Leena Watts
The Valter Longo diet, also known as the Longevity Diet, is a diet program developed by Professor Valter Longo, a leading researcher on longevity and gerontology. The diet is based on 25 years of global research on aging, nutrition, and disease, and aims to promote a longer, healthier, and more fulfilled life. It involves a combination of an everyday diet based on plant-based and whole food sources, with short periods of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD). The everyday diet emphasizes increasing consumption of vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats, while minimizing saturated fats, sugars, and processed foods. The FMD, done 2-4 times a year, involves a 5-day period of calorie restriction, ranging from 1100 to 800 calories per day. The Valter Longo diet has gained recognition for its potential health benefits, including reduced risk of diseases and increased life expectancy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Goal | To live a longer, healthier, and fulfilled life |
| Approach | Multi-pillar approach based on studies of various aspects of diet, from food composition and calorie intake to the length and frequency of fasting periods |
| Frequency of Fasting | 2-4 times a year |
| Fasting Period | 5 days |
| Calorie Intake during Fasting | 1100 calories on the first day, followed by 800 calories for the next few days |
| Diet | Plant-based, with fish, whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables, fruits, beans, chickpeas, green peas, and other legumes |
| Protein Intake | If below 65, keep protein intake low (0.31 to 0.36 grams per pound of body weight). Over 65, slightly increase protein intake |
| Fat Intake | Minimize saturated fats and sugar, and maximize good fats |
| Carb Intake | Focus on complex carbs |
| Vitamins and Minerals | High vitamin and mineral content, supplemented with a multivitamin buffer every three days |
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What You'll Learn
Fasting and longevity
Valter Longo, a gerontologist and professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, has spent 25 years researching nutrition, ageing, and disease. His work has led to the development of the Longevity Diet, which combines an everyday healthy eating plan with a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD).
The everyday diet is based on Longo's five pillars of longevity and includes 30 simple recipes. It recommends eating mostly plants and legumes, with a focus on vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. It also suggests eating fish and a minimal amount of animal proteins, such as white meat and cheese. The diet also includes high quantities of olive oil and nuts, and a multivitamin every three days.
The FMD is a five-day, calorie-restricted fast that occurs 3-4 times a year. It involves a plant-based diet with an 1100-calorie restriction on the first day, followed by 800 calories on subsequent days. This type of fasting has been shown to have metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects in mice, which could reduce the risk factors for certain diseases.
Longo's research has also found that specific diets can activate stem cells and promote regeneration and rejuvenation in multiple organs, reducing the risk for diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease. His work suggests that it is possible to slow ageing and improve health through diet.
The Longevity Diet is not just a dietary restriction for weight loss but a lifestyle focused on slowing ageing and improving health in advanced age. It is important to note that anyone considering a significant dietary change should consult a healthcare provider, especially one specialised in nutrition, to ensure a safe and effective plan.
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The role of nutrition
Valter Longo, a gerontology and biological sciences professor, has spent 25 years researching nutrition, ageing, and disease. He has developed a "longevity diet" that is based on studies of various aspects of diet, from food composition and calorie intake to the length and frequency of fasting periods.
The diet also recommends eating beans, chickpeas, green peas, and other legumes as the main source of protein. It encourages the consumption of whole grains and high quantities of vegetables (such as tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and legumes) with generous amounts of olive oil (3 tablespoons per day) and nuts (1 ounce per day). It is important to minimise saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (meat and cheese) and sugar, while maximising good fats and complex carbs.
In addition to the everyday diet, Longo also recommends incorporating short periods of a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD). This involves a five-day period of calorie restriction, done twice a year. The first day calls for a calorie restriction of 1100 calories, followed by 800 calories for the next few days. This type of fasting is designed to avoid the negative stressors of traditional fasting, such as low energy and sleeplessness, while still providing the health benefits of a calorie-restrictive diet.
The Valter Longo diet is not just about dietary restriction for weight loss, but a lifestyle focused on slowing ageing and improving overall health. It is a combination of an easy-to-follow everyday diet and short periods of fasting, which together can promote regeneration and rejuvenation in multiple organs, reducing the risk of various diseases.
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Food composition
Valter Longo, a professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, is one of the world's leading researchers on longevity. He has authored the book 'The Longevity Diet', which combines an everyday diet with short periods of fasting-mimicking diets (FMD). The FMD is to be done 3-4 times a year and does away with the negative stressors of fasting, such as low energy and sleeplessness.
The Longevity Diet is based on studies of various aspects of food composition, calorie intake, and the length and frequency of fasting periods. The everyday diet is based on Longo's five pillars of longevity and includes 30 simple recipes. The diet calls for eating mostly plants in an 11-12 hour window, followed by a fast-like diet 2-3 times per year. The diet should be free of animal proteins (red meat, white meat, cheese) with the exception of proteins from fish, and relatively high in vegetable proteins (legumes, nuts, etc.). The diet also includes beans, chickpeas, green peas, and other legumes as the main source of protein.
For people below the age of 65, the diet recommends keeping protein intake low (0.31 to 0.36 grams per pound of body weight). This comes to 40 to 47 grams of protein per day for a person weighing 130 pounds, and 60 to 70 grams of protein per day for someone weighing 200 to 220 pounds. People over the age of 65 should slightly increase their protein intake and consume more fish, eggs, white meat, and products derived from goats and sheep to preserve muscle mass.
The diet also recommends minimizing saturated fats from animal and vegetable sources (meat, cheese) and sugar, and maximizing good fats and complex carbs. It suggests eating whole grains and high quantities of vegetables (tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, legumes, etc.) with generous amounts of olive oil (3 tablespoons per day) and nuts (1 ounce per day). The diet also recommends following a diet with high vitamin and mineral content, supplemented with a multivitamin buffer every three days.
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Calorie intake
Calorie restriction is a key component of Valter Longo's Longevity Diet. The diet involves short periods of fasting or fasting-mimicking, which avoids the negative stressors of fasting, such as low energy and sleeplessness, while still reaping the health benefits of a calorie-restrictive diet.
The diet involves a five-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) to be done twice per year, which involves a plant-based diet with calorie restriction. On the first day, calorie intake is restricted to 1100 calories, and this is followed by 800 calories for the next few days. The FMD is designed to be done just 2-4 times per year.
Longo's research has shown that reducing calorie intake, particularly from proteins and sugars, can decrease the activity of the growth hormone receptor and the TOR-S6K and PKA genes, which are known to accelerate ageing. This style of eating has been linked with metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects in mice, which could reduce risk factors for certain diseases.
The everyday diet recommended by Longo also involves reducing calories. This involves eating mostly plants within an 11-12 hour window, and doing a fast-like diet 2-3 times per year. This diet is rich in vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and fruits, which are associated with weight loss.
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Frequency of fasting
The Valter Longo diet, also known as the Longevity Diet, is a culmination of 25 years of global research on aging, nutrition, and disease. It combines an everyday diet with short periods of a fasting-mimicking diet. The diet is designed to promote a longer, healthier, and more fulfilled life.
The frequency of fasting on the Valter Longo diet varies depending on the individual's interpretation of the diet. The diet recommends a fasting-mimicking period of 3–4 days, 2–4 times per year. This can be in the form of a 5-day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) with a plant-based diet and calorie restriction. The first day allows for 1100 calories, followed by 800 calories for the remaining days.
The Valter Longo diet is based on the idea of time-restricted eating, with daily eating windows of 11–12 hours. This means that individuals on this diet would eat mostly plants within this time frame and then fast for the remaining 12–13 hours of the day.
The frequency of the fasting-mimicking periods can be adjusted to suit an individual's needs and lifestyle. Some sources suggest that the fasting-mimicking diet should be done twice a year, while others recommend 3–4 times per year. The key is to combine the everyday diet with periodic fasting to reap the health benefits of a calorie-restrictive diet while avoiding the negative stressors of fasting, such as low energy and sleeplessness.
It is important to note that the Valter Longo diet is not intended as a dietary restriction for weight loss but rather as a lifestyle choice to slow aging and complement standard healthcare. Before starting any new diet, it is always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional, especially if you have any health concerns or are taking medication.
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Frequently asked questions
The Valter Longo diet, also known as The Longevity Diet, is a diet based on 25 years of global research on aging, nutrition, and disease. It combines an everyday diet with short periods of a fasting-mimicking diet. The everyday diet is plant-based and includes fish, while the fasting-mimicking diet is a 5-day, calorie-restrictive diet that occurs twice per year.
The everyday diet consists of eating mostly plants within an 11-12 hour window. It emphasizes whole grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and other foods with high vitamin and mineral content. It also includes olive oil and minimizes saturated fats and sugar.
The Valter Longo diet is designed to promote longevity and slow aging. It has been shown to reduce the risk for diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease. It can also help with weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
