Typhoon Ulysses was devastating to the country. As I mentioned, the wind and rain was so strong that i couldn’t sleep once woke up midnight. Rain was still strong in the morning so I did 40 min yoga/pilates instead. Yet, when I finished, I felt I still need a dose of run so I went out regardless of the heavy rain. When I stepped out, I was shocked to see what Typhoon left behind. Big trees down everywhere, empty street, and water everywhere. I did a short run (30 min) and had to head home. I was soaked but happy.
Next thing I knew when I got home was many people lost power and internet overnight, even in our neighbourhood. In other areas, the entire neighbourhood was flooded and families had to be evacuated. Pictures of people on the roof top and posting in social media asking for help as phone call was not possible in some parts. Even many of my coworkers lost cell signals and power for most of the day. Government declared no work day.
I felt compassion to the people here. They’ve gone through so much this year already. 3 months of hard lockdown, typhoons, volcano eruption. It’s just too much for a year. Most of the people lost job and income for good and has no idea when they’ll be able to get it back. Do you know how mothers survive without income? They start cutting meals for the family one at the time ending with one rice meal per day. My heart aches when I think about that. As mother, i can’t imagine having to deprive anything from my kids, especially food.
We are so privileged.
Work day was slow as many people did not have access to internet and I didn’t have to work officially, so I could really focused in the office without meeting/email disruptions. When I finished work, I started and finished The Longevity Diet book.
I’ve done research on longevity and found probably two doctors that I think are legit so far, one of them is Dr Valter Longo. This book is very fast to read and the conclusion was not surprising. yet, I learned the science behind his recommendation/guideline which I found very appealing.
Principles of the longevity diet, actually very achievable (for my family):
- Eat a whole food mostly plant-based diet with some fish. So no processed food, no sugar, minimal white bread/pasta. No meat and egg or dairy. Fish is recommended 2-3 times a week as most of centenarian studies show that fish is beneficial. I’m not 100% of that as some part of the book recommend 100% vegan for people with diseases. I still think 100% vegan diet is possible if done carefully, which is not obvious nor easy, so having some fish is probably safe and beneficial.
- Eat within 12 hrs window. He’s not supportive of longer fasting. While many studies have shown benefits of longer fasting, it also causes harm in the system. so to be safe and get all the positive benefits of fasting, he recommends fasting for 12-14 hrs, mostly at night.
- Exercise. 1 hr of fast walk a day, some strength training. Which type of exercise? the one that you like and can sustain until you’re 80 years old.
- 0.35 grams of protein per pound, preferably 30g in one meal.
- Eat 2 large meals a day and 1 small no sugary snack for those that wants to lose some weight.
- Practice fast mimicking diet (5 days low calorie diet) once every six months for healthy individuals, and more frequently to treat/reverse disease. He has extensive clinic trials on this method, and peer reviewed, so it’s not a fad diet like many others. there’s science behind it and tested.
My takeaway: my life style is already close to this. YEY! Things I might implement:
- Incorporate fish once a week if I feel like it.
- Eliminate sugar, processed/packaged food, white flour. I’m actually experimenting it during the month of November together with food combining, will report at the end of the month.
- Eat 30g of protein in one meal of the day.
Our New Journey 
Very interesting. I always have very mixed feelings on following specific diets. First of all, I love meat. Not like I have to eat it all day, every day- but I really do like it. And, I LOVE cheese. So, me and a vegan diet…probably never gonna happen. Hahaha. I like fish okay but it’s not really my favorite. Also, I am more of a proponent of “Balance” I guess, versus a strict diet of only certain foods. I eat plenty of “unhealthy” foods. My husband and I both love nachos, I like burritos, I love pizza, etc. But I personally feel okay with it if it’s a small part of a balanced diet that is OVERALL healthy. My husband is also very big on the idea that “life is short- ENJOY it”. He is not one to follow a strict diet/ cut foods at all. He loves his craft beer too and sees no reason to cut it out. His thing is, “I can be the healthiest eating person and still get run over by a bus next year, so I’m going to live in a way that feels good while I’m alive!”. haha.
That being said, I think it is very interesting the role diet plays in everything and I think it’s a GREAT goal to eat primarily foods that will fuel your body, etc. I’m also very intrigued by the idea of fasting, but I don’t really like to eat in a way that would affect the rest of my family in an annoying way. Like, if I am going to “fast”, then I can’t eat breakfast with my family, etc. I don’t like when my diet interferes with normal life.
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I think you need to follow your instinct. Everyone’s different so the diet that you feel the best is the right for you. Also, i think it’s always important to keep open minded. As we age, our GI gets weaker so if you start not feeling your best, then you might need to be adjusted. same for the hubby. my husband is really about food before we got together. our first few years were tough due to dietary preferences. but I’m proud to say, he has seen the benefits of plant based diet himself and prefers that way too.
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