The Longevity Diet

If you are trying to lose a few pounds, your doctor will most likely advise against fasting or very low calorie fad diets, but oddly enough, recent scientific research suggests that a very low calorie diet undertaken as a regular way of life can actually extend lifespan and reduce or eliminate illness. The Longevity Diet is based on this research and is fast catching on as the hottest anti aging diet around.

The Longevity Diet is outlined in a short, readable book of the same name written by yoga instructor Lisa Walford, and Brian M. Denehy, who is President of the Calorie Restriction Society. The book is based on research done by Lisa Walford’s father, Dr. Roy L. Walford, who was the world’s most prominent calorie restriction and gerontology researcher until his death in 2004.

The Longevity Diet is actually quite simple and can be tailored to fit any individual lifestyle. The diet is made up of mostly plant foods that are combined to create complete proteins. Total calorie consumption usually does not exceed 1,000 per day, with most CR adherents eating between 600 and 800 calories per day. This amounts to roughly the amount of calories in an average single meal on a regular diet.

The science behind the Longevity Diet shows that the anti aging diet works by taking the load of detoxification away at the cellular level. The diet also works by helping people to maintain a normal or slightly below normal weight. Normal weight and low toxicity prevents most chronic diseases associated with aging such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and obesity.

Foods eaten on the Longevity Diet have to be nutrient dense, meaning that what the dieter eats is every bit as important as how much that person eats. Eating 600-800 calories of junk food or refined starch is not the same as being on the Longevity Diet. Every food eaten must contain maximum vitamins and other nutrients and must combine with every other food to create usable protein.

The diet sounds more complicated that it really is. A typical day might include a breakfast of whole grains and fresh fruit, no lunch or a vegetable or fruit juice lunch, and a dinner of lightly steamed vegetables or a large salad of fresh raw vegetables. Adherents of the diet claim that once their bodies adjust to this low calorie regimen, they actually have more energy and feel less hungry.

Part of the reason for the increased energy people feel on the Longevity Diet is the much, much lighter workload assigned to each cell in the body. When a person eats fatty foods, sugar, salt, and processed foods, the body expends and enormous amount of energy removing poisons at the cellular level by means on antioxidants. If the person eating the bad diet does not take in enough foods rich in antioxidants (fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains and nuts), then cellular damage and accelerated aging or even disease results.

Clearly, the Longevity Diet is not for everyone. But for those who want to try it, lots of support is available. In addition to the book, two websites are available to those interested in becoming healthier and leaner, and in aging much more slowly than people who eat processed food. The Calorie Restriction Society maintains an informative website at www.crsociety.org, and the estate of Roy L Walford also still maintains an active website at www.walford.com.

Dr. Walford’s website includes nutritional software for purchase and immediate download that will plan out calorie restricted meals that are safe and nutritionally complete. As with any new diet regimen, anyone thinking of starting down the path of calorie restriction advanced by The Longevity Diet should consult a physician first and proceed cautiously.

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