Goodbye to you, my trusted friend - Hello longevity

Hey everyone,

The title is a little dramatic.  It's the opening lyrics from the song "Seasons in the Sun".  This post is about saying goodbye to my friend comfort food, and saying hello to a restricted diet.  Let me begin by saying that I am not looking to lose weight - I am looking to live until I am 114 like Walter Breuning (in photo) who died last week. 


Walter Breuning attributed his longevity to hard work and eating less; he only ate two meals a day.  Walter was not alone in his belief that cutting calories would increase his years.  There have been many studies with mice and even monkeys which have proven that eating a calorie restricted diet will increase longevity and prevent the onset of several diseases.

Mice and rats subject to calorie restriction have seen their average lifespans increase by 30 - 40%.  Monkeys who have undergone caloric restriction have significantly less diabetes, cancer, heart and brain disease.  In one study on monkeys, at the 20 year point 80% of the caloric restriction monkeys were still alive, compared to only half of the controls.

There are different theories that have been put forward to explain this "medical miracle", but in my humble opinion, I believe that the diet is effective because it diminishes the amount of free radicals produced by the body.  Free radicals are produced by over eating and are known to cause degenerative diseases and cancer.

Here is a great link to the FAQ page of the Calorie Restriction Society. http://www.calorierestriction.org/Frequently_Asked_Questions#CRvsWeightLoss

Not only will calorie restriction allow you to live longer, but a 2009 research paper showed that the diet would improve memory in normal to overweight elders.

Calorie restriction is tough because many social outings and lonely evenings on the couch are centered around food.  Here are some recommendations to help you cut down on the calories.

1) Don't snack all day.  Instead have breakfast, lunch and dinner and nothing in between.  This will allow you to not always have food on the brain.
2) Exercise.  Now exercise will make you hungry so this may seem counter-intuitive but hear me out.  People generally don't want to eat 1 - 2 hours before they exercise because this will cause cramping throughout your workout.  Also, you can't eat while you are working out so there's another hour to 2 hours .  You have just potentially filled up 2-4 hours of your day when you won't be eating and chances are food will be the last thing on your mind.
3) Don't buy anything unhealthy at the grocery store.  Save your treats for when you meet a friend for coffee, or when you are celebrating a family member's birthday.
4) Be aggressive about paying down debt/mortgage.  When you take money out of your bank account and put it towards repaying big debts, there is less money for frivolous non-nutritious snacks.
5) Get used to being hungry.  So you just ate and you are full.  Before eating anything else wait until you are really hungry.  I'm not asking you to embark on this crazy calorie restrictive diet with me... I'm just asking you to get used to the feeling of being really hungry.  I have noticed that I am scared to feel hungry.  But at the end of the day, it's not that bad.
6) It is important not to develop any vitamin or mineral deficiencies, so make sure you are eating high quality foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, yogurt and fish.

Try out one or two of the recommendations above and let me know how it goes.  Also, recognize how much of a business food has become.  Corporations are taking advantage of you and your emotions.  Food is no longer about hunger... it has become an antidepressant/filler.  I am asking you to embark on a journey of self discovery.  Do not be afraid.  Just try something new.  Free yourself!