Reflections on the Nutritional Keys to a Long Life

[Coach Sommer]

I must admit that I am always surprised when someone in their 40s & 50s asks me if there is still hope athletically. I believe that our sedentary society, and the results of our sweet laden processed American diet, have conditioned us to assume that we already have one foot in the grave; rather than a possible life expectancy of another twenty or thirty years.

My father in-law is over 94 years old. He looks younger than my own father at only 65. When I first met my wife, he was in his early 80s and I would not have believed that he was more than 55. His secret? He has worked/exercised outdoors (farming) for a few hours each morning before heading into town to the office for his entire adult life. Lots of walking, carrying, chopping, plowing by caribao (a big asian cow) etc. All of their food is organic and they step out of the back door to pick it as they grow it themselves. They have never eaten cake. They rarely snack. A heavy emphasis on fish, shell fish, shrimp, river crabs, rice and vegetables. Chicken is had occasionally, while pork and beef are reserved for very special events; such as my wife and children's homecoming in the spring, when both a cow and a pig will be roasted for the entire barangay (neighborhood).

In fact all of my relatives on my wife's side of the family are ridiculously long lived, with many over 100+. And this is a strong, vigorous centenarian; many of whom continue to live by themselves. Interestingly, the only members of my wife's family who have developed poor health are those who moved into town and adopted western ways and diets. They develop the same typical medical problems as your average westerner and usually die somewhere in their late 60s to early 70s. And this while their relatives living a simple, relatively poor rural lifestyle, continue to live on and on and on . . .

[Blairbob]

They are from the Phillipines, I take it?

[sasquatch]

They are from the Phillipines, I take it?

Fillipinos look young forever!

I have a friend that moved here from the Phillipines, his grandpa is pretty old... maybe around 80. He still works hard everyday. And doesn't move like an old guy at all.

[Coach Sommer]

Interestingly, the only members of my wife's family who have developed poor health are those who moved into town and adopted western ways and diets. They develop the same typical medical problems as your average westerner . . .

The primary point that I would like to illustrate is not whether or not my inlaws belong to a particular ethnic group; but rather the drastically different effects that contrasting diets (traditional Filipino vs. Western) had upon members of the same family tree.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Blairbob]

Actually my next point is whether they intake more meat than say the diets of Okinawans which are another culture known for their centarians in that neighborhood. There has been quite of bit of verbage in many threads on CF and elsewhere having to do with known Okinawan diets, the rural chinese diets ( possibly something about the China study ) and etc.

[JoeS]

FWIW Here's some info I found on the internet:

FILIPINO FOODS FOR HEALTH

The Philippine Islands are divided into three geographic regions; Luzon, Viyasas, and Mindanao. Each region has their own traditional foods. The traditional foods for all the Islands are rice, pork, chicken adobo, pancit (rice noodles), panakbet (mixed vegetables), fish, and lumpia (similar to Chinese egg roll)

Adobo is a method of preparing certain meats such as pork or chicken that have been marinated in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, bay leaf and ground pepper. Pancit is a pasta made of rice or wheat noodles and is cooked with chicken, shrimp or pork in soy sauce and garlic. Pancit resembles a Chinese chow-mein dish.

Rice is eaten everyday by Filipinos because it is believed to give a person energy. Bagoong (fermented fish) and patis (fish extract) are used as spices daily in food.

Garlic and onions are also used daily because it is believed they thin the blood and lower blood pressure. To treat diarrhea, chewing on guava shoots is recommended.

The Filipino diet is traditionally healthy because their basic staples are vegetables, fruits, and fish

[Coach Sommer]

Rather than concentrating on a particular ethnic cuisine, you may find it more instructive to focus on the generalities of their overall nutritional paradigm:

1) No sugar.

2) No artificial sweetners.

3) No preservatives.

4) Little to no processed foods.

5) Increased consumption of seafoods. Too a lesser degree, chicken and eggs are also emphasized.

6) A great deal of fresh vegetables and some fruits.

7) Little to no snacking between meals. (In my opinion, this is essential for over-indulgent Americans.)

8 ) Beef and pork are considered "treats" and are only indulged in occasionally.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[ASForum]

Rather than concentrating on a particular ethnic cuisine, you may find it more instructive to focus on the generalities of their overall nutritional paradigm:

1) No sugar.

2) No artificial sweetners.

3) No preservatives.

4) Little to no processed foods.

5) Increased consumption of seafoods. Too a lesser degree, chicken and eggs are also emphasized.

6) A great deal of fresh vegetables and some fruits.

7) Little to no snacking between meals. (In my opinion, this is essential for over-indulgent Americans.)

8 ) Beef and pork are considered "treats" and are only indulged in occasionally.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

To add something that is similar in the Ayurvedic Diet (Traditional Indian Food.. Not the greasy restaurant Buffet).

It might help.

1) Fresh Cooking > Fresh Consumption - Ayurveda recommends eating within 1-2 hours of cooking something. Avoid old stuff.

2) Natural, Fresh, Seasonal - Foods that grow NATURALLY in the right season are better than ones that are MADE AVAILABLE ANNUALLY thanks to modern farming & Importing. Right Foods have a balancing effect on the body. e.g. Watermelons are perfect for the summer but not recommended for the Monsoons.

3) Mostly Vegetarian - High focus on Fresh Fruits & Veggies. Raw foods > Yogic Diet

4) No such thing as SNACKING. Ayurveda talks about Rhythm of Human Body and natural cycle for the Digestive Fire.. being active at certain times.

5) Meat/Fish are LOW... Typically a delicacy, an indulgence of sorts. Occasional item.

[Jason Stein]

I'm curious as to where this information on Ayurveda has been sourced.

The number of meals, the times of those meals, the amount and kinds of meat, the kinds of foods one should eat in general, and the frequency of cooked versus raw foods are all highly, highly contingent on one's specific dosha.

[ajhoover]

A major problem american's have is we have gotten used to having everything in the supermarket all year round. People buy berries in the winter and wonder why they taste horrible. Those berries are coming from equador and are being shipped in containers full of different gasses to preserve them so they look good. They not only lack flavor but also nutritional content. When it comes to food, you want fresh, local and sustainable. The beef I have with over emphasis on seafood is over fishing and the farming of fish. I have lived in the pacific northwest most of my life and have watched the price of salmon soar higher and higher each year as the salmon runs get worse and we have the most regulated fishing laws. The average size of tuna being caught has dropped as well. Farming fish is the same as growing a vegetable with chemicals or making cows larger with growth hormones, you sacrifice quality for quantity. If everyone in the US started eating fish like the japanese you would see even more damage to the aquadic eco system than is already happening. Another issue is the cost of good food. Most people can not afford to eat all organic food and wild caught fish. The alternative is growing your own food which most people will not take the time to do. The answer to all this really lies in education but you will not see it widespread because these billion dollar companies are profitting on killing the nation. Instead you see fad diet after fad diet that all they do is provide misinformation that make people afraid of carbs and think they can eat bacon three meals a day and be healthy. Health is not a waist size or body fat percentage as most americans think.

Oh coach, and you may wana change that no sugar to no refined sugar. Fruits and vegetables caloric content is almost completely carbohydrates or sugar.

[Nick Van Bockxmeer]

Rather than concentrating on a particular ethnic cuisine, you may find it more instructive to focus on the generalities of their overall nutritional paradigm:

1) No sugar.

2) No artificial sweetners.

3) No preservatives.

4) Little to no processed foods.

5) Increased consumption of seafoods. Too a lesser degree, chicken and eggs are also emphasized.

6) A great deal of fresh vegetables and some fruits.

7) Little to no snacking between meals. (In my opinion, this is essential for over-indulgent Americans.)

8 ) Beef and pork are considered "treats" and are only indulged in occasionally.

for me I usually just think

1)no unneccesary sugar

2)no unneccesary salt

3)no unneccesary fat

and most importantly, have it as natural and unprocessed as possible.

[ASForum]

I'm curious as to where this information on Ayurveda has been sourced.

The number of meals, the times of those meals, the amount and kinds of meat, the kinds of foods one should eat in general, and the frequency of cooked versus raw foods are all highly, highly contingent on one's specific dosha.

True. Which is why I have not outlined specific foods... Because the Prakruti (Body Constitution) determines diet to balance the Doshas (Natural Imbalaces).

The above are thumb rules for most people who may or may not get a Prakrtui based diet.

[Jason Stein]

Friend,

I'm hoping you can you link to or quote the Ayurvedic texts that state an Ayurvedic-based diet emphasizes fresh fruits, veggies, and raw foods, frowns on snacking, and disfavors meat and fish.

best,

jason

[ASForum]

Friend,

I'm hoping you can you link to or quote the Ayurvedic texts that state an Ayurvedic-based diet emphasizes fresh fruits, veggies, and raw foods, frowns on snacking, and disfavors meat and fish.

best,

jason

Most of this comes from having spent time at Ashrams, old veterans and with very Senior old (80/85 yrs) Vaid who has cured cancers etc.

I have also read part of it in some book. Let me see if I can find a link that helps in this direction.

PS: I am not here to try & prove the above to you & maybe you have a counter argument for that that you can PROVE or state. I simply to share what I have learnt from credible sources offline & maybe if I can find some online. In fact, I welcome you to shed more light on what you do know so if my post is not complete or misguided then you can add otherwise.

[Fryk]

I think this discussion is very interesting. The 8 bullets previously presented by Coach is a great, short presentation on how to eat healthy. To my knowledge at the very least half of the bullets is backed up by solid scientific evidence, and I suspect that in the future all of them will be.

The only thing I don't understand is why snack eating should be black-listed. Frequent eating as opposed to two or three big meals a day, helps to keep the blood sugar stable. It also keep us from over-eating later on, and over consumption seems the biggest health problem in the west (smoking and drinking aside). It is very important to eat healthy when you snack, but eating nuts, vegetables and fruits can this be considered counter-productive?

Implementing the diet - Gymnastics considered

I am a little puzzled about the protein intake supported by this healthy life-style, when regarding gymnastic performance. There seems to be an agreement that an intake of 2gr of protein per kg (roughly 1gr pr lb) is sufficient for gymnastic purposes. Fruit, vegetables and rice contain very little protein - which leaves the vast majority of the protein intake to come from fish and seafood.

I find this problem to be re-occurring, most health-emphasized diets and lifestyles have a very strong vegetable bias, but they do not consider protein to be important.

I guess what I am trying to say is, that there might be a naturally inherent conflict between optimum health and a strength sport oriented lifestyle. :?:

[Aviv Lugtenaar]

It shouldn´t be too hard to add enough protein to a healthy diet like that. The diet is very healthy so good for you and then just add in what is needed for the sports.

[Jason Stein]

Crash,

I am disappointed that your Ayurvedic diet suggestions are incomplete and misrepresentative; for example, raw foods are not indicated for Vatas or anyone suffering Vata derangement. It might be suggested that people practicing gymnastics-style strength workouts are better served by more grounding, heavier, cooked foods, which definitely include animal protein.

I do agree that attention to diet with regards to body type, constitution, and goals is something that Ayurveda can offer us.

Any books by Frawley, Lad, or Svoboda would be helpful.

best,

jason

[ASForum]

Crash,

I am disappointed that your Ayurvedic diet suggestions are incomplete and misrepresentative; for example, raw foods are not indicated for Vatas or anyone suffering Vata derangement. It might be suggested that people practicing gymnastics-style strength workouts are better served by more grounding, heavier, cooked foods, which definitely include animal protein.

I do agree that attention to diet with regards to body type, constitution, and goals is something that Ayurveda can offer us.

Any books by Frawley, Lad, or Svoboda would be helpful.

best,

jason

J - I know that Raw foods are not good for people with weak digestive fires.. typically Vatas. There are ways to fix / vitalize digestive fires.

Animal Protein is tamasic.

Either ways, thank for sharing your insights.

[ajhoover]

For your average person snacking just adds on extra calories, normallty the kind you don't want. I believe snacking is perfectly natural and can be part of a healthy diet. In the US people eat far more than they are required by their physical output so a simple calorie cutting solution is no snacks. When I work in the kitchen I do not have the time to sit and eat a real meal over a 8 or 9 hour stretch, it is unrealistc for me to go that long without eating or eating enough before that I will not be hungry for the duration, so i snack. The amount of physical activity also has an impact on this. If you eat 3000 calories a day, it is relativly easy to fit that into three normal meals. If you are michael phelps and eat 10,000+ calories a day, you are eating more than a days worth of food in a simgle meal, that does not work. I never eat more than 1000 calories in a sitting as I find more than that makes for difficult digestion and over all slugishness. The exception is when I dine out once a month. Diet has no cookie cutter methods, everyone has different goals and a body and lifestyle with different needs. As long as you have a basis of knowlege to work from, try things and see if they work. Coach just gave an outline to work from, personalize it and make it work for you.

Andrew

[aoa]

http://rcfboard.yuku.com/topic/365/t/Re ... ml?page=-1

Ive just read this "shopping list" for healthy foods, and the thing that struck me as odd as the recomendation to eat all nuts but avoid peanuts and cashews.

Anyone know why peanuts and cashews should be "avoided"?

Also he says "no dairy", no milk,cottage cheese... i thought lots of people said these were 2 good things to include in the diet.

Is there controversy here, whose advice should i follow

[garythenuke]

I'm interested in this topic as well. Most of what I do is towards the goal of living as long and productive a life as I can.

[jl5555]

...Ive just read this "shopping list" for healthy foods, and the thing that struck me as odd as the recomendation to eat all nuts but avoid peanuts and cashews.

Anyone know why peanuts and cashews should be "avoided"?

Also he says "no dairy", no milk,cottage cheese... i thought lots of people said these were 2 good things to include in the diet.

Is there controversy here, whose advice should i follow

I believe it's the whole "paleo diet" thing you're seeing there. They recommend only foods from the time of hunter - gatherers. No farmed stuff. So no beans - which peanuts are. And no dairy from cows cause those cavemen weren't milking cows apparently...

[Ryan Libke]

The funny thing about the organic label is that it somehow now represents something elite, yet most food that humans ate until relatively recently was organic. I balked at the price of organic products at first, but now I try to buy as much organic food as I can. Its really a question of priorities. It means giving up other things to eat healthier.

Another thought regarding lifestyle, my job requires me to sit all the day. I am thankful to have it, but increasingly technology is making us less and less active. Heck, I am sitting on the couch right now, perusing the forum, and watching American Ninja Warrior. (I did have a tough workout earlier, though.)

[Tarun Suri]

Heck, I am sitting on the coach right now, perusing the forum, and watching American Ninja Warrior. (I did have a tough workout earlier, though.)

They have an american one now? In what way is it different?

*EDIT: Sorry, to get back to the topic at hand...

I remember hearing that while Phelps stated he consumed 10,000 calories a day, the reality was quite different (as stated by his trainer or dietician). He still consumed calories that go far beyond what the majority of us consume, but it was not close to 10,000.

I'm currently in the middle of finals now, but it is an objective of mine to properly educate myself on affordable nutrition with a vegetarian constraint. I live with my parents and they do not allow me to bring meat to the house. My diet gets very little protein (maybe 0.5g.lbs?, if I'm lucky) and is highly concentrated on grains, rice and potatoes... Talk about inflammation.

I need to learn to love to learn to cook. (And no that was not a typo :wink: ).

[Fryk]

Heck, I am sitting on the coach right now, perusing the forum, and watching American Ninja Warrior. (I did have a tough workout earlier, though.)

They have an american one now? In what way is it different?

*EDIT: Sorry, to get back to the topic at hand...

I remember hearing that while Phelps stated he consumed 10,000 calories a day, the reality was quite different (as stated by his trainer or dietician). He still consumed calories that go far beyond what the majority of us consume, but it was not close to 10,000.

I'm currently in the middle of finals now, but it is an objective of mine to properly educate myself on affordable nutrition with a vegetarian constraint. I live with my parents and they do not allow me to bring meat to the house. My diet gets very little protein (maybe 0.5g.lbs?, if I'm lucky) and is highly concentrated on grains, rice and potatoes... Talk about inflammation.

I need to learn to love to learn to cook. (And no that was not a typo :wink: ).

Learning to cook is essential, but if you can learn to love it too that would be even better, though I am curious as to how you would go about this task.

I reckon there will always be practical adaptions regarding dieting. Depending on the situation at hand: Economical limitations, small diversity of foods and ethics/ personal beliefs.

as for your problem:

How about milk and eggs? Whey supplement? instead of the meat?