It seems that as soon as humans became aware of mortality, we began looking for ways of skirting our inevitable demise. The search for the Fountain of Youth played a significant role in the lives of many. Unfortunately, the lifestyles and eating habits to which many of us have become accustomed are contrary to our goal of longevity.

The real Fountain of Youth isn’t so much a place or thing as it is a way of life. The diseases of our modern-day experience are wholly unnecessary and absolutely avoidable. The cultures in which we live promote certain modes of thinking that lead us to believe certain “truths”. One of those so-called truths is that old age is a disease and that once we get old, we’re going to be sick. While that may be fact for many, it doesn’t need to be that way.

The reality is that metabolic syndrome is pretty much a brand new experience for us. Cancer, diabetes, obesity – all these hallmarks of our normal, modern-day experience – just weren’t around a few thousand years ago. It’s tempting to argue that people back then didn’t live long enough to suffer from these illnesses, but the fact is that they did experience the onset of age-related decline. They just didn’t experience cancer and diabetes. Why would that be?

The answer is simple: Diet and lifestyle.

People were active. There were no computers, so you pretty much did some sort of manual labour as a part of your daily life. The body thrives on being used and atrophies upon being neglected. We evolved to be physically active. If you wish to be well, you’ll need to get out and about daily.

People also ate extremely well. With the onset of agriculture, however, things went into decline on the health front. Humans were arguably at their healthiest when we were hunter-gatherers. True, we had hardships that tended to shorten our lifespan, but people were healthy while they were alive.

The secret, then, is to adopt a diet that promotes health. And the beautiful thing about this diet is that not only is it absolutely natural for us, it puts a stopper in the bottle of time. If you want to know the real trick to slowing the ageing process, read on.

Insulin and Leptin Receptor Sensitivity

Increased insulin levels and leptin receptor sensitivity are leading factors in premature death. By keeping your insulin level low and reducing leptin receptor sensitivity, you will almost magically reverse a whole range of health problems, including Type 2 Diabetes. The easiest way to control these areas is by reducing your intake of carbohydrates. That means sugar, grains and processed foods.

Once upon a time, I weighed 93 kg. For you folks who think in pounds, that’d be 205 of them. I loved binging on cookies and chocolate. I maintained a steady weight of ~190 lbs (87 kg) for many years. Once I knocked off the carbs, my weight dropped down to 70 kg (155 lbs) in just a few months. Surprisingly, I really didn’t change my level of physical activity much (I was already rather active). The weight just fell off.

So, here I am at 49 years of age weighing the same as I did when I was 18 in high school. The last time I remember being sick at all was back in November 2008. For my 49th birthday, my wife told me that I’m looking younger and younger. You gotta like that.

The dietary secret:

• Animal protein
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts

Most everything I eat is raw. For taste purposes, I still like to cook my meat and eggs. Raw food is still alive and, as such, has a lot of bioenergy available. The tastes are vibrant. Each meal is exciting. I use pink, Himalayan rock salt. I love fresh-ground pepper from a mill. Curry powder, cumin seed powder and garam masala feature regularly as spices. Olive oil. Yum. Food is such an adventure!

And now for the real kicker: By eating so healthfully and staying away from sugar and grains, I keep the genes turned on that regulate my youthfulness and longevity. Excessive carbohydrates, as typically found in modern diets, has been shown to turn off those genes.

Exercise moderately and eat wonderfully with a high-protein/low-carb diet (and, for goodness sake, don’t worry about fats unless they’re trans-fats). Do so and you’ll have found your very own – and very real – Fountain of Youth.