3 Things to Know About the Longevity Diet
We know that nutrition and your overall health are closely linked, so it follows that your diet also has an impact on your lifespan. Biochemist Valter Longo, Ph.D., director of the University of Southern California Longevity Institute, developed his longevity diet based on this connection. Below, we go over 3 important things to know about the longevity diet and how nutrition can slow the aging process.
The Longevity Diet Is Mostly Plant-Based
If you have meat with every meal, the longevity diet may take some getting used to. Although it’s not strictly plant-based, the longevity diet includes very little meat, poultry, seafood, or dairy. This can be a challenge for anyone used to eating a standard American diet, but Dr. Longo developed the longevity diet based on observations that the longest living populations in the world tended to eat more plants and less protein.
Dr. Longo’s research finds that high animal protein intake is associated with cardiovascular mortality, while substituting plant protein for animal protein is associated with lower mortality. Foods included in the longevity diet include vegetables, fruits, nuts, olive oil, low-mercury seafood, and beans. Dairy, meat, processed sugar, and saturated fats are out—or, at least, they should be eaten sparingly, if at all. The diet also encourages adherents to swap cow’s milk dairy for products made with goat’s milk.
Getting the vitamin D you need when you eat a plant-based diet can be a challenge, especially during the winter months if you live in a northern climate. Because vitamin D is critical for a number of functions in the body, we suggest taking a vitamin D supplement if you’re considering the longevity diet.
Periodic Fasting Is Important
The other important component of the longevity diet is fasting. Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets are believed to have a positive impact on overall health, particularly as we get older; they support healthy body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and glucose levels.
People who are trying to lose weight on the longevity diet should eat two meals and two low-sugar snacks each day. Several times a year, adherents go on a short-term eating plan that mimics fasting and involves consuming mostly vegetables, nuts, and seeds for five days, eating only 800 to 1100 calories total each day.
The Diet Was Designed for Older Adults (But Anyone Can Benefit)
The longevity diet was originally developed with older adults in mind, as Dr. Longo is part of the USC Leonard David School of Gerontology and his work aims to treat and prevent the conditions associated with aging. That said, the longevity diet has become popular with people of all ages.
As with any weight loss diet, it’s important to make sure all your nutritional bases are covered since you’ll be eating fewer calories. We recommend our Comprehensive Multivitamin to keep you feeling your best. Its bio-available formula means it’s more readily absorbed by the body, delivering the nutrition you need to thrive.
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