“We are what we eat”: the pillars of healthy eating to promote longevity

“We are what we eat.” Nothing new under the sun since Aristotle. But today, science confirms it. Bees too. Just by feeding on royal jelly, the queen becomes fertile, bigger, stronger and lives longer than her peers. So we can, like the transhumanists of Silicon Valley, eat only one meal a day and gorge on superfoods, to achieve an augmented self that defies death. Or you simply want to live better, and in good shape, for as long as possible. We don’t just eat with our brains and statistics, but with our body, our heart, our experiences, our wallet… And with others. Dr. Alexandra Dalu, endocrinologist and anti-aging doctor, who signed The 100 preconceived ideas that prevent you from feeling goodat Éditions Leduc, et The whole dish with chef Thierry Marx, at Edizioni Flammarion, they encourage us to become happy eaters again rather than compulsive consumers. And both agree: eating well is not complicated. There is no need to be a cordon bleu or to spend two hours in the kitchen.

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And Dr. Dalu immediately wants to clarify some points about epigenetics, in which she has been interested for more than ten years. “It is a recent science, we are only at the beginning and nothing is black and white. Genes and epigenes constantly receive signals related to our behavior and our way of life, and adjust their activities according to these situations, activating or inactivating certain genes, rightly or wrongly. The phenomenon can be transitory, but also long, and even transmitted and passed on to descendants. At Inserm, a whole department is examining these questions, and epidrugs are being developed.” we should not even imagine that with good epigenetics, we will escape from diseases and live a hundred years”, explains Dr. Dalu. He does not exclude classic prevention and regular visits to the doctor. In any case, without falling into orthorexia, we can put all the chances on our side to do good for ourselves and help ourselves with different elements.

The rainbow plan

There is no ideal diet, no miracle foods. But thanks to the blue zones, we know that a Mediterranean-type diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and seasonal herbs helps to fight against oxidative stress, which is a factor of inflammation and aging, and which promotes diseases age-related degenerative diseases – osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, depression, Alzheimer’s… We know that we need to consume less sugar, salt, processed products, more good fats, as many plants as possible in all colors, because they are full of phytoprotective substances. “Attention, no fruit outside of meals, no more than fruit juices, even organic and freshly squeezed, this causes blood sugar spikes. They must be digested with the food bolus,” warns Dr. Dalu. Are there epigenetic foods that promote longevity? We are still talking about matcha green tea, red fruits, blueberries, turmeric, garlic and onion, walnuts, broccoli, coral lentils, olive oil… Today, many women say “watch out”. Dr. Dalu does not like this word. “You have to aim for each week,” he says. For two weeks, just write down everything you eat every day and take stock on Sunday. We immediately see if we have had our dose of antioxidants, and imbalances.” It is also necessary to take into account the digestive flora, which is decisive in potentiating the effect of all these nutrients.

With or without intermittent fasting ?

Stay between fourteen and sixteen hours without swallowing anything, apart from drinks (without sugar)… It’s the big fashion. Now there are hundreds of studies on the benefits of intermittent fasting, which everyone adapts to their taste. From the thirteenth hour of fasting, the body activates a whole series of defense and repair mechanisms called hormesis. Some prefer to skip dinner, which socially is not always manageable, others skip breakfast. “Wellness is knowing yourself,” insists Dr. Dalu. In any case, you should never force yourself to eat breakfast if you feel well without it, although it remains important for children, pregnant women and the elderly.” With or without intermittent fasting, it seems certain that it is better to eat early and light so that at night the body does not spend its energy digesting, but rather repairs itself. “If you eat early, Cretan style and when you are hungry, intermittent fasting will not do much for you,” puts our expert in perspective. It should not be an excuse to eat or snack more “at authorized times”. And when you know that social life and pleasure also promote longevity, you should know how to put a little … butter in your spinach .