Practice a 12-hour daily eating window (e.g., 8 am to 8 pm) followed by a 12-hour fast, as this is an excellent choice for health. Avoid extending daily fasting beyond 12 hours, as it can lead to sleep and metabolic problems.
Follow a mostly pescetarian diet, drawing inspiration from the food traditions of your ancestors, to optimize health and longevity.
Ensure approximately 60% of your daily calories come from carbohydrates, primarily from nutrient-rich legumes and vegetables, for optimal longevity and health. Consume starches like pasta, bread, or rice in moderation, limiting to about 50-70 grams per day to avoid effects similar to high sugar intake.
Steer clear of saturated animal fats, as they are generally considered detrimental and are not associated with long-term health or longevity in centenarian populations.
Include healthy fats such as olive oil and nuts in your diet, aiming for approximately 30% of your daily calories from these sources, as they are commonly consumed by long-lived populations.
For most adults, aim for 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily; however, if you are 70-80 years old, increase this to 1 gram per kilogram and maintain a healthy weight to prevent sarcopenia and frailty.
Refrain from following continuous high-fat, high-protein diets (often misinterpreted as ketogenic diets) as they are linked to earlier death, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, with little data supporting long-term benefits.
Commit to at least 150 minutes of exercise per week to optimize your overall health and contribute to longevity.
Explore the five-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), such as Prolon, as a periodic protocol to reduce visceral fat, improve insulin resistance, and potentially promote stem cell regeneration, offering benefits similar to water-only fasting but with greater safety.
If you are young, healthy, and maintain a good diet with regular exercise, consider undertaking the fasting-mimicking diet once a year for maintenance and to periodically clear cellular ‘junk’.
If you are obese, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or metabolic syndrome, consider doing the FMD once a month for three cycles under doctoral supervision to achieve significant health improvements like reduced systemic inflammation. After initial cycles, transition to maintenance (e.g., once every four months), adjusting frequency based on health status and lifestyle.
Do not undertake water-only fasting on your own, and avoid the FMD after age 70 without geriatrician supervision, as these powerful interventions require careful medical guidance to prevent harm. Always read Prolon’s disclaimers and ‘Is Prolon Right For Me’ section before starting.
For your first few FMD cycles, choose a time when you are on vacation or have less strenuous work, especially if your job is physically demanding, and avoid strenuous exercise during the protocol to prevent adverse effects like low blood sugar. Prioritize rest and relaxation during the five days.
Follow a 24-hour transition period back to your normal diet after completing the FMD to allow your gut to rebuild and prevent putting excessive pressure on your intestine.
If you are overweight or obese, reduce your daily meal frequency from five or six meals to two meals plus one snack (e.g., breakfast and lunch plus a snack, or breakfast and dinner plus a snack) to aid in weight management.
Adopt a critical approach to health and dietary recommendations by considering multiple sources of evidence, including epidemiological data, clinical trials, observations from centenarian populations, and basic scientific research, rather than relying on single-pillar strategies.
Be willing to ‘unlearn’ previously held beliefs or knowledge, especially in complex fields like health and science, to overcome limiting perspectives and enable new breakthroughs or personal progress.
If your busy, modern life makes it difficult to get all your nutrition from food, consider taking a nutrient-dense whole food supplement, such as Athletic Greens, each morning as an ‘insurance policy’ to meet your nutritional needs.
Identify and actively work to overcome the stressors in your own life, as modern living is highly stressful and stress is toxic to most organ systems, impacting overall health and longevity.
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