Studies have shown that eating a healthy diet that is low in calories can lead to a longer and healthier life. This is known as the Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition or Calorie Restriction diet. This does not mean a starvation diet since that would be the opposite of healthy. There is more to this than just limiting calories while eating healthy.
Studies have shown that eating a diet that is low in calories can lead to a longer and healthier life. This is known as the Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition (CRON) or Calorie Restriction diet (CR). This does not mean a starvation diet since that would be the opposite of health.
The use of the word “diet” in this article does not mean a diet you start and then stop. This is their everyday daily diet, a lifestyle.
The Health Benefits of a Calorie Restriction Diet
A study of Biosphere residents and participants of the Calorie Restriction Optimal Nutrition Society, who lived on restricted calories for an average of 6.5 years, found that they had significant decreases in their cardiovascular risk factors, lower diastolic blood pressure, lowered C-reactive protein and lower systemic inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-alpha) [1].
All of this means a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases [2, 3].
In other words, they had younger values than their age would indicate and their hearts looked 15 years younger and had a more “elastic” heart. The participants in the studies did not have parents or grandparents who had prolonged lives.
Other studies found a longer and healthier life span when calories were reduced by 30% to 60% in lab animals.
These results don’t seem to be the result of lower weight since there were no prolonged life results seen when lower weight was accomplished through exercise, only lowered calories [4].
Some on the calorie restriction diet either don’t exercise or exercise minimally.
How Many Calories Do You Need
This is not just reduced calories; it is lower calories and maintaining proper nutrition. The participants in the Washington University of St. Louis study ate between 1400 and 2000 calories per day (average of 1671 calories) compared to 2445 calories for the average American diet. The study individuals had an average BMI (body mass index) of 19.7 compared to 27 for the average American [4].
We all need a certain amount of calories just to function, add any activity and your calorie needs go up. Calories are energy and you need the energy to function, your brain, organs, and muscles all need calories, nutrients, and energy.
You should first get your BMR number (basal metabolic rate). This is the number of calories that your body uses up if you just stayed in bed all day.
And then you multiply the BMR by a certain number depending on your daily level of activity to get the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. A very active and physical lifestyle uses many calories, so the calorie restriction diet might not be a healthy choice for those people [5].
You should not eat any less than 1200 calories for a woman and 1500-1800 calories for a man; any fewer calories and you can put your body into a starvation mode, which makes the body think it’s in a famine.
That can cause your body to start storing fat. If you eat too few calories per day, your body will start taking from the muscles and organs.
What Should You Eat on a Calorie Restriction Diet
The goal is to eat between 1600 and 2000 calories per day. The most important part of the calorie restriction diet is an emphasis on nutrition. Calorie restriction does not mean eating only half of a Big Mac and drinking half a soda pop.
Every calorie has to be packed with nutrition or nutrient dense and not empty calories. Eating nutrient dense foods means no processed foods, fast food or junk foods since those foods have too many calories and too few nutrients.
We need to eat protein, carbohydrates, and fats in order to be healthy. Eating any diet that eliminates any one of these three would be depriving your body of important nutrients.
You do not have to eat meat or animal foods in order to get protein; you can get plenty of protein eating a vegetarian diet. Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis says that the calorie restriction diet resembles the traditional Mediterranean diet.
This restricts the amino acid methionine, which is found in animal foods and has been found to hinder prolonged life in animal studies.
In the Washington University study, the 1671 calories contained more than 100% of the RDA for nutrients. Complex carbohydrates accounted for 49%, protein equaled 23% and 28% from fat with 6% of that from saturated fat. The diet was also low in sodium [6].
Some practitioners of the calorie restriction diet do what is called intermittent fasting. Fast one day and eat the next, then fast the next and so forth. The difference with this method is that there is no calorie restriction on the day they eat, but always keeping nutrition important.
The choices are endless for lower calorie and high nutritional meals, lean meats, some fish, beans, vegetables, fruits and about any plant foods. You have to count calories, weigh your meals and become knowledgeable about nutrition.
Is a Calorie Restriction Diet Sustainable?
That is the most asked question. In order for a personal diet or way to eat to be healthy for the rest of your life, it has to be doable, sustainable and filling or satiating. If not, most people are not really going to stick with it no matter how healthy it is.
One of the healthiest ways to eat is a plant-based diet way of eating, which is a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. Since you can eat all you want until full of healthy plants, carbs, and starches, you will feel full and eating fewer calories.
Most plant foods are not very high in calories for the amount you can eat. The only plant foods that are higher in fat and calories that should be limited, but not eliminated are nuts, seeds, and avocados.
A plant-based diet is normally low in calories but full of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and healthy antioxidants. You can eat fewer calories, but never worry about counting calories and become very healthy.
Calorie Restriction Diet Warnings
A calorie restriction diet shouldn’t be done while pregnant, nursing or ill. Starting a highly restrictive calorie diet later in life could cause ill health.
Reviewing studies over the past 40 years, Dr. Fontana has concluded that the calorie restriction diet may actually be harmful to lean people who have minimal amounts of body fat [8].
We all need a certain amount of fat on our bodies for good health. Do not jump into this without doing plenty of research first.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © 2010-2019 Sam Montana
