Dr. Peter Attia is a physician and former cancer surgeon turned management consultant, longevity guru and New York Times bestselling author. He runs a podcast (The Drive) and has amassed more than a million social media followers.
Dr. Attia believes preventing the four chronic diseases most associated with old age (heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia) must start decades earlier with making the right decisions on exercise, sleep, emotional health, supplements and, as we cover in this article, diet. He has discussed his diet on numerous forums including recent interviews with major international publications.
Primary Dietary Objectives
Committed to embodying the principles he advocates, Dr. Attia’s dietary philosophy is centered on increasing muscle mass and reducing body fat. His end goal is not just extending lifespan but also quality of life (what he refers to as healthspan) in his sunset years.
He recognizes that while life expectancy has been steadily increasing around the world, the latter years of many people’s lives are often characterized by pain and poor health. Dr. Attia points out that a major cause of this is that, as our bodies age, the muscles find it ever more difficult to perform protein synthesis, an essential process for muscle growth and repair.
Muscle mass plays a critical role in mobility, robust health and lifespan. Research shows improved muscle mass mitigates the risk of developing chronic medical conditions later in life. Muscle loss starts to occur from around the age of 35 which makes a protein-rich diet increasingly important with advancing age.
Nutritional Strategy
Dr. Attia does not presently recommend outright a specific category of conventional diet i.e.
- Carnivore,
- Omnivore,
- Ketogenic,
- Vegetarian or
- Vegan.
However, a closer look at his meals and nutrient goals does suggest he leans toward a high protein diet.
He favors a diet that provides more daily protein to the body and fewer calories. This is key to preserving muscle mass and preventing the drop in muscle strength that occurs with aging. Protein is known to have numerous other benefits as well including enhancing metabolism and satiety.
Specifically, Dr. Attia recommends taking 2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight (or roughly 1 gram per pound). That means if you weigh 75 kilograms, you need at least 150 grams of protein daily. He spreads his protein intake throughout the day through four meals. Studies show spreading protein consumption improves muscle protein synthesis.
Dr. Attia consumes 2,700-2,800 calories each day. His protein and calorie targets are at the core of his current dietary plan (‘current’ because, as we will see further in this article, his diet has changed over the years).
Daily Meal Plan
Breakfast
For breakfast, Dr. Attia will typically have eight eggs with toast and butter. He’ll do a protein shake thereafter that includes almond milk and frozen fruit. Alternatively, he’ll eat as many as 10 venison jerky sticks. Venison is lean meat and contains considerably less saturated fat than beef. It’s processed meat though, which would seem to go against conventional viewpoints on the risks of processed meat. It may be worth mentioning that he is an investor in Maui Nui Venison.
Lunch
For lunch, Dr Attia will usually take a chicken salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil accompanied by a variety of vegetables such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and/or carrots.
Dinner
His dinner varies considerably and may include grass-fed beef, pork or salmon.
Dr. Attia incorporates healthy starches in his daily meal regimen especially rice, potatoes and/or sweet potatoes. Overall, he emphasizes eating in moderation and steering clear of junk food.
Carbohydrate Management
While Dr. Attia closely watches his carbohydrate uptake, he recognizes carbs’ role in fostering a balanced diet and growing a healthy gut microbiome. A healthy gut is at the core of the body’s immune system. So to balance his protein and fat intake, he opts for rice, potatoes and other healthy starches that have prebiotic properties.
He generally avoids foods rich in sucrose or fructose. However, he does provide for ‘cheat’ days. For example, he will take more desserts than usual during holiday seasons and other special occasions. He however intentionally makes up for it with exercise the next day. Dr. Attia drinks alcohol as well but does so moderately and no more than thrice a week. His main condition is that you should not have more than two cheat days in succession.
It’s a flexibility a lot of people find more relatable and realistic than a strict no-deviation diet plan. His overarching philosophy is that it’s better to follow a diet that is 70% good than constantly oscillate between 0% and 100% compliance when following a rigid diet.
Evolution of Diet
Dr. Attia’s dietary goals have changed over the years in tandem with his perspective and understanding of how different experimental meal regimens impact his health in the short- and long-term. The two most notable diets he’s cycled through in the past are:
Ketogenic diet
He was on a high-fat low-carb diet that had two phases. The first was a strict ketogenic diet with no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates each day. He would do this for two weeks. Thereafter, he’d move to a more flexible meal plan but one that still kept carbohydrates at no more than 100 grams daily. The keto diet is associated with improved weight loss.
Time-restricted feeding (or intermittent fasting)
He would fast for anywhere between 14 and 22 hours a day then do one big meal per day (about 3,000 calories) either in the afternoon or early evening. Time-restricted feeding has been proven effective at managing weight with some studies showing additional benefits such as:
- Cognitive function
- Cardiovascular health
- Hormone levels
- Gut efficiency and
- Preventing inflammatory illnesses.
Conclusion
Dr. Attia’s diet revolves around protein-rich meals and a ceiling on daily caloric intake. It is founded on the research that shows improved muscle mass is associated with better health outcomes. While he encourages switching to a healthy lifestyle early in life, he insists that it is never too late to get started.
Importantly, you do not have to adopt his entire diet exactly as is. You may for example want to drop the venison jerky sticks and go for unprocessed meat. Evaluate your long-term health priorities and make the small and progressive changes needed to extend and enhance your quality of life.
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