The EIGHT SECRETS of the Long DIET

Only eat between 8am and 8pm. Copy what your grandparents used to eat. Revealed...

FOLLOW these steps until you reach a waist circumference of less than 35.5 in for men and less than 29.5 in for women. By incorporating the benefits of fasting, ensuring more-than adequate nutrition and reducing the amount of fat stored around your abdomen, you will effectively reduce your risk of diseases. The Longevity Diet is safe to follow long term, or you can return to it periodically to maintain your level of health. The eight principles of this diet are:

EAT mostly vegan, plus a little fish, limiting meals with fish to a maximum of two or three times a week. Choose fish, crustaceans and molluscs with a high omega-3, omega-6 and vitamin B12 content (such as sardines, salmon, anchovies, cod, clams and shrimp).

After the age of 65, if you start losing muscle mass, strength and weight, add more fish and fruit and animal-based foods such as eggs, cheese and yoghurt made from sheep or goat milk.

IF YOU are under 65, keep protein intake relatively low. Aim to eat 0.31g to 0.36g of protein per pound of body weight per day, mostly from vegetable sources to minimise meat’s negative effects on diseases and maximise the nourishing effects of plants.

So someone who weighs 9st should eat 40g to 47g protein per day, of which 30g should be consumed in a single meal (equivalent to 200g of beans or fish, for example). If you weigh 14st to 15st and have 35 per cent body fat or higher, then 60g to 70g of protein per day is sufficient, since fat cells require lower levels of protein than muscles.

MAXIMISE good fats and complex carbohydrates but minimise bad fats and sugars. Good unsaturated fats include those in olive oil, salmon, almonds and walnuts.

Enjoy complex carbohydrates found in wholemeal bread, legumes, vegetables and some fruit; eat whole grains and vegetables with 3tbsp olive oil and 1oz nuts per day. Try to eat organic as much as possible. But avoid saturated, hydrogenated and trans fats found in processed foods.

4 BE NOURISHED. The human body has an army of cells always at war against enemies that include oxygen, bacteria and viruses. When your intake of certain nutrients becomes too low, the body's repair and defence systems slow down or stop, allowing the damage to accumulate or fungi, bacteria and viruses to proliferate. As extra insurance,take a multivitamin and an omega-3 fish oil capsule every 2-3 days.

UNTIL the age of 65 to 70, depending on your weight and frailty, try doing five days of the fasting mimicking diet (see main copy) every one to six months, based on your goals and — if possible — your GP’s or a dietitian’s guidance.

From the example plan in the panel on the right, follow points one to eight in such a way that you reach and maintain a healthy weight and waist measurement — less than 35.5 in for men and less than 29.5 in for women. OBSERVE time-restricted eating. The world’s longest living people tend to confine all meals and snacks to within 12 hours a day. As studies show, a long night-time fast gives the body and brain the chance to properly regenerate.

So confine all eating to within a 12-hour window; for example, start at 8am and end around 8pm.

Avoid eating anything within three to four hours of going to sleep. IF YOU’RE overweight or tend to gain weight easily, consume two meals per day: breakfast and either lunch or dinner, plus one low-sugar (less than 5g) snack or salad, with fewer than 100 calories.

If you are already at a normal weight or if you tend to lose weight easily — or are over the age of 65 and of normal weight — then have three meals per day, plus a low-sugar, low-calorie snack. EAT foods your grandparents may have eaten (native vegetables and pulses, for instance) and avoid those they wouldn’t recognise (such as junk food and sweeteners).

This helps avoid intolerances and autoimmune related conditions (such as Crohn’s, colitis and type 1 diabetes).