The Longevity Diet: Slow Aging, Fight Disease, Optimize Weight Paperback – Illustrated, 31 Dec. 2019

The book is very well written. I found a lot of very interesting information. Most importantly, the recommendations are supported by peer reviewed research. The author seems to be very careful in the analysis.

I have been an avid follower of Professor Valter Longos’s work and studies since first seeing a BBC Documentary in 2012 - Eat, Fast & Live Longer. This man is nothing short of a genius. Having gone through my own health problems: Bulimia, then a massive benign tumour in my head which lead me to an operation and then into intensive radiation treatment I found his studies fascinating, insightful & inspiring to me personally & I wanted to know & learn more. Over the past 2 decades I have either been, bulimic, vegan, vegetarian, or now for the last 15 years pescatarian at which time I had no idea that such a name even existed. When I found out that Professor Longo had written a book on Longevity I couldn’t wait for it to be published in English. I have a Kindle copy and a book. His book has given me so much knowledge that I didn’t previously have and the information is easy enough to process if you take the trouble. For me, where his book stands out from many other books is that most of the information in this book is based on his own studies and research from throughout his 30 something years of study & research on Longevity. There are no gimmicks just straightforward facts on longevity & how to proceed with his longevity diet with the everyday fruits, vegetables, legumes etc. that we find in our supermarkets or farmers markets. He clearly explains why & which fruits, veg etc are better for you. How simple can it be to follow a mostly plant-based diet - but the truth be known for most of us is that we will continue to eat bad & fast food until the heart attack hits or our cholesterol is through the roof, or like so many people in the Western World we develop diabetes. He clearly explains how we can avoid or correct these problems by using his longevity diet. The book is entertaining as well as full of necessary, important information for living a longer & disease- free life. Prevention is always better than cure. I am a writer and in my own research I have read many, many articles with misinformed information, on many different subjects & I only want facts & proven studies as in this book. Lastly, 100% of all the royalties from Professor Longo’s books go back into his research, another great reason to purchase the book. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.

There are a lot of positives in this book. The starting point is that the author is an actual university professor, who has carried out many published and peer-validated studies on longevity, so the book is written by someone who has a good understanding of nutrition and its impact on health, rather than a self-styled "nutritionist". The core message is eat a largely vegan diet, with occasional (and small!) portions of fish. I already try and aim for this.The author is also a great believer in 5 day fasting periods throughout the year.What stops me giving it a full five stars is that the book was originally written in Italian, I believe, and it occasionally shows. Some parts are not as clear as they might be. For example, Professor Longo stresses the importance of minimising protein. A detailed explanation of why, and whether it is really all protein, or just animal derived protein, is lacking.Appendix A contains two-weeks worth of sample meals. Some parts of these sample meals are surprising - the daily snack is usually a glass of some nut milk with a "nut and whole grain chocolate bar containing 150 calories". Really? Can you really not suggest a healthier choice?

I bought this book about 4 months ago - before the world changed as we knew it. Loved it from the start especially the story behind it, wonderful tales of the authors childhood in Italy, how the people lived and ate in his villiage and the incredible longevity of his people (all the more terribly shocking given what is happening at the moment re. Coronavirus and the toll it has taken on this great country and especially its elders). The engaging manner makes this book so different to others of its kind - this is not just a book which tells you that intermittent fasting is good for you, this goes so much deeper and the recepies Dr Valter Longo gives for this "Fast" are so delicious I find myself cooking many of them without any thought of fasting. One of my favourites is Pasta e Vaianeia. I cook this dish at least once a week , it is so satisfying and filling it gives you good energy and you feel so much better after eating this. I reccommend this to everyone to wants to start eating healthy food, never mind fasting. I did the "fast" for 2 months and when I reached my desired weight I had got so used to eating the recepies in this book i just continued using them . This is the Real way to eat.9 months later........... This book has changed my life. I could never understand the Italian pride in their food and their cooking but I must admit I am a confirmed advocate of eating this way. Never would I have believed that a pot full of boiled veggies could taste good. Growing up in Ireland in the 1960s, our staple diet was meat, spuds and 1 veg. I hated dinner time and was a problem child when it came to eating. If only I had eaten the recipes in Dr Longo's book back then......... Between childhood and adulthood I developed an addiction to sugar, something I have been able to quit 5 years ago. These recipies are wonderful for satisfying a sweet tooth and since eating like this, sugar cravings are behind me.

Not many books that are so eye opening and easy to read. As someone who is health conscious this has given me a great understanding of foods as a whole, what to look out for/avoid and how fasting really does make you live longer (or is shown across multiple studies which I went on to discover post read) biomarkers are closer to optimal after the fasting mimicking diet and I am even fasting right now as the previous one I did (fasting mimicking diet) after reading this book made me look noticeably younger/youthful as well as feeling ‘cleaner’ and healthier overall. I have gifted this to family as it’s so easy to understand. Thank you Dr. Valter Longo