Whenever we hear that we have to eat less in order to lose weight we start envisioning ourselves as being deprived and starving. Losing weight is one of the benefits of caloric restriction (CR). The truth is that reduction of our caloric intake may lead to anti-aging health benefits as well! Experimental studies have even shown that it is possible live longer by eating less calories. Let us take a look at how to slow aging with caloric restriction.

First of all, caloric restriction (CR) is not equivalent to malnutrition. Initially the goal is to reduce the number of calories consumed by changing what we eat instead of how much we eat. The simple truth is that many of the foods with the highest nutrient values are fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in calories. Therefore, if interested to slow aging with caloric restriction, one must consume a lot of lower calorie foods with dense nutrient value, like grains, legumes fish, fruits and vegetables.

Based on modern studies on primates, worms, mice and flies, a longer and healthier life is possible through a combination of a lower calorie intake and a nutrient dense diet. Along with the quantity comes the quality of life as diseases that indicate aging, such as heart problems, high blood pressure, dementia and the likes, are avoided.

In studies with experimental animals, when the brain regions responsible for cognition and memory were measured, there was a significant difference in the amount of atrophy of the brain tissues. In animals on caloric restriction, there was less atrophy as compared to the control group of animals, which was allowed to consume as much as they wanted. As a result, the control group that was on unrestricted caloric intake was showing the obvious signs of aging such as atrophy and other diseases. A 30% caloric reduction resulted in slowing the aging process by 30%-40%.

The average consumption of a human male is a little over 2600 calories daily. There is, however, no magic way to determine for everyone how many calories should be consumed if interested in slowing aging, because of body size differences, metabolism as well as the level of activities each individual partakes. This is the reason why two individuals consuming the same amount and kind of food can end up differently in terms of weight and size.

To get a good look at how caloric restriction affects aging, take note of your average daily calorie intake. Create a database for one month to determine your solid average caloric intake. On the following month, reduce your daily amount of calories taken by 5%. It is important not to make the body feel hungry in the process. The secret lies on the kind of food being consumed. Choose lower calorie foods that are high in nutrients instead of the high calorie foods that are presently in your daily diet.

Go to your doctor and have him establish a baseline for you of cholesterol levels, fasting blood sugar, and blood pressure. Each month, reduce your caloric intake by another five percent. At the end of the month, see your doctor again and have these three numbers rechecked. If they show improvement, you may very well be slowing the aging process in your body. You can reduce calories by another five percent for another month and repeat the tests. When your numbers level out and stop showing improvement, you will have reached what should be the optimal caloric intake to assure you of a longer, healthier life.

Resveratrol, which is found in red wine and skin grapes, has been shown to mimic the effects of a caloric restricted diet. Studies have shown that in addition to potentially slowing the aging process, Resveratrol is the biggest medical discovery since antibiotics with many cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits, just to name a few. If you want to slow aging with caloric restriction but the process seems too difficult to attempt, why not try nature’s perfect supplement, Resveratrol?