The best snack to eat if you want to 'live until 100' – and you can find it at Coles and Woolworths for less than $2

A researcher who studies 100-year-olds has revealed the unexpected snack food he recommends people should eat to live a long life – and it’s surprisingly affordable.

Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow and explorer, has spent decades analysing the diets of the world’s longest-living people, often sharing snippets of his findings to his social media channels.

A recent video shared to both Instagram and TikTok highlighted the unexpected snack food that Dan says you can enjoy guilt-free to have a long life: popcorn.

‘The best longevity snack might already be in your pantry,’ teased a caption accompanying the video.

The food in question? Air popped popcorn.

‘Let me tell you about the best snack that you can eat to live to 100 – but you can also afford,’ Dan said.

‘Popcorn. Air popped popcorn.’

The American author proceeded to highlight the lesser-known health benefits of the humble snack food.

Longevity specialist DanBuettner championed air popped popcorn as ‘the best longevity snack [that] might already be in your pantry’

‘It’s very high in fibre. It’s very high in complex carbohydrates,’ Dan said in the video.

‘It even has more polyphenols than a lot of vegetables – people don’t realize that.’

The author of The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living like the World’s Healthiest People added in his latest video that the beauty of air popped popcorn is that it’s also budget-friendly.

‘Everybody can afford it,’ he said.

Popping Corn Kernels 400g packs are currently sold at both Coles and Woolworths for $1.75.

Dan concluded in the 28-second video that air popped popcorn was an ‘easy’ and accessible snack.

‘It is easy to make. It’s easy to store. And what’s the most important, it’s delicious,’ Dan said.

Homemade air popped popcorn is distinct from store-bought popcorn packets, microwave popcorn or movie popcorn, in that it’s made using no added ingredients beyond being cooked in a small amount of hot oil.

Dan Buettner’s latest social media video revealing the health secrets of centenarians saw him single out air popped popcorn as an unlikely longevity food

The longevity researcher’s latest video highlighted the lesser-known health benefits of popcorn, including that it’s high in fibre and complex carbohydrates

Although Dan didn’t make specific mention of it in his video, it is fair to presume that he recommends enjoying air popped popcorn without the addition of any other added ingredients like salt or butter.

The latest video has notched up over 726,000 views on TikTok, with many commenters chiming in excitedly about the longevity specialist giving popcorn the thumbs-up.

‘My favourite snack! Pop mine in avocado oil!’ one popcorn lover replied on Instagram.

‘Glad I’m already doing that my weekly habit using olive oil!’ added another.

‘The best! I spray mine with pickle juice and season with garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Skip the butter & oil,’ one more suggested.

However, a few commenters were surprised by Dan’s suggestion, with some noting that popcorn – specifically un-popped kernels – were often highlighted by dentists as a food to avoid on account of its potential to chip or break teeth.

Dan has become renowned in the health world for his work analysing the diets of elderly people living in the fabled ‘Blue Zones’.

Blue zones – like Sardinia in Italy and Okinawa in Japan – are geographic areas that are home to unusual amounts of centenarians.

As such, researchers like Dan believe the key to a long-life can be found in replicating the eating and activity patterns of people in the zones.

Dan Buettner has spent decades analyzing the world’s longest-lived people for their diet secrets and written numerous books based on his findings

Dan himself has championed the theory for decades in his books and the concept has more recently exploded with new books and even a Netflix documentary dedicated to exploring the phenomenon.

Dan often shares diet recommendations based on his Blue Zone research both online and at speaking engagements.

Last year at a 2024 conference, Dan suggested two other grocery store-available items costing as little as $1 each to be among the staples in a centenarians’ diets.

Namely, black beans and walnuts.

Dan recommended trying to eat a can of black beans a day to help boost lifespan, while for walnuts – a handful a day could help.

Both beans and walnuts contain a lot of fibre, which can slash inflammation in the gut reducing the risk of deadly diseases like cancers.

They are also high in protein, which can slash cravings reducing the risk of someone overeating – which can lead to obesity already linked to a myriad of life-shortening conditions including heart disease and diabetes.

For walnuts, these are a top source of linoleic and Omega-3 fatty acids – which are also linked to a lower risk of heart disease and a longer life. Other nuts do not contain these nutrients in such high quantities.