Less calories, more health! Low calorie food

reducing the amount of calories you take in delays the aging process and reduces the risk of serious diseases. But how to achieve this without depriving yourself of pleasure?

If you want to live longer, adhere to the principle of “hara hachi” proclaimed by the Constitution, which calls for stopping eating when you are eighty percent full. Therefore, you reduce the number of calories by 10 to 40 percent.

This is confirmed by the lifestyle of the oldest centenarians on the planet, the inhabitants of the Japanese islands of Okinawa. Fasting has never led to eternal life. But eating in moderation, without overeating and thus not overloading the body with calories, is a sure way to maintain youth and health for a long time. In fact, at the moment, gerontological scientists are confident that low-calorie foods contribute to the continuation of life. In laboratory experiments, mice lived twice as long as normal when the daily amount of calories in their diet was also halved. They also stayed young longer (obviously, you can say so if the mouse is young for its age).

There is a theory that a limited amount of calories prevents the formation of emancipated radicals. Other scientists suspect that a low-calorie diet forces the body to fight for survival, which slows down the aging process.

In the United States of America, previously unknown adherents of a low-calorie diet to prolong life are called “bosom buddies”; They suggest that the results of such a diet are low blood and cholesterol pressure, increased energy and resistance to colds and flu. “Close buddies” consume approximately 1, 400 calories per day for the fairer sex and 1, 800 calories for the stronger half of humanity (compare this with the average calorie consumption of the fairer sex—around 2, 000 and the stronger sex—around 2, 600). Okinawa islanders consume around 1, 500 calories per day.

If you’re obese or simply overweight, you should reduce your daily calorie intake by 30 percent. If you’re considering a low-calorie diet, be sure to consult a nutritionist to avoid inadvertently depriving your body of any significant micronutrients. The secret to success with such a diet is knowing that each serving provides the body with maximum nutrients. This means saying goodbye to micronutrient-deficient fast food, processed foods, alcoholic beverages, cakes, and sweets, and instead building your diet around grains, raisins, fruits, and vegetables. A low-calorie, high-nutrient diet limits free radicals and provides the body with a wealth of antioxidants, which neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals.

Are you not very good at mental arithmetic? Forget about counting and instead keep the following list readily available to help you manage your food portions:

— Serving of meat or fish: the size and thickness of your palm;

— Serving of hard cheese: the width and length of your thumb;

— Serving of porridge: the size of your fist;

— Serving of vegetables: two full handfuls;

— Serving of cooked rice, spaghetti, or potatoes: one full handful;

— Serving of jacket potatoes: the size of your fist;

— Serving of butter or margarine: the top of your thumb (up to the knuckle).

New research has shown that short-term fasting can also slow down aging. It’s recognized that fasting induces mild stress in the body, which triggers the production of substances known as stress-resistant proteins that fight disease. Among other things, it increases the brain’s release of chemicals that promote learning, improve memory, and even promote the growth and resilience of nerve cells.

This effect is achieved by reducing calorie intake to 500-600 units weekly or biweekly—in other words, eating only once a day. However, this doesn’t mean you can overeat on the rest of the week; overeating will negate all your efforts. Eat fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, soy products, olive oil, lean meats, fish, and low-fat dairy products.