John Scharffenberg, a doctor over 100 years old: "I only eat these twice a day."

Dr. John Scharffenberg has dedicated more than six decades to researching the influence of diet on health. Trained at Harvard and affiliated with Loma Linda University in California, he has become a leading figure in the longevity movement : his rigorous and sustained habits have captured the attention of thousands of people around the world. One of the most striking concerns the frequency of his meals , a routine he has maintained for years and one that is unusual among his peers.

After becoming a centenarian, Scharffenberg stated in an interview with Viva Longevity that he gets up at 4 a.m. and has breakfast around 6:30 a.m. He then eats at 12:30 or 1 p.m. and doesn't eat anything else until he goes to sleep between 8 and 9 p.m., thus skipping dinner . He also says that if he gets hungry, he just drinks water. You can see how he explains it (in English) from the 18th minute of the following video :

Her plant-based diet includes fruits like mangoes and persimmons, fresh vegetables, snow peas, and nuts like macadamia nuts. She hasn't eaten meat for many years , although she does occasionally eat milk and eggs.

He also eats potatoes , a food he refers to in the same interview: "There's a problem with potatoes: their high glycemic index. They're like ice cream," he said, albeit with a bit of a laugh, before clarifying that he doesn't plan to give them up. Therefore, in this case, he doesn't seem to be in favor of completely eliminating them from the diet, although he does warn of their potential repercussions and clarifies that a lot depends on how they're prepared and what they're paired with.

Keys to longevity

In addition to what you eat (and when), this doctor also emphasizes other factors he considers very important for living longer and in good health. He categorically rejects tobacco and alcohol , recommends limiting sugar and saturated fat consumption as much as possible, and maintains that regular physical exercise is essential. According to him, regular exercise can prolong your life more than maintaining an ideal weight without moving.

Another message he often repeats in his talks and interviews is aimed at people between the ages of 40 and 70. He believes this stage of life is critical: it's when many people relax, eat more, and move less. For Scharffenberg, "exercise is most important not in childhood or old age, but in middle age," as this is when the deterioration that manifests decades later begins to develop. His approach isn't just theoretical: he applies it every day.