It's the multitude of vitamins and antioxidants in fruit, vegies, meat and grains that boost our wellbeing, and there are countless studies to prove it.

According to research conducted at Queens College in New York, compared to people who have poor diets, healthy eaters may be able to reduce their risk of early death by up to 25 per cent.

The study also backs up claims that eating too many foods rich in saturated fat, salt and sugar - and too little of the good stuff - will push people into an unhealthy BMI category.

This is undesirable because being overweight puts a lot of pressure on our vital organs, increasing our risk of developing chronic health problems such heart disease, type-2 diabetes and stroke.

Mix it up

But there's good news for those of us who enjoy the odd packet of chips - we don't need to be virtuous all the time.

‘It's not that you have to do everything recommended under dietary guidelines to receive health benefits,' study author Ashima Kant says.

The study compared more than 350,000 people's intake of fruit, vegies, low-fat dairy, wholegrains, lean meat, poultry and fat, and measured their risk of dying prematurely according to what they ate. ‘If a person had six serves of vegies a week, they'd get a top score,' Ashima says.

People who ate healthier scored higher, meaning their lifespan is likely to be longer.

What to eat

A University of Athens Medical School study has found the Mediterranean diet may also help extend life expectancy. Here's how you can help increase your longevity, one bite at a time:

Moderate alcohol intake.

Avoid piling your plate with too much meat.

Eat large amounts of vegies, fruit, nuts and legumes.

Use olive oil in your cooking, rather than coating pans with saturated fats such as butter.