I recently read an excellent book that really resonated with me called The Longevity Diet by Valter Longo, PhD. This diet is meant to not only help you lose weight but to extend your life and make it a healthy, vibrant life. It is not another diet trend , but it is sustainable for the long-term. Dr. Longo has done extensive research starting with small organisms and continuing the research through to human studies. He has support at several levels of research that show that this is the way to eat and to extend your healthy life!
About 9 years ago, I felt extremely tired and unwell. After I advised my patient that her recurrent bladder infections would never be under control until she got her diabetes under control, she took it to heart and changed her lifestyle. She told me she read The China Study by T. Colin Campbell which is the most comprehensive nutrition study ever done and outlines why a vegan diet is the very best diet. I read the book, was convinced by the research, tried out the vegan diet and found health through diet! Thus began my interest in studying nutrition for health.
Of course we all want to feel healthy and maintain our health into old age. Dr. Longo’s life work is to figure out the keys to stay healthy and live long. The answer is nutrition which generates self-healing stem cells which then will regenerate and rejuvenate the body. He has chapters on how this diet helps patients with cancer, diabetes, dementia, heart disease and inflammatory diseases. You will not find another diet that has such great research and is sustainable for the long haul. I do NOT recommend the ketogenic diet. It is terrible for heart disease and not sustainable. Also it causes kidney stones.
How to Stay Young by Dr. Longo:
- Eat a mostly vegan with some fish. (I personally prefer not to eat fish, but get my protein from plants.)
- Consume low but sufficient protein.
- Minimize bad fats and sugars, and maximize good fats and complex carbs.
- Be nourished with healthy foods and, multivitamin and fish oil.
- Eat twice a day plus a snack, unless you are already at goal size.
- Time-restricted eating to 12 or less hours per day, for example from 8 AM to 8 PM only.
- Periodic prolonged fasting-mimicking diet. Dr. Longo created a kit for this called Prolon which I can order for you.
- Aim for a waist circumference of 29.5 inches for women
- Exercise: walk fast one hour per day, Do weight training 2-3 times per week.
I highly recommend this book to you! I have started recommending it to my patients who have recurrent urinary tract infections and chronic interstitial cystitis as a means to decrease inflammation.
To your health!
Dr. Christi
