Motto: "The shortest way to old age is paved with many calories"

If you had a simple way to increase your lifespan, prevent cancerWould you apply it in your life, to decrease the risk of all chronic diseases and to age more slowly?

Well, it turns out there is such a possibility. It was discovered in the early 1930s' by a skilled scientist at Cornell University - Dr. C.M. McKay. He made the remarkable discovery that calorie reduction is an effective method of prolonging life and vitality in animals, and it has worked in all species on which it has been tested, from aquatic organisms, to mice, to primates.

Interestingly, the only population of people who have a self-imposed calorie-cutting habit are the Okinawans - who are known for their longevity and ability to reproduce at ages when others are walking around with carriages and can't remember their grandchildren's names. 

Okinawans don't starve themselves, nor do they go hungry - but they do follow a very simple secret: they stop eating before they feel full to the brim.

They call this principle hara hachi bu, which could be translated as; "eat only until you are 8 parts full (out of ten)". In other words, leave room in your stomach. It's known that it takes about 20 minutes for the receptors in your stomach to transmit to your brain how full you actually are. Therefore, you will feel fuller 20 minutes after you've finished eating.

If you eat until you feel full, your stomach will expand a little each time to accept the extra food.

That's why it's not good to force children to eat everything from the plate. But we insist and insist, the child eats and so we have turned into a society that eats much more than it should. 

It turns out that everything we associate with aging can be postponed when we have a low-calorie lifestyle: puberty is delayed, the reproductive period is extended, there is no risk of memory loss and the immune system is much stronger. These beneficial effects are primarily explained by the fact that when we eat less food, we produce more free radicals - which, according to many theories, is the main cause of premature aging. Free radicals are the enemies of youth because converting them into energy requires a lot of oxygen, so the more we eat, the more oxygen our bodies have to process, and the faster our cells deteriorate. Fewer calories mean fewer free radicals.

Also when adopting a healthy low-calorie diet, low blood sugar. This is a good thing because high blood sugar levels are the main biomarkers of aging. If you eat a lot, your body has to generate more insulin to convert food into glucose. I really urge you to take a look at yourself: how do you feel after a big meal, if your energy levels drop, and how do you feel when you eat enough to leave a little emptiness in your stomach?

So, even if you are middle-aged or past it, gradually reducing calories can slow down the biological clock and may even save you from the diseases associated with old age.

I leave you to ponder with this Taoist saying: "Less is more". Less calories means more vitality. 

Alexandra Iliuta

Wellness Advisor