Valter Longo, Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, posits that timely consumption of meals is key to a longer and healthier life. The specialist strongly advocates for larger lunches and earlier dinners. . A central piece of advice from Longo is the three-hour rule; he recommends finishing dinner at least three hours before bedtime. For instance, if you usually go to sleep around 11pm, aim to have your last bite by 8pm.

Speaking with GQ, Longo explained: "If you push your dinner later and later, the message to your system is [that] you should still be active." This is part of the time-restricted eating strategy, a form of intermittent fasting. Followers of time-restricted eating fit their entire food intake into a twelve-hour window, enabling their systems to fully digest within the remaining twelve hours, perhaps leading to a calorie deficit instrumental for weight loss endeavours.

The expert also pointed out that our current meal sizes might be askew, observing that many people have a scant breakfast but a hefty dinner. Although this works for some, he suggests those with specific symptoms should opt for a substantial lunch earlier in the day and a lighter dinner instead. He noted: "If you do have a bigger dinner, and you’re sleeping well, your cholesterol and blood pressure [are] fine, then you’re good. But if you’re sleeping poorly, and you have [health] problems, maybe you should move to having a bigger breakfast, a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner, which usually seems to be the healthiest [pattern] of all.".

Adam Collins, Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Surrey, suggested that people increase the time between their last meal of the day and their first meal the next morning to around 12 hours. He said: "You’re allowing your body to go into the more catabolic phase, where you’re shifting to oxidising fats. You’re training the body to do what it’s designed to do: burn carbs when you’re eating carbs, and then burn fat when you’re not.".

This approach could enhance metabolic health and aid weight loss efforts, aligning with Valter's advice for leading a healthier lifestyle. These insights are part of the expert's Daily Longevity Diet for Adults, details of which can be found on his website. Other recommendations from the expert include following a predominantly vegan diet with occasional fish two or three times a week, while keeping protein, saturated fats, and sugar intake low, with specific amounts varying by age. Maximising your intake of good fats and complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and vegetables, taking vitamin supplements, and using unprocessed ingredients where possible.

As for specific foods that could help extend lifespan, Valter recommends consuming at least three tablespoons of olive oil a day and one ounce of nuts daily. Depending on your age and weight, the expert suggested potentially reducing to just two meals a day with two low-sugar snacks in between for younger individuals who tend to put on weight easily. Meanwhile, those over the age of 65 or of normal weight are advised to have all three meals a day along with one low-sugar snack that contains fewer than 100 calories.