Calorie restriction has thousands of scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals to back up its claims. The benefits of the CR diet are unquestionable. The diet has consistently been shown to improve health and increase the lifespan of animals.
Human studies have begun and the results so far have been remarkable. Calorie restriction has been shown to improve almost every measure of health you can measure. Will it extend lifespan in humans? We don’t know! But just the benefits of calorie restriction alone while alive are enough for many people to carry on with the diet.
Below are the books that you need to read to get you started on the diet. Calorie restriction should be done correctly for it to extend lifespan. This means paying close attention to your diet and health.
Just a heads up and some legal info before you continue!
All links to books that I recommend on this page are Affiliate Links. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you click them and decide to make a purchase on Amazon.
Okay, let’s get to it! Here are the three essential CR books you need.
The CR Way” by Paul McGlothin and Meredith Averill
Calorie Restriction can be done in many ways, but to reap the full benefits of the diet, Paul recommends that you must pay close attention to what you eat and not just how much you eat.
The book emphasizes the importance of glucose control to induce the necessary changes in the body to maximize the benefits of calorie restriction.
A person can adhere to a mild calorie restriction diet and still see major benefits when following the CR Way.
“The CR Way” is one of the most recent books published on the topic of calorie restriction. Paul and Meredith have been on the diet for a very long time and have some valuable information to share.
“Beyond The 120 Year Diet” by Roy Walford
Roy Walford was a pioneer when it came to studying the effect of calorie restriction on lifespan in animals.
Roy was the first to show that calorie restriction doesn’t just work in very young animals, but the diet can be just as effective later in life. The 120 Year Diet is a must-read for anyone interested in general health and longevity.
Roy says in the book: “show me your 45-month-old mouse”
What he’s referring to here is the fact that many people claim that their diet is the best to extend lifespan, but where is their super long-lived mouse?
Calorie restriction is the only diet that has consistently extended both mean and maximum lifespan. Roy explains a bit about the history of the diet and gives his reasons for why he’s confident that the diet would translate very well into humans.
Roy Walford goes into all of the science behind CR and also gives some practical tips on how to practice calorie restriction in a safe way.
I encourage anyone who is going to start practicing calorie restriction to first pick up this book. This book changed my life!
“The Longevity Diet” by Brian M Delaney and Lisa Walford
This book keeps it simple. It’s a pretty short read that you can get through in the afternoon, but it gives a great overview of the science in humans and also how to start CR, what to test for before you begin the diet, and some testimonials from those who’ve done the diet long term.
It’s a great book to complement “Beyond the 120 Year Diet” because it doesn’t go too much into the science and history of CR, but has a very specific goal: to get the person to practice CR in a safe way, and also explain in more simple terms. It gives you steps to follow to begin the diet and so you can make changes and get started almost right away.