The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight

by Valter Longo

Select ingredients among those discussed in this book that your ancestors would have eaten. Based on your weight, age, and abdominal circumference, decide whether to have two or three meals per day (see chapter 8 for diabetes guidelines). If you are overweight or tend to gain weight easily, consume two meals a day: breakfast and either lunch or dinner, plus two low-sugar (less than 5 grams) snacks with fewer than 100 calories each. If you are already at a normal weight, or if you tend to lose weight easily or are over 65 and of normal weight, eat three meals a day and one low-sugar (less than 3 to 5 grams) snack with fewer than 100 calories. Confine all eating to within a twelve-hour period; for example, start after 8 a.m. and end before 8 p.m. Don’t eat anything within three to four hours of bedtime. Until age 65–70, depending on weight and frailty, undergo five days of a fasting-mimicking diet (see chapter 6) every one to six months, based on your goals and, if possible, a dietitian’s or medical doctor’s advice. Follow points 1 through 8 in such a way that you reach and maintain a healthy weight and abdominal circumference.