Are sushi burritos in or out of the healthy diet?
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In! 
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Yes, lots of obese Americans. I’d suggest the key is to treat splurges such as ice cream and take-out pizza as an occasional treat, not a major food group.
For folks that exercise and maintain a healthy weight, I don’t see a need to ban them completely. No issue of course for those who want to adhere to the strictest of diets. It is quite admirable.
My personal view is that it’s wise to minimize unhealthy foods and sedentary habits… but since I might die of something totally unavoidable, I do want to enjoy a some pizza and ice cream in moderation. And yes, a bit of other rich foods and alcohol too.
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I know that no matter what I do, I will most likely develop dementia after turning 80-plus as it runs in the family. I practice eating ice cream once in a while… so when my attic empties out and I and unable to eat most foods, my caregivers will have at least something palatable to feed me 
Pizza… I’m very picky about my pizzas. 
most chain pizzas are crap. 
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OK, y’all, dh and I passed a 55+ community that said “walk-ins welcome” down the street from my kids, who we are visiting, so after we played pickleball we stopped in. Guess what? It was Sundae Thursday and we finished our tour soon after they set up so we had FREE ice cream, which i think we all know is healthier than ice cream you have to pay for. The average age of this community is 84 so Sundae Thursdays hasn’t killed too many of them.
Resume arguing, but I stan free ice cream!
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I often joke at church coffee hour that “free food has no calories”. I rarely buy cookies or bake, so it’s a nice treat.
I am slowly working my way through the book. So far, I like his emphasis on early intervention - prevention of those serious conditions rather than treating them when they occur. I haven’t read anything too off the wall but I’m not too far into the book yet.
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I am working on beefing up my exercise, and try to eat fairly healthily most of the time but I decided long ago I wouldn’t ever cut anything out of my diet. I eat pizza, I eat ice cream- they are both a joyful part of my life I would not want to give up. I can’t imagine not being able to go out for an ice cream cone with my future grandchildren or passing up a slice of pizza every single time (especially if it is good pizza).
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Seems like a good place to put this article. The centenarians who lived healthy lives did not do the recommended best practices. For example, 60% smoked.
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I do think genetics plays a role in our overall health and longevity. For me, diet and exercise is a way of pushing back against heredity. I still need help from medication but it beats the alternative.
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Yes, some people win the genetic lottery…
Also, for those who are 100 years old now, there was less medical knowledge about various health risks, so things like smoking (and secondhand smoke) were common in the first half of their lives.
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I have decent genetics. Mom lived til 89, sharp and independent til the last weeks. (That was a relief to her, since both her parents spent last years in nursing homes.). Dad is 96, still sharp and pretty healthy. I credit his dedication to exercise and eating plenty of fruits and veggies. He jokes that his martinis have kept him “well preserved”
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Attia does talk about the centenarians who smoked and drank their way through their lives. His book is targeted towards the idea that you can beat your own genetics to live long as well.
That said, and I’d read this before, he also says that only 20% if longevity can be attributed to genes. We often “inherit” our lifestyle from our parents as well.
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I have put the book down after getting really bored reading the first several chapters… Does he discuss the role of the climate (specifically, temperature)? The molecules in bodies are designed to operate at an optimal temperature, and extreme heat and cold as well as excessive food consumption or starvation can wreck the body’s metabolism.
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Bumping to see whether anyone finished this book and to hear your thoughts.
I’m still working on it - I’m a slow reader and some of the material is a bit dense. I’m appreciating his distinction between metabolic syndrome and obesity at the moment. He almost left me behind on Easter Island!
Me too, I’m still working on it. Slow reader as well. Though I did finish the final season of Jack Ryan last night.
Has anyone read the book, Younger Next Year?
Wondering how the information compares to what is in Outlive.
I am starting the section on mental decline now. I agree with much of what he has said so far in terms of much earlier testing and prevention rather than treating once illness has advanced to a certain point. My cardiologist orders the same tests as Attia and recommended resuming a statin even though my cardiac risk doesn’t “require “ one.
The cancer section really hit close to home. My dad died from prostate cancer, typically something most men die with rather than from. Earlier, aggressive treatment might have prolonged his life and made it a better quality one, IMHO. I could visualize Dads last year’s reading that section and it was tough not to think, what if?
I’m glad I’ve stuck with the book. Eating less, exercising more, early medical intervention- all things I agree with.
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