The Longevity Diet: Discover Calorie Restriction-the Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality

by Brian M. Delaney, Lisa Walford

At last, here's a book that synthesizes the increasingly popular CR (Calorie Restriction) diet for the layperson. CR is not a diet primarily about weight loss, although readers will lose weight. CR is about eating highly nutritious foods to extend your healthy years. Here's the concept: eat fewer calories and choose foods more carefully. This will reallocate how your metabolism uses its resources to convert food into energy; in other words, what goes in will be used more efficiently. You will feel better and function better—and the big bonus: the CR diet slows aging. CR lengthens the periods of youth and middle age and substantially reduces the risk of virtually all the diseases of aging. Brian Delaney and Lisa Walford, two longtime CR practitioners, will take you on a handheld stroll through the process, including an introduction to CR, how to do it, some of the key issues in the current dialogue, and the skinny on superfoods.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2005

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading, and the ideas and findings seem sound. My problem is that, at present at least, I don't think I could maintain such a diet for long. I can't even maintain a regular schedule of healthy eating. I find myself overeating on weekends, and then skipping breakfast and lunch (or dinner) during the week because of my irregular schedule.

One key takeaway, though, is that regular fasting as a reduction of calories is helpful even if calorie restriction is not a daily thing. Since I do that at least once a month, I'm hopeful that I will enjoy at least some of the health benefits associated with calorie restriction.

Any "diet" that is going to work for me must be flexible enough to accommodate my lifestyle and work demands. Most of the book diets I have seen don't seem workable for me, and even if I start strong, I can't seem to make them last. I'll be happy if some day I find something that works for me. I don't think The Longevity Diet is it.

[Dougal · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment! The title of the book, The Longevity Diet, and its subtitle: The Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality – Through Calorie Restriction, certainly had me hooked.

A few years ago I had watched the original Michael Mosley documentary which first introduced the concept of his 5:2 diet. It was a fascinating watch and one of the areas he delved into was the lifestyle of the CRONies who sought longer lives through Calorie Restriction with Optimal Nutrition. This really struck me at the time and recently, during an Amazon browse, I came across the book by Brian M Delaney and Lisa Walford (completely revised and updated!).

I started with great anticipation and was well rewarded, to begin with. The book is generally well written but, unfortunately, the promising start, covering much of the research into restricted calorie diets, quickly fizzles out into nothing more nor less than a fairly standard diet book, dressed up as something else. The book is filled with case studies of people who follow or have followed Calorie Restriction. As far as I could see, all these people were overweight to start with, lost weight over a shorter or longer period, and felt much better for it and their biochemical markers were dramatically improved. In other words, they dieted and became more healthy.

Yes, the book does talk about reduced calories being a lifestyle, but that is surely what everyone who diets intends being the end result of their diet. A life at a maintained reduced weight with better health. So, what’s different here? From what I can deduce, the CR diet is designed to be the consumption of calories at LESS than required to maintain your ‘set point’ (youthful healthy normal weight you were in your twenties). And it is here, at the real heart of what’s important, the book gives up and offers no real help. After talking about mice on 20%, 30% less calories etc, no guidance is given at all it seems apart from ‘what feels good for you’. Not helpful. So, again, what we have is just a diet book on how beneficial it is to lose weight, eat very healthily, and then maintain your new lower weight. There is really nothing new here at all.

The book also talks about the benefits of exercise, resistance training, yoga etc but this is just padding, as are the many pages on food diary examples, food data tables, and recipes. And a particular gripe, why is it that an example Healthy Choices meal plan includes on the same page measures in: ounces, cups, packs, tablespoons, leafs, and grams. Maybe it’s because I live on the European side of the Atlantic Ocean but isn’t the gram a useful single measure that can’t be confused? (Napoleon did something right!).

The book refers to various websites that have food calculators and also to the website of The CR Society. Apart from the last link, all the links seem broken and/or long superceded which, I suppose is inevitable in the day of the internet. As for The CR Society, it is quite clear that it is defunct. Yes, the website exists, but it is barely active in the Forums (mainly it seems there are now ramblings about the Ukraine War) and the last real activity seems to have been in 2016 (an event in Tuscon Arizona that you can still pay to go to!). The website looks as if it was last maintained over a decade ago, as it probably was. I do hope all the members of the society haven’t died prematurely. I think that Brian Delaney and Lisa Walford are still around from my researches on the internet, and I trust they are healthy and well, but they certainly don’t seem terribly active any more in the CR side of things. Maybe they have decided it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be; just an emperor in new clothes.

[Marcus Goncalves · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author offers a practical blend of dietary guidance and scientific research aimed at extending healthy lifespan, including caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, and nutrient-rich foods. It encourages a holistic view of diet and health..

[Mike Parsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section provides an excellent scientific explanation of nutrition and food, which in its self is worth reading. The diet basically reduces calories but maintains nutrition levels. An important point is that its motivation is to improve health rather than to lose weight - losing weight is a secondary consequence - and they suggest that significant health benefits provides a far firmer foundation for dietary change than a motive merely to lose weight, and so in the long it will be easier to maintain.

Evidence is offered that in animal experiments on a reduced calorie diet time after time results show vastly increased health and a longer life span. The regime is not really a regime but a way of thinking and eating - a lifestyle. I didn't find the book at all preachy or dictatorial, it explained the evidence and how it had been applied, to a greater or lesser extent, and the benefits people have experienced. The approach is very much a case of finding what works for you. It has made me think about food in a new way. I can't say that I have changed my diet yet, but I can now see what needs to change and what I need to do. I think this is a book I will coming back to regularly throughout my life.

[Corinne Blackmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very intelligent, helpful, and common sense book. The evidence for the health enhancing effects of a CR (calorie restricted) diet is truly impressive, and no one can walk away from this book without understanding that reducing one's caloric intake will not have a positive effect in terms of lengthening lifespan. Also, the diet is simple, and diet plans comprehensive and informative.

[Colin Dawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept and seems to have scientific validity. However, there seems to be a lot of repetition and general health tips.
That aside, a recommended read for those who wish to gain a few years and protect themselves from disease.

[Matt Reschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It makes sense. Jill I think you will love this book, give it a try.

[DJ]

calorie restriction seems to be the best currently available option to increasing our number of cognitively valuable years

[DrJenni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good information, but much the same as most other diet books.

[Hiro Oshita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It presents Calorie Reduction not as a diet but a life style. The book is about appreciating one's life as much as lengthening it. I really liked it.

[Michaël · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geen belerend vingerzwaaien, maar voor de rest redelijk gekende materie. Het had ook iets meer een 'handleiding' mogen zijn.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the only thing I would like to see in this book, next to an update, is some more specific instruction about how much calories to reduce.
And that is a quibble.

[Marcus J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Fan of lisa. Will find out in 80 years if it's worked.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The science is a little dated now, but it still is sound. Aside from the extreme calorie restriction, this is the best book I've seen about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eating right isn't sexy and isn't about all the crazy diet fads that come and go. I like that this isn't about hype or misinformation. The idea is just to eat real food and few calories. Although there isn't evidence that a severely restricted calorie diet will make people live longer, the authors don't pretend there is. They present the mice models and project to humans. Nothing is preachy or prescriptive. The guidelines are flexible and the authors provide great tools to achieve the goals.

[Guilherme Zeitounlian · Rating 2 out of 5]

the book is not totally bad, and it makes some interesting points: eat mainly unprocessed foods, a lot of vegetables, fast occasionally if you like, etc. However, it still demonizes fat and makes eating right more difficult (and at times cult-like) than it needs to be.