What four behaviors can add 14 years to your life? Researchers in the United Kingdom started with 20,000 healthy men and women between ages 45 to 79. They scored the participants on their current lifestyle and then turned them loose for a decade or more. During that time, they documented who had died and from what causes. After about 11 years, scientists tested the remaining participants and compared their results with their beginning health scores.

Read the behaviors below, and give yourself one point for each of them you do on a regular basis:

1. I do not smoke and do not have a history of smoking.

2. I get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, either at work or at home.

3. I drink no more than 1 or 2 alcoholic drinks a day. (One drink is 4-5 ounces of wine, 8-12 ounces of beer, 1 ounce shot of liquor.)

4. I eat 2 to 3 cups of fruits and vegetables a day.

Don't smoke. Be physically active. Drink moderately if you drink at all. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Yeah, yeah, we know all that.

So what? If you practice all four of these behaviors regularly, it could be like adding 14 years to your life when compared with someone who does not practice these habits.

A study by researchers in the United Kingdom of middle-age people found that those who scored zero on the questions are four times as likely to die over an 11-year period (especially of heart disease) as those who score a 4. Those who score a 2 are twice as likely to die as someone who scores a 4.

The combined effect of habits can be significant. In other words, a marathon runner who lives on beer and pretzels probably will have a shorter life — even though he is active — than a walker who has an occasional glass of wine and eats regular meals high in fruits and vegetables. Like mile markers on a 26-mile marathon, every year counts.

The study researchers also adjusted for several variables that can throw off research results — such as dying from old age or getting hit by a car, and reported a strong association between the number of behaviors these folks practiced and their relative risk of dying.

The strongest relationship was seen in deaths related to heart disease and stroke. The participants who smoked, were physically inactive, did not drink moderately and did not eat lots of fruits and vegetables were four times as likely to die (particularly from heart disease) as those who had the opposite habits.

Black Beluga Lentils with Endive Citrus Salad

Ingredients with an asterisk () are available as 365 and 365 Organic Everyday Value™

Serves 4

• 2 slices bacon , cut into 1" pieces
• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
• 32 ounces organic chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups Organic Black Beluga Lentils
• 1 bay leaf
• sea salt, to taste
• ground pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup (3 ounce) Feta Cheese Crumbles
  
  Salad
  
• 2 Belgian endive, sliced
• 2 tangerines, peeled, sliced and seeded
• extra virgin olive oil
• black pepper

Ingredient Options: substitute 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for the bacon.

In a large pot, heat bacon (or olive oil), onion and carrot over medium heat. Cook 2–3 minutes until onion is soft but not browned. Add broth, lentils and bay leaf and simmer over low heat 15–20 minutes until lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with feta crumbles. For salad, simply toss together ingredients and serve.

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Goat Cheese & Bruschetta Stuffed Zucchini with Chickpea Salad

Vegetarian

Apple Cheddar Quesadillas with Cranberry Coleslaw

Prepare the tangy coleslaw first, so its flavors can meld while you make the quesadillas.

Serves 4

Cranberry Coleslaw

• 1/4 cup 365 Everyday Value™ mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• sea salt, to taste
• 10 ounces shredded cabbage coleslaw mix
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 2 scallions, green and white parts thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
  
  Quesadillas
  
• 6 365 Organic Everyday Value™ whole wheat tortillas
• 12 ounces 365 Everyday Value™ shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 apples (any sweet, crunchy variety like Gala or Fuji), washed and sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter

Prepare the coleslaw: In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons water, sugar and salt. Combine shredded cabbage, carrot, scallions, cranberries and optional nuts in a large bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss well to coat. Allow coleslaw to sit at least 15 minutes before serving, tossing occasionally. Serve with apple quesadillas.

Sprinkle 2–3 tablespoons cheese over one half of tortilla. Place several apple slices, barely overlapping, on top of cheese. Then sprinkle 2 more tablespoons of cheese on top of apples and fold tortilla in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat and cook quesadillas until the cheese melts and the tortillas are golden brown on both sides. Serve immediately with Cranberry Coleslaw.