Silvanesti Smoothie

[Clinton]

Are you ready to get serious about your approach to longevity and looking for a grab-and-go meal idea?? 

I believe here that we all share the common goal of applying an intelligent, science-based approach to maximizing health-span and lifespan, and it is in that spirit that I consider the following.

The upper-bound (at present) of maximum human lifespan appears to be 120 or 122years.  Perhaps it’s time for us to look to other humanoid cousins that have much longer lifespans.  Perhaps it is time to address the elephant in the room: yes, I am referring to Elves; in particular the Elves of Dragonlance (not necessarily the same as the Elves of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works).  Even as a geeky kid I found the longevity of the elves astonishing and was intrigued at their ability to circumvent death for so long.

http://lexicon.dragonlancenexus.com/index.php/Silvanesti_Elf

https://dragonlance.fandom.com/wiki/Silvanesti

What exactly IS the lifespan of Silvanesti Elves?       “Most Silvanesti live to around 550 years old”

Is it possible that if we study and apply the lifestyle and dietary habits of the Silvanesti that we may also be able to reap the benefits of some increased lifespan?  Let’s examine what might contribute to this impressive lifespan.

Silvanesti Elves are approximately 5’ in height and weigh 90-100lbs; the resulting BMI range is 17.7 to 19.6; Elves are slim and a BMI in this range places Elves at a decreased risk of all-cause mortality and major decrease in risk factors for nearly every disease (known to man).

Elves live their life in and surrounded by nature.  The health benefits are likely numerous; avoidance of air pollution, artificial lighting and industrial noise.  A lifetime observing nature and being present in the moment is essentially a lifetime of meditation.

Elves are very physically active and without vehicles would almost certainly achieve a minimum 10, 000 steps per day.  Walking with leather footwear, open footwear or bare feet and Elves are thus constantly in contact with the earth; earthing.  Elves are self-respecting, clean & elegant beings; not boorish hooligans and as such might occasionally partake in alcohol or Tabaco consumption, but in very controlled moderation; certainly not to excess.

Perhaps one of the largest contributors to the health & lifespan of Elves is that of their diet.  Having zero access to processed food, and eating a diet comprised entirely of organic whole-foods is one of the cornerstones of Elven vitality.  The diet is plant-based with small amounts of animal protein; zero refined sugar, zero refined grains.  The result is a diet relatively high in fiber and polyphenols.  Fruits, vegetables, greens, whole grains and berries would be plentiful in the Elven diet.  For example, Quith-pa (iron rations while on a journey), was typically dried fruit or bread.  Coffee and Teas would be consumed liberally throughout the morning and mid-day.

I demand much from my nutrition:  I require it to keep me lean and strong while providing plenty of micronutrients, impressive amounts of healthy fats, fiber and polyphenols without excess calories. 

On my quest to a healthy 550 years I hereby present my ‘Silvanesti Smoothie’ inspired by the Silvanesti Elves of Dragonlance.

I typically have this 1-2 times per day:

¼ Cup (I prefer ½ Cup) Rolled Oats             1 TBSP Ground Flaxseed                 8 to 10 Almonds

1 TBSP Walnuts                 ¼ Cup Blueberries             ¼ Cup Raspberries            1 TSP Ceylon Cinnamon

½ to 1 TSP Greens+ powder          2g Creatine (Creapure)   1 g Taurine          1g Beta-Alanine

1 TBSP whey protein powder (Optional but excellent low-calorie (dense) source of Cysteine for elevating glutathione levels, protein for strength and to mitigate sarcopenia as well as some dietary calcium and adds some nice flavor).

I add the ingredients to a 500mL sealed jar with water, vigorously shake to mix, and let sit overnight.  The rolled oats are not cooked and are essentially ‘over-night oats’.  One could easily use low-fat or skim milk instead of water and whey protein powder.

Edited February 10, 2020 by Clinton

[UserReqDel20200217]

How tall are you, your weight and your age? You look too muscular to do calorie restriction if you go to the gym, I suggest you stop doing it and let your muscles decrease even when you think you can restrict your calories, but don't let your fat drop below 6% as it can be fatal

[Clinton]

10 hours ago, Fernando Gabriel said:

How tall are you, your weight and your age? You look too muscular to do calorie restriction if you go to the gym, I suggest you stop doing it and let your muscles decrease even when you think you can restrict your calories, but don't let your fat drop below 6% as it can be fatal

Hi Fernando!!  I am 5'-6 1/2" tall weigh approx. 140lbs and am 45 years old. 

Thank you for your reply!  With due respect, I believe that you and I have different perspectives with respect to how to maximize lifespan;

One one hand, I believe that in order to live as long as possible, I cannot allow myself to die prematurely due to malnutrition or illness (things that can affect my short-term survival), whereas you do not seem to be concerned with dying due to malnutrition or short-term survival.

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by Clinton

[mccoy]

On 2/7/2020 at 5:14 PM, Fernando Gabriel said:

How tall are you, your weight and your age? You look too muscular to do calorie restriction if you go to the gym, I suggest you stop doing it and let your muscles decrease even when you think you can restrict your calories, but don't let your fat drop below 6% as it can be fatal

Fernando, eminent biogerontolgists such as Valter Longo and Luigi Fontana affirm that muscle mass impacts beneficially on longevity. Of course we are not speaking about the muscle hypertrophy exhibited by Mr. Olympia contestants, but of an healthy and functional muscle mass, let's say BMI 20-25 with about 15% adipose tissue.

Conclusion: you should go to the gym like Clinton does and pack some muscle on your frame, which is too skinny and may result not in longevity, rather in illness and premature death. And eat liberally of healthy foods. You should be able to reach at least a BMI of 20 kgm-2 (better if more) with 10-15% fat (seeing a little abdominal fat). That's good for longevity.  

[Clinton]

Updated...

As a result of my recent desire to have increased strength to Orc levels I've changed my smoothie/shake to contain the following:

I typically have this 1-2 times per day:

¼ Cup (I prefer ½ Cup) Rolled Oats             1 TBSP Ground Flaxseed                 8 to 10 Almonds

1 TBSP Walnuts                 ¼ Cup Blueberries             ¼ Cup Raspberries            1 TSP Ceylon Cinnamon

½ to 1 TSP Greens+ powder          4g Creatine (Creapure)   1 g Taurine          2g Beta-Alanine

1 Scoop whey protein powder - loaded with methionine, leucine ... yep I just hit the gas pedal on aging 😉

Edited June 28, 2020 by Clinton

[Sibiriak]

3 hours ago, Clinton said:

yep I just hit the gas pedal on aging 😉

Carpe diem!  😈

 

[mccoy]

On 6/28/2020 at 3:05 AM, Clinton said:

1 Scoop whey protein powder -

1 scoop = about 20 grams, about 80% protein, = about 16 grams of leucine-rich protein, times two = about 32  grams. It's not that huge (additional) quantity, after all, considering you work out strenuously every day. Of course, it depends on the quantity of protein in your regular food regime as well.

[Todd Allen]

Instead of a whey protein smoothie I make a whey protein pudding with egg yolks, beef gelatin, kefir'd cream, coconut oil, cocoa and stevia leaf topped with a couple berries, crushed nuts and hemp hearts.  Probably horrifies most here, but it works for me.

[mccoy]

1 hour ago, Todd Allen said:

Instead of a whey protein smoothie I make a whey protein pudding with egg yolks, beef gelatin, kefir'd cream, coconut oil, cocoa and stevia leaf topped with a couple berries, crushed nuts and hemp hearts.  Probably horrifies most here, but it works for me.

Beef gelatine sounds yukky, but the other ingredients are OK. Taken as a regular meal.

[Todd Allen]

1 hour ago, mccoy said:

Beef gelatine sounds yukky, but the other ingredients are OK.

The beef flavor isn't particularly strong and is masked by the cocoa.  It's a bit tricky to get a nice texture, I dissolve it in water before mixing in the whey and yolks and then have to stir well with gentle heat in a double boiler to set it without forming lumps.  But in combination with megadosing vitamin C has been super helpful in my recovery from lead poisoning which I think depleted my vitamin C status despite exceeding RDA and lead to issues with my joints, bones, skin, nails and gums all of which are doing much better.  I get a high quality pasture raised beef gelatin from Aspen Naturals:

https://aspen-naturals.com/products/beef-gelatin-aspen-naturals

Edited July 2, 2020 by Todd Allen

[Sibiriak]

I'd go for it,  but without the whey,  gelatin, egg yolks, coconut oil, and kefir'd cream.    I do drink modest amounts of regular kefir.

Okay,  I might try the kefir'd cream,  at least once.

[mccoy]

I wonder if collagen would help improve the response of my ligaments and cartilages to resistance exercise. I'm a little reluctant because I don't eat products derived directly from animal parts. I'm exploring alternatives like supplements. It requires patience, but I developed some amount of it.

[Clinton]

McCoy,

 I am looking into collagen myself at the moment.

Did you come to any conclusions?? Have you started taking any??

[mccoy]

Clinton, yes, I've started experimenting this strategy, specifically suggested by the examine.com staff  (joint health for athletics). I'll go on for 120 days, then evaluate the results:

 

Type2 undernatured collagen: 40 milligrams per day

Combined EPa+DHA :  3 grams per day.

I chose the costliest, hi-quality fish-oil capsules I could find.

Whereas I chose the only T2-UC I could find, the NOW brand.

T2-UC can be substituted by 10 grams collagen or 15 grams gelatin. I prefer to minimize animal food, most collagen is bovine collagen. What about prions?

Edited January 21, 2021 by mccoy

[Clinton]

McCoy,

 I haven’t dedicated the necessary time to research for myself what we can expect from collagen, what forms, brands, quantities, etc to consider.

 I see that Rhonda Patrick sometimes takes hydrolyzed collagen, 1g, the Great Lakes brand.

 I’m trying to recover from a shoulder injury at the moment... possibly an issue with the elbow on the same side.

 I am taking EPA, DHA and glucosamine at the moment but the body seems to heal slowly...

[mccoy]

9 hours ago, Clinton said:

but the body seems to heal slowly...

If it may be of any solace to you, in my case the body hardly seems to heal at all. Age apparently governs recovery, but there are some other factors that remain mysterious. I've tried rest, physiotherapy and I'm trying now supplements. Next time I'm going to try specialists in orthopedy, but I don't expect glamorous results.

[Sibiriak]

I've used Biocell collagen in the past when I was having a little knee joint pain.  Seemed to help, and improved skin tone as well.   I didn't feel any effect from UC-II undenaturedt type II collagen.

https://www.biocellcollagen.com/

In this particular formulation:

Supplement Facts
Serving Size: 2 Capsules
Servings Per Container: 30
	Amount per Serving	% Daily Value
Biocell Collagen (from chicken sternal cartilage extract)	1000 mg	**
Hydrolyzed Collagen Type II	600 mg	**
Chondroitin Sulfate	200 mg	**
Hyaluronic Acid	100 mg	**
OptiMSM	400 mg	**
Organic Amla fruit extract (Nature's C) (Naturally containing 5% food nutrient Vit C)	100 mg	**

Other Ingredients

Capsule (cellulose /plant fiber).

 

 

[Clinton]

Thanks Sibiriak,
That looks like they have included all of the main supplements that can aid in joint health,

Clinton