Recently, something called the “Poisonous P’s” have started making headlines. Dr. Valter Longo, professor of gerontology and director of the University of Southern California’s Longevity Institute, gave an interview to The New York Times this spring about the link between diet and living longer.
In it, he recommended legumes and fish (not groundbreaking, if we’re being honest) and avoiding five foods that start with P: pizza, pasta, protein, potatoes and pane (bread in Italian). Another doctor agrees that these types of foods should be consumed in moderation and that diet is one of a few keys to increasing our odds of living a longer, healthier life (maybe even until 100). “Our diet supplies us with most of the raw materials we need to sustain life, grow our bodies, repair injuries and give us the energy to carry out our purpose on earth,” says Dr.
Trent Orfanos, the director of integrative and functional cardiology at Case Integrative Health. “Food is information. If we give the body bad information, we can expect poor outcomes in our health, so we need to eat smart for longevity.
” Orfanos holds board certifications in internal medicine, cardiology, integrative medicine, functional medicine and anti-aging medicine and is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. He’s spent more than 30 years treating patients and studying tools for longevity, and he has his own advice for foods to avoid — or at least minimize — if you want to live a lon.
