating has helped a lot. For this reason, the family eats all together at least once a day, she said.

"Role modeling, eating your broccoli and vegetables at dinnertime, sitting down as a family, that has really worked with my daughter. It's amazing to see," Ludlam-Raine said. "She's seeing that I'm eating the broccoli and then she's copying her brother and me."

A 2023 study published in JAMA Network Open suggested that longer family mealtimes can increase how much nutritious food children eat.

Ludlam-Raine added it's important to understand your child's boundaries. For example, her son doesn't like vegetables added to dishes such as bolognese, but he will gladly eat them on the side.

Be patient and expose children to whole foods multiple times

Just because a child doesn't eat something the first time doesn't mean they never will, Ludlam-Raine said.

"Before, my son used to just eat plain breadsticks but he saw me dipping them into nut butter and now he does it," she said. "It takes a few exposures, but then they come round to it."

Research suggests that repeatedly putting disliked foods in front of children can increase the likelihood they will accept them, but it can take 10 to 15 exposures.

• Ultra-processed foods such as artificially sweetened diet sodas are linked to health problems.
• I used to drink one most days but have cut down for my long-term health.
• I found my tastebuds quickly adapted to healthier alternatives, but they cost more.

"If you're having a can of Diet Coke every day, I do think that that is slightly too much," dietitian Nichola Ludlam-Raine told me on a Zoom call in May.

I made sure the Pepsi Max on my desk was out of shot as she continued to tell me about the potential health risks of regularly consuming ultra-processed foods, which include diet sodas.

Those risks include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and depression.

There's no set definition for UPFs, but they're generally regarded as foods made using ingredients and processes that wouldn't be found in a household kitchen.

"It's not just because of the UPF ingredients, it's because of the acids as well," she said. "It's not good for your teeth."

Though diet drinks are marketed as a healthier alternative, she said, "they are far from being a health drink (water is always best!)"

Ludlam-Raine recommended cutting down gradually — from daily to a couple of times a week.

She doesn't advocate for banning diet sodas or any other food or drink you enjoy. In the months that followed, I decided to try it out.

Here's how I did it and what I learned.

Non-UPF drinks are more expensive

A big part of the reason I drank diet soda was habit — after lunch, I liked getting a chilled can of Pepsi or Coke from the fridge.

Professor Barry Smith, an expert at the University of London's Centre for the Study of the Senses, previously told Business Insider that the sound of a can opening is designed to make you crave it. I could definitely relate to that.

"If you're looking to cut down, try swapping them for naturally flavored sparkling water, herbal teas, or infused water with fruits and herbs, which can provide a refreshing alternative without the potential downsides," Ludlam-Raine said.

I looked for healthier alternatives that didn't have long ingredient lists but could still satisfy my desire for a chilled, flavorful, fizzy canned drink. I found some non-UPF fruity drinks at the grocery store (usually sparkling water with a hint of fruit juice), but they were generally more expensive than Coke or Pepsi and came in smaller packs.

All the same, having them as healthier swaps really helped me. My favorite drinks here in the UK are Dash Water, Aqua Libra, Dalston's, and Cawston Press.

My tastebuds quickly adapted

At first, the fruit-infused sparkling water tasted bland to me, but over time, I came to enjoy it — so much so that I've now become sensitive to the fake flavor of anything artificially sweetened.

Pepsi Max and Coke Zero taste more sickly to me now. They're not unpleasant, but less enjoyable as they used to be.

My afternoon Coke cravings went away after a few weeks, as my body stopped expecting it.

I craved sweet treats less

I'd always suspected that diet sodas might lead me to crave sugary foods, but had never been sure. While I can't say there's a definite connection for me, I suspect there is.

Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, like aspartame or sucralose, are thought to make some people crave more sweet-tasting foods Ludlam-Raine said.

On days when I don't have an artificially sweetened drink, I might be more tempted to snack on an apple and peanut butter rather than cookies.

Ludlam-Raine also warned against trying to suppress hunger with diet sodas, which can lead to binge eating later in the day. "This can disrupt balanced eating patterns and overall energy levels," she said.

I never replaced a meal with a soda and also didn't notice much of an effect from the caffeine, but I do feel good knowing that I'm cutting down on UPFs and potentially doing my future self some good.