Diet that claims to make you live until 140
Friday 07 May 2010
Elvira and Claus Bonrich are a young, successful couple who believe they have found the way to live longer than anyone else in the world.
And it involves watching what they eat to the max by sticking to scientist Roy Walford’s Calorie Restriction programme.
Their diet dominates their lives to the extent that they rarely meet friends for meals or travel abroad so as not to be distracted from their strict regime.
Fish, veg and nuts are this diet’s foods of choice, while barbecues, fry-ups and roast dinners are avoided at all costs.
Followers of the diet believe roasting, frying and barbecuing creates ‘advanced glycation end products’ or AGE, which are when sugars, fats and protein combine once they are heated.
And quite literally, they think AGE ages you.
‘We think about every single morsel of food we put in our bodies,’ says Elvira. ‘We’ve been following the programme for two-and-a-half years.
‘We do not eat wheat, gluten, dairy, sugar, meat or even drink tap water. I take nutrient supplements and I go to the gym at least three times a week and run nearly every day.’
Those who swear by this diet believe it could make one live until 140 whilst reducing the risk of killer diseases including strokes and cancer.
However, critics say that CR is more-or-less an eating disorder.
At 5ft 3in, Elvira weighs 7st 3lb. Her BMI is 17.9, below the advised lower limit of 20.
Would you ever try out CR?