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Longevity Focused Diet:

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Longevity focused diet is based upon the "Longevity Diet" or "Fasting Mimicking Diet" invented by Dr. Valter Longo. This diet is commercially available by the name of "Prolon". Below are some of the key principles which this diet is based upon. 

This diet is, 

  • Longevity focused

  • Science and evidence based

  • Consists of

    • Functional foods

    • Whole foods

    • Plant based foods

    • Complex carbs

    • Relatively low protein

    • Healthy fats

    • Healthy animal protein options

 

Important note if considering this diet?

First and foremost, this diet should be followed under medical supervision and is contraindicated under certain medical conditions. Please consult with your health care professional before pursuing this diet. 

 

How long this diet should be followed:

This diet is followed for 5 days in a 30 day period and can be repeated several times in a year. However, most people follow this 3 to 4 times a year. The main goal of the diet is to lose wight, achieve healthy metabolic balance and improve longevity. Healthy eating habits should continue to be followed the remaining 25 days of the month when this diet is not strictly being followed. Otherwise, this diet will lose it's efficacy.

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Steps to Follow Longevity Focused Diet:

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Before starting the diet :

Consult with your health care professional and get appropriate testing done specially if you have any medical conditions such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, recent weight loss, eating disorders etc. 

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Step 1 - Pick 5 Consecutive Days:

Since this diet is followed for 5 days in a 30 day period, pick 5 consecutive days when it will be feasible to follow the diet. In other words, these should preferably not be during a holiday, vacation, wedding, special events etc. Keep in mind that this diet requires 12 hours of fasting each of the 5 consecutive days. 

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Step 2 - Make Grocery List:

Only items listed below can be consumed . Not all the items need to be purchased but a minimum of certain items from categories below must be included in the diet. 

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Vegetables: 

(Pick any 10-15. Consume 10-15 servings in 5 days)

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  1. Spinach 

  2. Broccoli

  3. Hot pepper 

  4. Green beans 

  5. Tomato

  6. Garlic

  7. Basil 

  8. Potato

  9. Egg plant

  10. Brussel sprouts

  11. Chicory

  12. Kale

  13. Lemon

  14. Asparagus 

  15. Carrots 

  16. Zucchini 

  17. Parsley

  18. Swiss chard

  19. Mushrooms

  20. Artichoke

  21. Cucumbers

  22. Onions

  23. Olives

  24. Rosemary

  25. Other herbs

Nuts:

  1. Pine

  2. Pistachios

  3. Walnuts

Fruits:

(Pick any 5. Consume 5-10 servings in 5 days)

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  1. Bananas

  2. Kiwi

  3. Pineapple

  4. Blueberries

  5. Cranberries

  6. Raisins

  7. Dates

Dairy / Dairy alternatives:

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  1. Coconut/Almond/Hazelnut/Cashew/Flax milk (pick one type and consume 10 servings in 5 days)

  2. Parmesan/ Feta / Vegan Cheese (pick one type and consume 5 servings in 5 days)  OR

  3. Yogurt / Plant based yogurt (pick one type and consume 5 servings in 5 days)

Grains and Legumes:

(pick any 3-5 and consume total 5 servings in 5 days)

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  1. Whole wheat bread

  2. Crackers

  3. Beans (any type)

  4. Pasta  / Spaghetti

  5. Wild rice

  6. Lentils

  7. Oats

  8. Cereal (sugar free)

  9. Spelt

  10. Barley

Others:

  1. Coffee

  2. Unsweetened Tea

  3. Barley drink

Sweets: 

(total 5 servings in 5 days among all items below)

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  1. Dark chocolate > 70%

  2. Honey

  3. Monk fruit

  4. Sugar free jam

Omega – 3 sources

(pick one seafood or plant based source and consume 5 servings in 5 days):

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  1. Salmon / Clams / Mussels

  2. Olive oil

  3. Avocado

Step 3: Designing and Enjoying Your Diet:

 

Below is an example of grocery list for 5 days. Note that not all items in the boxes above are included in the chart below. A mix and match approach can be used based upon individual preferences as long as the following rules are followed.

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  1. Do not exceed 1000 calories on day 1. (Read food labels to learn how to count calories)

  2. Do not exceed 800 calories per day on day 2-5. (Read food labels to learn how to count calories)

  3. Consume 2-3 servings of vegetables every day.

  4. Consume 1-2 servings of fruit every day.  

  5. Consume approximately one serving of food which provides omega 3 fatty acids.

  6. Foods containing dairy/no-dairy milk, grains and legumes are optional but will need to be consumed if caloric requirements are not met from vegetables, fruits, omega-3 etc.

  7. Eat within a window of 12 hours and maintain a fasting state during remaining 12 hours of the day. 

  8. Take a good quality multivitamin to avoid any nutritional deficiencies. 

  9. After 5 days of longevity focused or fasting mimicking diet, continue to eat healthy and/or choose from another types of healthy diets during 25 or so days of the month when not following this diet. This will ensure that benefits of this diet are not offset.

Example Grocery List: 

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Benefits of Longevity Focused diet and 12 hours fasting schedule:

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  1. Longevity focused diet has several benefits including

  2. Weight loss and weight maintenance.

  3. 12 hours of fasting followed by eating healthy anti-oxidant foods causes 

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  • Activation of metabolic pathways to achieve anti-aging benefits.

  • Inhibition of food induced inflammation in the body.

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The illustration below explains metabolic advantages of 12 hour fasting over longer periods of fasting which usually is followed by eating larger amounts of food in a time restricted manner.  

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After the 5 days of Longevity Based Diet: What to do next? 

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After you have completed 5 days of longevity focused diet, you can resume one of the following based upon your goals and health conditions,

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I would like to loose more weight 

Switch to Mito or Mito-Flex diet for 25 days and then repeat Longevity Based Diet for 5 days. Repeat cycles till weight loss goals are achieved.

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IMPORTANT: Consult with your health care professional for appropriate supervision and monitoring 

I would like to improve my metabolic health (appropriate for conditions such as high cholesterol, diabetes) 

Switch to Cardiometabolic diet for 25 days. 

and then repeat Longevity Based Diet for 5 days. Repeat cycles till weight loss goals are achieved.

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IMPORTANT: Consult with your health care professional for appropriate supervision and monitoring 

I would like to maintain energy levels and strengthen my immune function

Switch to Autoimmune diet (if you have any autoimmune conditions) or Plant based diet or Renew diet (based upon your preference) for 25 days 

and then repeat Longevity Based Diet for 5 days. Repeat cycles till weight loss goals are achieved.

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IMPORTANT: Consult with your health care professional for appropriate supervision and monitoring 

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