Book: The Anti-Aging Plan – Roy & Lisa Walford

Why You Might Read It:

• To explore a detailed plan for implementing hard-core calorie restriction.
• For delicious and highly nutritional recipes
• To deepen your understanding of the science behind calorie restriction, as it was understood in the early 1990s.
• To learn more about the life and work of Roy Walford, a remarkable and intriguing figure.

My Take

This book was my gateway into the world of longevity. Before reading it back in 1994 I never thought there was much you could do about aging and its inevitable decline. It just was. But this book opened my eyes to the idea that aging could not only be slowed but actively mitigated through the right regimen.

Authored by Roy Walford and Lisa Walford, the book outlines a dietary approach that combines calorie restriction (CR) with optimal nutrition to enhance both lifespan and health-span. This method was rooted in Dr. Roy Walford’s groundbreaking research on the effects of low-calorie diets on longevity, including his work with animal studies and his firsthand experience in the Biosphere 2 project. The plan required two key commitments:

1. A substantial reduction in daily caloric intake (typically 20-30% less than average).
2. Hawkish attention to the nutritional content of every bite consumed.

It’s a challenging regimen, and certainly not for everyone. I followed it on and off for years, and while I still make several of the book’s nutritionally dense recipes (the sweet potato manicotti is fantastic), I struggled to stick with the prolonged fasting and calorie counting. Hunger and life’s inevitable distractions often got the better of me, and eating out or dining with friends made precise tracking nearly impossible.

Today, most people lean toward intermittent fasting as a more practical alternative to hardcore calorie restriction. Interestingly, Brian Johnson—often seen as a modern longevity icon—follows a diet remarkably similar to Walford’s program, consuming just 2,000 obsessively curated calories a day.

Even if the full regimen is too intense for the average person, I still recommend the book. The recipes are exceptional, delivering 100% of the USDA’s daily recommended nutrition in a single serving without relying on supplements. Despite some unconventional ingredients (kombu, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, etc.), they’re surprisingly delicious and remain staples in my kitchen to this day. Additionally, the book offers a solid introduction to the science of fasting and its potential benefits, making it a valuable resource for anyone curious about the intersection of diet and longevity.

The book’s primary author, Roy Walford, was quite a character whose life was marked by a mix of adventure, gambling, and significant scientific contributions—most notably as a key scientist in the groundbreaking Biosphere 2 experiment. Tragically, he later succumbed to Lou Gehrig’s disease, passing away at the age of 79.