At last, here's a book that synthesizes the increasingly popular CR (Calorie Restriction) diet for the layperson. CR is not a diet primarily about weight loss, although readers will lose weight. CR is about eating highly nutritious foods to extend your healthy years. Here's the concept: eat fewer calories and choose foods more carefully. This will reallocate how your metabolism uses its resources to convert food into energy; in other words, what goes in will be used more efficiently. You will feel better and function better—and the big bonus: the CR diet slows aging. CR lengthens the periods of youth and middle age and substantially reduces the risk of virtually all the diseases of aging. Brian Delaney and Lisa Walford, two longtime CR practitioners, will take you on a handheld stroll through the process, including an introduction to CR, how to do it, some of the key issues in the current dialogue, and the skinny on superfoods.
The Longevity Diet
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
Blogcritics.org, 7/29/10
“Everyone wants to live longer. The Longevity Diet teaches you how…[It] gives specific nutritional facts and data that everyone should know.”
Tucson Citizen 7/29/10
“Provide[s] realistic guidance to people who want to restrict calorie intake…The recipes for such dishes as Veggies Primavera, Spaghetti Squash with Garlic Sauce, and Sweet Potato Fries are almost worth the price of the book.”
The New York Times
"Beyond Atkins, beyond South Beach, a low-calorie plan promises not only to slim waists, but to slow aging."
Hudson Valley News, 8/4/10
“300 pages of excellent advice…And yes, there are recipes, too.”
Newsday, 8/17/10
“This book…might show you how to live lean.”
“This book…might show you how to live lean.”
InfoDad, 8/26/10
“The authors make their pitch for their ideas very directly…The power lies in the idea that changing certain habits can give people longer, healthier lives…[A] book with very good nutritional and other lifestyle ideas.”
Bookviews blog, September 2010
“Addresses how diet can ward off health problems, delay the aging process, and extend life expectancy…For anyone interested in this subject, there is sure to be something of value to be found in this book.”
San Francisco Book Review and Sacramento Book Review, 10/12/10
“Yes, this is another diet book. But it is unique in that, rather than spell out what you can and can’t eat, this book focuses on the amount to be eaten…An easy-to-read book.”
“Yes, this is another diet book. But it is unique in that, rather than spell out what you can and can’t eat, this book focuses on the amount to be eaten…An easy-to-read book.”
Taste for Life, November 2010
“An educational and valuable read.”
“An educational and valuable read.”
Failure magazine, 5/30/11
“Makes the case—to readers and physicians alike—why the diet is worth trying, while also offering practical advice on how to get started.”About the Author
Lisa Walford is the coauthor of The Anti-Aging Plan with her father, Dr. Roy Walford, and has been on the CR diet for more than a decade. She lives in Venice, California.
Brian Delaney is the president of the Calorie Restriction Society and lives in Jupiter, Florida.
Brian Delaney is the president of the Calorie Restriction Society and lives in Jupiter, Florida.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
148 of 152 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book complements Doctor Roy Walford's books very nicely.
The basic idea is that, by designing a diet which is lower in calories, but adequate in vitamins, minerals, etc., you can live a lot longer.
Dr. Walfords books introduce the idea, explain the evidence for believing that it will work, and tell you how to get started on such a diet. His books tend to be a bit technical, though very well written. You should at least read "The Anti-Aging Plan" by Roy and Lisa Walford before jumping into "The Longevity Diet."
"The Longevity Diet" isn't just a rehash of Dr. Walford's work. The authors' discuss the human, nontechnical side of the plan. How do you change your eating habits? How do you deal with cravings for ice cream, or social situations where you are expected to feast with others?
One of the recommendations involves keeping a diary of what you eat, and what situations make you over-eat, so that you can plan strategies to overcome them. You also use the food diary to count your calories, and nutrition.
They cover a number of other topics, introducing some recent developments, such as the ORAC index of foods, which tells you which foods are the best anti-oxidants (Blueberries), and the idea of energy density, which has to do with eating foods which have few calories in a large volume of food.
Other topics include Exercise, Relaxation techniques, major Theories of Aging, and the balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
For those who don't know, here's a synopsis of the CR (Calorie Restriction) movement:
In the 1930's, some researchers at Cornell discovered, by accident, that if you feed mice less than the normal amount, they live A LOT longer.... Read more ›
The basic idea is that, by designing a diet which is lower in calories, but adequate in vitamins, minerals, etc., you can live a lot longer.
Dr. Walfords books introduce the idea, explain the evidence for believing that it will work, and tell you how to get started on such a diet. His books tend to be a bit technical, though very well written. You should at least read "The Anti-Aging Plan" by Roy and Lisa Walford before jumping into "The Longevity Diet."
"The Longevity Diet" isn't just a rehash of Dr. Walford's work. The authors' discuss the human, nontechnical side of the plan. How do you change your eating habits? How do you deal with cravings for ice cream, or social situations where you are expected to feast with others?
One of the recommendations involves keeping a diary of what you eat, and what situations make you over-eat, so that you can plan strategies to overcome them. You also use the food diary to count your calories, and nutrition.
They cover a number of other topics, introducing some recent developments, such as the ORAC index of foods, which tells you which foods are the best anti-oxidants (Blueberries), and the idea of energy density, which has to do with eating foods which have few calories in a large volume of food.
Other topics include Exercise, Relaxation techniques, major Theories of Aging, and the balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
For those who don't know, here's a synopsis of the CR (Calorie Restriction) movement:
In the 1930's, some researchers at Cornell discovered, by accident, that if you feed mice less than the normal amount, they live A LOT longer.... Read more ›
61 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've been looking for a book like this for a long time. Calorie restriction - which the authors are also referring to as "the longevity diet" - is the only way of slowing the aging process and becoming more youthful (at least so far!). I had been hearing about the diet for a long time, but it always seemed too extreme. CBS had a special calling it The Starvation Diet: "it will help you live 30-40 more years, but would you really want to?" But Walford and Delaney explain that the diet can be followed in less extreme forms, and they present a lot of evidence (without blinding me with science) that milder versions of the diet have extraordinary benefits as well.
The second section of the book explains how the diet works in practice. I've already tried some of the recipes and suggestions. The "CR" phenomenon really isn't that complicated. The book explains how you can sort of "ease into" the diet, taking it to whatever level you want. There are no weird quantities of fat or protein, no complicated supplements or seaweed from distant parts of the planet: just common sense eating informed by science.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more discussion of non-dietary findings in anti-aging research. They explain the science of CR so lucidly, I'd want to see more from their pens about related matters. Maybe that will come in the next book.
I'm already losing weight and feeling better. I probably won't take the diet to an extreme, but having the book around keeps my motivated.
The second section of the book explains how the diet works in practice. I've already tried some of the recipes and suggestions. The "CR" phenomenon really isn't that complicated. The book explains how you can sort of "ease into" the diet, taking it to whatever level you want. There are no weird quantities of fat or protein, no complicated supplements or seaweed from distant parts of the planet: just common sense eating informed by science.
My only disappointment was that there wasn't more discussion of non-dietary findings in anti-aging research. They explain the science of CR so lucidly, I'd want to see more from their pens about related matters. Maybe that will come in the next book.
I'm already losing weight and feeling better. I probably won't take the diet to an extreme, but having the book around keeps my motivated.
79 of 83 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
*****
I really liked everything about this book: the personal stories, the simple explanations, the research-based (not hype-based) nutritional advice. Basically, the Longevity Diet can be summed up as eating less overall, and coping with hunger by eating better quality food so that you don't experience malnutrition and food cravings. The value of buying the book is that when you're done reading it, you feel more MOTIVATED to do this.
I am very familiar with current nutritional research, and appreciate having a concise summary of timely information like this book. Another great thing about it is that it's very, very flexible, encouraging you to listen to your body and to find a way of eating that is right for you. It gives, in the personal examples, illustrations of how people apply the diet so that you can see how to customize healthy eating to fit your lifestyle.
Although you will lose weight, the orientation of the book is primarily on being healthy and living a long, high-quality life.
At one point in The Longevity Diet, it makes the point that many people will choose to continue eating to excess because it is what they enjoy, and it is the quality of life they choose to make their life meaningful; they also state that this is a valid choice, and do not make people who take this path "wrong". This book, however, is for those of us who have tried eating to excess, have tried being obese, have experienced food cravings, and want something different and doable. I would give this book my highest recommendation, and think that everyone should understand the information in it, then make a choice that works for them!
*****
I really liked everything about this book: the personal stories, the simple explanations, the research-based (not hype-based) nutritional advice. Basically, the Longevity Diet can be summed up as eating less overall, and coping with hunger by eating better quality food so that you don't experience malnutrition and food cravings. The value of buying the book is that when you're done reading it, you feel more MOTIVATED to do this.
I am very familiar with current nutritional research, and appreciate having a concise summary of timely information like this book. Another great thing about it is that it's very, very flexible, encouraging you to listen to your body and to find a way of eating that is right for you. It gives, in the personal examples, illustrations of how people apply the diet so that you can see how to customize healthy eating to fit your lifestyle.
Although you will lose weight, the orientation of the book is primarily on being healthy and living a long, high-quality life.
At one point in The Longevity Diet, it makes the point that many people will choose to continue eating to excess because it is what they enjoy, and it is the quality of life they choose to make their life meaningful; they also state that this is a valid choice, and do not make people who take this path "wrong". This book, however, is for those of us who have tried eating to excess, have tried being obese, have experienced food cravings, and want something different and doable. I would give this book my highest recommendation, and think that everyone should understand the information in it, then make a choice that works for them!
*****
31 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By Paul Kinski
Format:Paperback
The book persuasively states the arguments as to why caloric restriction is likely to extend human life spans in the same manner in which it extends the life spans of other species. In addition, there's some good stuff on the cellular changes that take place in the body's cells as one goes on a CR diet.
One of the best aspects of the book is the flexibility possible with CR - you don't have to put yourself on a quasi-starvation diet to reap many of the rewards of CR. In 6 months, merely by eating a low cal lunch and avoiding desserts, I have dropped from 185 lbs to 164, and have seen my blood pressure drop back into a normal range. This book has been invaluable in changing my life - it gives one a science-derrived motivation for sticking to a diet that's really powerful. I had never been on a diet in my life, and yet I have found a moderate CR diet to be extremely easy to handle. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
One of the best aspects of the book is the flexibility possible with CR - you don't have to put yourself on a quasi-starvation diet to reap many of the rewards of CR. In 6 months, merely by eating a low cal lunch and avoiding desserts, I have dropped from 185 lbs to 164, and have seen my blood pressure drop back into a normal range. This book has been invaluable in changing my life - it gives one a science-derrived motivation for sticking to a diet that's really powerful. I had never been on a diet in my life, and yet I have found a moderate CR diet to be extremely easy to handle. I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Calories do count
A good book with good tips and a plan that seems possible to follow, nothing extreme. Some research sprinkled throughout. Read more
Published 3 days ago by sparkle
2.0 out of 5 stars
Life Just Seems Longer
Scientific research appears to indicate that CRON [Calorie Restriction, Optimum Nutrition] is the only way, at this time, of definitely extending your life-span. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Gary O. Shepherd
5.0 out of 5 stars
It deserves maximum consideration.
I restate using more words what is expressed in the headline, to make my thoughts more clear, explicit and convincing.
Published 23 days ago by Ariel A Gallo
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great introduction to healthier living
If you're interested in reading a book that reveals the progression of the CR (Calorie Restriction) lifestyle, this is for you! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Julian Ingram
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing book!
I love this book, the information is easy to understand and implement with lots of helpful examples. It is a versatile plan that can be adapted to different lifestyles.
Published 1 month ago by Tanya Michel
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting, but...
Not to be entered into without doctor's supervision. The author admonishes readers that this diet, while very good for some, presents a drastic dietetic change for most of us,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by J. Whalton
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Longevity Diet and The CR Way
The Longevity Diet: The Only Proven Way to Slow the Aging Process and Maintain Peak Vitality Through Caloric Restriction
The CR Way: Using the Secrets of Calorie Restriction... Read more
The CR Way: Using the Secrets of Calorie Restriction... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mr. Jonathan P. Tyler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Longevity Diet
While I have not completed the book it appears to be well written. I look forward to examining it in more depth.
Published 15 months ago by Willard G. Brown
2.0 out of 5 stars
wouldn't buy this again
This book was very vague with the information it provided. I researched the diet on-line for free and was able to find as much if not more information than the book provided. Read more
Published 20 months ago by lkf1987
5.0 out of 5 stars
'The Longevity Diet'...less is better
A great book, full of prudent information, the kind of information that should be 'common knowledge' available to EVERYONE for achieving and maintaining optimum health. ... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Lou
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 13
books:
See all 13 books this book cites
- Maximum Life Span by Roy L. Walford on 5 pages
- Chicken Soup for the Soul Healthy Living Series Weight Loss: important facts, inspiring stories by Jack Canfield in Back Matter
- Diet Simple: 192 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations by Katherine Tallmadge on page 65
- The Retardation of Aging and Disease by Dietary Restriction by Richard Weindruch in Back Matter
- On Being Human by Ashley Montagu on page 100
See all 13 books this book cites
