Do you want to live longer and better?
I certainly hope to, provided that I can age with grace and dignity. I am planning on a productive, interactive life where I am able to walk, see, think, and have a nice daily poop until the final days. And then I’ll die in my sleep.
At least, that’s the plan.
Is there some additional herb, potion or supplement that can be added to the regimen to avoid the slow decline that we might face?
Is there something more we could do to age like the inhabitants in the Blue Zones, regions of active centenarians found in Okinawa, Sardinia, or Loma LInda, California?
It may be that in order to live longer and better, we in fact have to do less
Eat less, that is.
It turns out that caloric restriction is one of the only known ways to increase lifespan. It seems that by sending less food to be processed through a cell’s machinery, the cells age more slowly.
But this doesn’t only apply to mammals. Bacteria and worms similarly live longer with less food. A mouse whose caloric intake is cut by forty percent can increase its lifespan by nearly the same percentage.
Ever notice how the goldfish that you always forget to feed seems to live forever?
We may live longer and better when we eat less
Emerging data is showing that a fasting mimicking diet (FMD), which limits calories (770-1100 daily) five consecutive days a month, recharges the batteries. When calories are limited, genes are turned on that bring down inflammation and recycle old and damaged cells.
The cool thing about an FMD diet is that it is doable. It just takes a finite monthly commitment.
Full disclosure. As a family man with a hungry teenage daughter, I would have a hard time currently blending this into my routine.
But in understanding these relationships, we can begin to make some choices that are pretty simple. You should consider them.
- First, limit portion size. We don’t need to fill up the plate. With a lower stimulus to eat more, an individual can easily cut out some excess calories.
- Next, follow the 80% rule. Only eat 80% of what is on the plate. You won’t need more, and probably won’t go hungry.
- Drink more water, and incorporate a serving of Psyllium husk into your diet. This is one of my all time favorite supplements. It increases satiety, and is ambrosia to the healthy bacteria that live in your gut.
I’ll trade a few mouthfuls of food today to live longer and better towards the end. Hopefully I’ll take this journey with some similarly healthy friends and family.
The Blue Zone inhabitants ultimately die from the same causes as the rest of us. They just do it quickly and with less chronicity at the end of a long, active life.
All things considered, we probably don’t need any longer-living bacteria, worms or mice.
In health,
SAR
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