To be fit as we age could be described as "Age fitness". Increasing evidence points to opportunities for greater wellness, health maintenance and reduction of the burden of disease in later life for a growing proportion of the community than previously envisaged. The scope of "age fitness" is social, mental, physiological and physical. We know a great deal about food cultures associated with successful aging--Greek, Okinawan, and Scandinavian, for example. Within these cultures, we are beginning to account for variances in health and survival by integrative scores of food intake and their validation.