For those like me, who are interested in living the healthiest, longest lives possible, these are exciting times. I am someone who is very interested in doing everything I can to live the most vibrant and longest life I can, free of disease and any other signs of aging. I have pretty much devoted my entire life to this endeavor. If you happen to be like me and this is a top priority for you as well, stick with me; there are a lot of possibilities now and more are presenting themselves all of the time.
The key to living an extremely long life is to stay healthy enough to take advantage of new life extension breakthroughs that will be coming in the future. What that means is doing everything possible right now to ensure vibrant health today and every day of your life. Luckily for us, there is a lot that we know about how the body works right now, and there are a number of things everyone can do starting right now, to stay healthy and live long enough to take advantage of future life extension technologies.
So, I would like to discuss the first, and most obvious thing we can do in order to ensure the best health – eating an outstanding diet. In later posts I will discuss some really exciting things for us life extension enthusiasts to look forward to.
Most people today have a big problem, and that problem is that they do not know how to eat properly for excellent health. Unfortunately, most of us were not taught how to eat an optimum diet as a child, so really good eating habits are sometimes not formed until well into adulthood. I’ve spent over twenty years fine-tuning my diet, and believe me, it’s been tough getting it right. I’ve been a vegan, and vegetarian, and over the last few years I’ve been eating different variations on a Paleo style diet. It’s likely I’ll always be adjusting my diet, trying to make it perfect.
Before I move on, I want to let you know that diet is a very complex topic and there is no way that it could be covered completely with a single post. Also, there is no one single way of eating that is best for everyone. That is one of the biggest problems today with all of the new diet books coming out constantly. Each book claims to have the secrets to the ultimate human diet but there will always be a lot of people who try these diets and will fail because it’s just not right for them. There are some great guidelines that can be followed, but beyond that, it takes individual experimentation to get things right.
For me, the perfect life extending diet is comprised of high fat, minimal protein, and low carbohydrates. I like to eat a good amount of fat daily because it’s the body’s favored fuel, helps us to stay full, and keeps junk food cravings at bay. Also, fat is not likely to interfere with the full expression of our longevity enhanced genes. I personally look to get around 75% of my daily calories from fat.
Next up, protein consumption. These days, I always hear about people thinking that it’s extremely important to eat a great deal of protein daily. Unless you’re a body builder, high protein is not ideal, and if eaten in excess, can hinder our desire for ultimate longevity. Many proponents of low carb and Paleo diets stress eating protein in large amounts, so eating lower protein goes against the popular pro-protein crowd. Eating high protein raises insulin, leptin, IGF-1, and the mTOR pathway, each of which when elevated dulls the execution of our longevity enhanced genes. We don’t want that to happen, so eating just enough protein to stay healthy is what we are going for. I eat around 50 – 60 grams of protein a day, which is a little higher than what most low protein eaters consume. I like to stay quite active and work out a lot, so I feel best eating the amount of protein I’m currently eating.
Third, I like to eat a lower amount of carbs than most. I always eat less than 100 grams of carbs a day, sometimes as low as 35 to 40 grams. I do this because carbs can raise insulin and leptin, can inhibit fat burning and staying lean, can increase glycation (stopping this a key to ending aging), and like protein, high carbs can inhibit the full expression of our longevity – enhanced genes.
What do I like to eat? Here’s a general list of the things I eat regularly: Organic, virgin coconut oil, organic avocados, coconut milk, organic, preferably raw, grassfed butter, organic leafy greens, organic tomatoes, organic berries, organic sweet potatoes, wild caught fish, organic, pasture raised chickens and their eggs, wild turkey, and grass fed buffalo. I also like to eat some extra dark chocolate quite often.
Last but not least, I like to do a protein fast once or twice a week. I go for 24 to 32 hours at a time without protein. The premise behind protein fasting is that it stimulates the body’s autophagy mechanism. Autophagy is the process by which the body cleans out unwanted intracellular proteins and other waste that clogs up our cells. This is a big secret to keeping the body young and working at an optimal level.
In a nutshell, this is how and why I eat the way I do. By following this basic guideline, you too can craft the ideal anti aging diet for yourself. As I alluded to earlier, this is just a beginners guide to diet. Experiment with your own diet and find out what works best for you. Remember, there is no one perfect diet for everyone. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have, and stay tuned for the next post in this series.
About the Author
Troy Pratt is a lifelong natural health enthusiast. After being inspired by his grandfather at the age of 12, he has gone on to study natural health and anti aging for over 3 decades. He is passionate about helping others to achieve great health and fight aging. Please visit him at http://www.antiaginghero.com.
