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I just started watching a new video course on Wondrium. The title is The Emerging Science of Longevity, and it’s offered by Mark Hyman (doctor). Lecture 2 of the series talked about the importance of diet – food – to living a longer healthier life. It sounded pretty good, but I’ve learned the importance of Lateral Reading when navigating today’s Digital media. (For example, to see what’s true and what’s not true on the Internet. “Bonjour!” Like the old State Farm TV Spot?)

For starters, I found a doctor who called Hyman the “Dr. Oz” of Nutrition. (Which wasn’t that much of an insult before “Oz” ran a hugely unsuccessful run for Senator in Pennsylvania.) That was Alex Berezow, PhD, who made his comment on October 14, 2020.

Then there’s Nutrition & Health “Experts” You Shouldn’t Trust – Sheila Kealey, which offers this: “Misinterpreted science, cherry-picked studies, conspiracies, and alluring anecdotes are the tools that many use to sell their stories.” Aside from Mark Hyman, other dubious “experts” included Mehmet Oz (recent Pennsylvania candidate for Senator), and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Which brings up what Sgt. Esterhaus said pretty much at the start of every episode of Hill Street Blues. (The Chicago-based police TV series that ran from 1981 to 1987.) Which brings up another cautionary note. Michael Conrad, who played Esterhaus – and kept saying “be careful” – died at the ripe young age of 58. (Young that is to someone who just turned 71.) Which presents another good reason to check out ways to help you live that longer, healthier life.

On the other hand, lateral reading showed that some of what Hyman said is supported by solid evidence. One proposal: “Eat a third less, extend your life by a third.” See You May Live Longer By Severely Restricting Calories … – NPR, and Do Low Calorie Diets Help You Live Longer? – Healthline. Then there was Autophagy, a word Hyman used that I’d never heard of. It’s the “body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells.”

[A]utophagy is an evolutionary self-preservation mechanism through which the body can remove the dysfunctional cells and recycle parts of them toward cellular repair and cleaning, according to board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Luiza Petre… “It is recycling and cleaning at the same time, just like hitting a reset button to your body. Plus, it promotes survival and adaptation as a response to various stressors and toxins accumulated in our cells,” she adds.

Dr. Petre added this would “remove debris and self-regulate back to optimal smooth function.” Which I figure is the functional equivalent of cleaning out all those junk computer cookies…

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Getting back to my living a longer, healthier life: In March 2021 I posted An Updated ‘Geezer Guide to Supplements’ March 2021. The post – and links therein – was mostly about supplements – vitamins and minerals – but along with them I tried to eat healthy. Back then pretty much every morning I’d mix together a whole egg, along with kale, spinach, wheat germ, and flax seed. For extra flavor I’d add some bits of chopped-up pepperjack cheese. But since then I learned that my cholesterol was just a tad high. (And no, “I don’t know the numbers.”)

So these days, instead of a whole egg – with that cholesterol-high yoke – I switched to Simple Truth Organic™ Cage Free 100% Liquid Egg Whites. And did away with the cheese. But I still add in the kale, spinach, wheat germ, and flax seed. Which, with a dose of ketchup, tastes pretty good. (Kind of like a Spinach Omelet.) I’m also eating a lot more fruits and vegetables, but wondered about getting enough protein. So I ordered Orgain Organic Protein Powder, chocolate-flavored. It seemed pretty good, but I struggled with what to put it in.

I tried the suggested water mix, but the result wasn’t too appetizing. Too gritty. I went on to various other concoctions, but none worked out that well. One trick I tried – and still do – is getting a teaspoon of peanut butter and swishing it around in the powder. But the best way I’ve found so far is to buy get a chocolate protein shake, then mix in a couple extra teaspoons of the protein powder. The result is a creamy smooth drink – almost like a milkshake – that also stretches your consumer dollar. (You get more protein in smaller doses.)

But the “experts” also recommend variety, so for a change of pace I sometimes have oatmeal for breakfast. But not the regular, quickie, processed kind. I use Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick Rolled Oats. It takes a bit longer but what the heck: No cholesterol and no sodium. I tried using a quarter cup of oats and a half cup of water, but that turned out to be too hefty a portion for me. So for a lighter version I came up with “fruitmeal.” You just put some frozen fruit in a microwave bowl – frozen fruit is cheaper these days – and add two tablespoons of oats and one tablespoon of water. (Frozen fruit adds enough extra water to make the mixture work.)

And you know all of this has got to be true because it’s now on the Internet. (“Bonjour!”) But seriously, “Hey, let’s be careful out there. And don’t forget to do your lateral reading!“

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The upper image is courtesy of Hill Street Blues Be Careful Out There Image – Image Results. See also Hill Street Blues – Wikipedia, and Michael Conrad, 58, Sgt. Esterhaus on ‘Hill Street Blues,’ Dies. The latter noted that Conrad died in 1983, at the age of 58, of urethral cancer. (Which offers another good reason to pay attention to a healthy diet and other life-prolonging protocols.)

Re: Lateral reading: “investigating who’s behind an unfamiliar online source by leaving the webpage and opening a new browser tab to see what trusted websites say about the unknown source.” On that note, and on eating a third less and living a third longer, see also Don’t Eat Less, Eat Less Often and Live Longer – drpompa.com, Eating Less to Live Longer – ABC News, and The Rule of Thirds – Healthy Gut Healthy Life – Kelsey Kinney.

Re: Clearing out cookies. See Should you delete cookies? 6 reasons you probably should, or The Importance of Clearing your Browsing History and Cookies.

Re: The 2021 Geezer Guide update. See also A Geezer’s guide to supplements, and A Geezer’s guide to supplements – Part II.

The full cite to the “Orgain” link is Orgain Protein Powder Review – Must Read This Before Buying. The rolled oats link is Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats | Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods.

The lower image is courtesy of Bonjour State Farm – Image Results. For a live audio see State Farm® State of Disbelief French Model – YouTube.

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