The Longevity Diet: ‘How to live to 100 . . . Longevity has become the new wellness watchword . . . nutrition is the key’ VOGUE

by Dr Valter Longo

healthy, lean body mass is maintained. Protein intake should be increased slightly after age sixty-five in individuals who are losing weight and muscle. For most people, a 10 to 20 percent increase (5 to 10 grams more per day) is sufficient. Finally, the diet should be free of animal proteins (red meat, white meat, cheese) with the exception of proteins from fish, but relatively high in vegetable proteins (legumes, nuts, etc.) to minimize the former’s negative effects on diseases and maximize the latter’s nourishing effects. Minimize bad fats and sugars, and maximize good fats and complex carbs. Part of the confusion and constantly changing recommendations around diet stem from the oversimplification of food components and their categorization into fats, carbs, or proteins. Every day we hear about “low carb versus high carb” or “low fat versus high fat.” It shouldn’t be a question of either/or, but of which type and how much of each. In fact, your diet should be rich in good unsaturated fats, such as those found in olive oil, salmon, almonds, and walnuts, but as low as possible in saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats. Likewise, the diet should be rich in complex carbohydrates, such as those provided by whole bread, legumes, and vegetables, but low in sugars and limited in pasta, rice, bread, fruit, and fruit juices, which are easily converted into sugars by the time they reach the intestine. Be nourished. You can think of the human body as an army of cells always at war...