Dr. Valter Longo is an Italian-American scientist and researcher who is currently a professor of gerontology and biology and director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. The 56-year-old is also the head of the Oncology and Longevity Laboratory at the IFOM Molecular Oncology Institute in Milan, so he splits his time between Los Angeles and Italy.
His 2018 book “longevity diet“teeth, new york times A bestseller that recommends a plant-based diet that includes just two meals and one small snack a day, ideally within 12 hours, and includes fish. (Longo believes this method is better than the more restrictive 16:8 intermittent fasting mode, which has grown in popularity in recent years.)
As part of a longevity diet, Longo also advises “eating at the table of your ancestors,” focusing on the foods your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents ate, as they are suitable for a longevity diet. For Longo, whose ancestry is all Italian, this requires a diet “rich in tomatoes, kidney beans, chickpeas and olive oil.”
The book also recommends a “fasting mimicking diet” (FMD), which involves eating foods high in unsaturated fats and low in calories, protein, and carbohydrates for four to five days. This is intended to mimic the effects of water-only fasting while providing enough calories to be considered safe outside of a clinical setting. In a randomized study conducted at USC Medical Center, people who practiced FMD five days a month for three months showed improvements in muscle mass, cholesterol, blood pressure, and more.
As Longo writes in his book, there are many people who shouldn’t get FMD, including pregnant women, people who are underweight, and people with liver or kidney disease. For those who choose to try FMD, Longo suggests doing so “preferably under the supervision of a registered dietitian or physician.”
GQ We caught up with Longo to learn more about his daily routine, his research, and why he advises eating within 12 hours.
for real diet, GQ We talk to athletes, celebrities, and other high achievers about their diet, exercise habits, and pursuit of health. Keep in mind that what works for them may not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: What does an average day of meals look like for you?
Dr. Valter Longo: I came up with something called the Longevity Diet and am following it, with some violations, but not many. So it starts: I have this old grain. It’s called Frissel. This is bread I bought in a place called Alta Mura near southern Italy, where they make some of the best bread in the world. I pair it with something else from this region: almond spread. In other words, it’s a whole grain friselle product with almonds that is very high in almonds and cocoa, and very little else. Then I drink tea with an apple. I use a mixture of green tea and black tea. That’s my breakfast.
Why combine green tea and black tea?
Because I like the health benefits of green tea. I don’t really like the taste, I prefer the taste of black tea. That was my way of getting both. I’ve been doing that for a long time.
How did you arrive at breakfast?
I’m always thinking about how to make people live longer. Whole grains are nutritious and at the same time very tasty to me. We have a lot of foundation clinics and that’s what we focus on. It’s not just about giving people something healthy, it’s about giving people something that is healthy and that they can enjoy for years, if not a lifetime. For me, it’s whole grains from the region of Italy where I’m from, choosing where to make the best bread in Italy.
