Yes, another book about longevity! I love books about longevity! And I also keep sharing them, because I really hope people around me will read them too. Not that I am perfect and others are not. It’s just that I see harmful behaviour around me and I think not everybody is aware of these mistakes. Longevity relates to happiness! And happiness is a part of an eco-positive lifestyle. And so today I am sharing a book about longevity: Veroudering Vertragen by Kris Verburgh. I am sorry for all the non-dutch people reading this post, this is unfortunately a Dutch book which wasn’t translated.
Not just about food
I’m going to get straight to the book. It’s a little different from others books I’ve shared about longevity, like The Food Hourglass, from the same author as Veroudering Vertragen. This book is not just about habits. Yes, food and exercise are big parts of our daily habits and plays a major role in longevity, but this book discusses all kinds of methods about longevity. And that’s what I love about Veroudering Vertragen, it is traditional and out of the box at the same time. I also like the fact that there are a lot of sources at the end, this makes me feel more comfortable and also: there’s even more to read!
The book consists of 4 parts. In part 1 Kris explains why we age, in part 2 he explains how we age and in part three he comes with a ‘longer-young’ plan. This plan again exists out of 4 steps. I would explain it this way: step 1 is the base, a good diet. Step 2 is about an addition in the form of lightly toxic substances which he argues can be good in small amounts (I disagree here, but that’s fine) and exercising. Step 3 is about different types of diets, like a vegan diet or fastening.
Those three steps are all about slowing down aging. The fourth step is about reversing it. This is what I find very interesting because I learned a lot, but it is not something I’m personally interested in. Examples of new methods to slow down aging are: vaccines that stop protein clotting, replacing stem cells and CRISPR-techniques. The last part of the book, part 4, is a more philosophical part where questions are asked. Do we really want to get extremely old?
Be selective
Maybe it’s already obvious, but I don’t always agree with Kris or support all the ideas he proposes. But I think it’s a very informative book with a lot of new perspectives. There is a lot of research discussed and that makes it very strong. Besides, a little philosophy is a great addition! More information about longevity is always good in my opinion, since you can see where certain messages align and what’s effective and what’s not. For me it’s mostly about a whole-foods plant-based diet and exercise.
Not about cosmetic youth
Just because I write about longevity a lot, that does not mean I do this because of cosmetics. I don’t care about aging in that way, wrinkles and more loose skin for example. Appearance does not matter. In fact: I think we discriminate old people way too often. They’re not represented enough in media (ever see wrinkles in a magazine?) and excluded in a lot of activities (retirement). There is immense negativity about looking old. I think I see an anti-aging commercial nearly every day! For me longevity is about health and feeling healthy as long as we can, it’s never about appearance!
What is your view on longevity? And have you read Veroudering Vertragen by Kris Verburgh?
Yours sincerely,
Romee
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