keto diet

Want to live a long and healthy life? Enter mTOR. The mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) pathway is a cellular signaling pathway that regulates growth, metabolism, and protein synthesis in response to nutrients, energy, and stress. Overactivation of mTOR is linked to aging and age-related diseases because it suppresses autophagy (cellular cleanup), leading to the accumulation of damaged cells and proteins.

Inhibiting the mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) pathway through diet and lifestyle is a strategy often associated with longevity and reduced risk of diseases like cancer and diabetes. Though there are many ways to inhibit the mTOR pathway, diet modification is the simplest way to do it. Below are four tips that will lead to a healthier and longer life. If you follow a whole-food, plant-based diet, you are already implementing them.

1. Don’t Eat So Much

Reducing calorie intake without malnutrition lowers mTOR activity by decreasing nutrient and energy availability. This can enhance autophagy and promote longevity. A whole-food plant-based diet is naturally calorically sparse because fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes have two powerful components working for them: fiber and water. These two components lead to satiety at a reduced caloric consumption.

2. Spend Less Time Eating

Practices like time-restricted eating or alternate-day fasting inhibit mTOR during fasting periods by limiting amino acid and glucose levels. This encourages cellular repair processes. To put this into practice on a simple level, stop eating by 7 PM and time breakfast for 8 AM. Having a window of 12+ hours gives your body ample time to take advantage of some of the benefits of time-restricted eating without the feeling of deprivation one often feels when fasting.

3. Eliminate Animal Proteins

Animal proteins, especially those high in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), activate mTOR. Shifting toward plant-based diets or moderating protein intake can mitigate this activation. Because a whole-food plant-based diet doesn’t include meat or animal products, protein intake declines to the level that is not cancer-promoting. Also, there is ample evidence that protein coming from plant foods (all foods have protein) is healthier than animal sources because animal sources have high levels of saturated fats, toxins, digestive byproducts that destroy your gut flora, and high levels of BCAAs like leucine, which is an mTOR activator.

4. Increase Dietary Polyphenols

Polyphenols in foods like green tea, turmeric, and berries suppress mTOR signaling and reduce inflammation. Polyphenols are natural compounds found in plants that act as antioxidants, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, which helps protect against chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

5. Exercise

Physical activity, particularly aerobic exercise, can regulate mTOR signaling. While resistance training temporarily activates mTOR for muscle building, overall exercise contributes to metabolic balance and cellular health.

Though the ketogenic diet is cited as a good way to downregulate mTOR, it comes with too many risks. Severe nutrient deficiencies, increased heart disease risk, kidney strain, digestive issues, poor bone health, and muscle wasting are some of the risks that would seem to counter the argument for the health component in a long life.

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If there were a Dr. Michael Greger action figure, there would be one in my kitchen. I discovered his www.nutrtionfacts.org years ago and then read his How Not to Die and more recently his How Not to Diet. The nearly 5000 citations from carefully scrutinized science studies and publications is enough to make you giddy with science.

And, yes, there is a whole section on Keto diets and what the science says. I’ve encouraged all my friends who have tried keto to watch the keto video series on nutrtionfacts.org and to read his How Not to Diet. I’ve also encouraged friends to read these books if they simply want some evidence-based guidance to maximize their health.

There is a better path for health and for those wanting to reach a healthy weight. A few of the studies that stood out from his books have showed that low-carb diets increased mortality from ALL causes. The longest lived populations around the world eat high carbohydrate diets centered around whole foods: sweet potatoes, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, etc… There is often a confusion in the fitness industry where all carbohydrate = bad. Processed carbohydrates like white flour, white bread, white rice, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, are indeed unhealthful foods – high in calories and lacking any nutritive value. But whole grains, rich in fiber, minerals, nutrients, and protein, are a different matter all together. Which is perhaps why they lower your risks of heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and chronic inflammation.

Simply following a whole food plant based diet led to the most profound health changes I’ve experienced: from a better mood and energy to better athletic performance to better sleep. What I fuel my body with is making me healthier and not mortgaging my health for short term optics.

So, after years of eating a whole food plant based diet, I thought I’d share what a typical lunch looks like. I tend to run or workout before a late lunch so it is the largest meal in volume but perhaps not in calories (though there are plenty). I aim to get as many raw vegetables of as many varieties and colors as I can. Before rinsing and throwing everything into my salad bowl I had a handful of strawberries that were sitting on the counter and ate a few handfuls of baby arugula because it would not fit. In the bowl you’ll see some sprouts (a mix), carrots, red cabbage, broccolini, a red and yellow pepper, and an heirloom navel orange. By the end of this meal I will have had 10-12 servings of veggies and about 7-8 servings of fruit (including what I had at breakfast). This way, anything at dinner is a bonus!

I’ll also try to include some lightly steamed dark leafy greens with some spices. In the smaller bowl you’ll see some purple and green kale with granulated garlic, chipotle powder, oregano, and a splash of apple cider vinegar below a pile of black beans with salsa. Typically, I’d also have a pile of quinoa or millet or some whole grain but I was too hungry to wait for that to cook and the fridge didn’t have leftovers. I’ll get them at dinner. After all of this, I’ll grab a date or two and a few walnuts.

Maybe the next post will have a picture of breakfast!

Rabbit Hole Runner

Writings and reflections in the realms of nutrition, health, and running…

Why a Whole Food Plant Based Diet is a Longevity Diet in Disguise