Path to a longer, healthier life can start in the kitchen

People looking to improve their health often examine what and how much they eat. In China, this has resulted in the growth of restaurants offering salads and vegetarian fare. At the same time, many people battle a time crunch as long commutes, longer workdays and family responsibilities chip away at time for selfcare. That makes fast-food tempting, be it from an eatery, a stall or a cart — even when the food is high in calories, of dubious nutritional value or full of sugar, salt and fat.

While eating right and exercising cannot guarantee a longer life, recent scientific studies appear to support theories about how diet is linked to a better and healthier life.

“The landmark CALERIE study reports that cutting calories by 15 percent slows down an aging metabolism and may help protect against age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, cancer and other ailments,” according to a report posted in March last year by longevityfacts.com.

CALERIE stands for Comprehensive Assessment of the Long term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy. The study’s results were published in the journal Cell Metabolism that same month.

It’s important to note that the study’s goal was not weight loss. It tracked 53 healthy adults in the United States between 21 and 50 years old for more than two years.

While classic calorie restriction usually means a sustained reduction of 20 to 40 percent, the study participants managed only a 15 percent reduction, at best. Dieters around the world will empathize. Nutritional supplements were used as needed to avoid any negative effects.

Leanne Redman, the study’s lead author and an associate professor of clinical sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said the study indicates that cutting back can help reduce the markers of aging. “After two years, the lower rate of metabolism and level of calorie restriction was linked to a reduction in oxidative damage to cells and tissues,” she told Wired magazine.

Several years ago, my wife and I came up with a new plan for eating. First, I downloaded an app that helped me set goals for calories and such things as fat and carbohydrates.

It took some getting used to, but we would weigh what we ate and count calories.

Then we looked at modifying our diets. I had eaten dry cereal with milk for breakfast all my life, but even “healthy” cereals often had too much sugar and carbs. We started experimenting with egg dishes made only with egg whites, adding onions, mushrooms and other healthy foods. I had whole wheat toast instead of white bread.

On workdays, I would pack my lunch and supper together. I would fill two medium-sized jars with ingredients such as nuts, a few raisins, slices of cucumber and zucchini, dragon fruit and apple slices, with two halves of an egg, not including the yolk. I have to credit my wife Delores with coming up with this idea.

I pair that with a small yogurt, two whole grain crackers with peanut butter and a bag of raw celery. Some days I’ll take a salad. On many weekdays, I am an ovo-lacto (eggs and milk allowed) vegetarian.

It keeps me away from bread, pizza, sauces and other temptations. I relax a little on weekends, but overall, I feel better not being weighed down by heavy food.

There are so many wonderful culinary choices in a city like Beijing that cutting back can be a challenge. I don’t believe that totally denying yourself something you really love is very sustainable, but if I do indulge, it’s in small quantities.

I can live with that, and hope to do so for a long time.