Michael F. Roizen > Quotes

“To help curb hunger and avoid binge eating, drink a glass or two of water before you eat.”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: Losing Weight: The Owner's Manual to Simple and Healthy Weight Loss

“Four studies, all reported in the last five years, have found what many suspected all along: that a positive attitude makes a large difference in how long and how well you live.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The RealAge Makeover: Take Years Off Your Looks and Add It to Your Life

“Your body tries to remove free radicals via antioxidants, which try to bind the free radicals up (as if they were in handcuffs) and haul them out of your cells and then out of your body. That’s one of the reasons blueberries and exercise are so good for you—they are two very powerful ways to increase your in-cell antioxidants. Regularly drinking black coffee is another.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“In fact, behavioral choices account almost entirely for a person’s overall health and longevity by age sixty. The older you are, the more your choices determine how long and how well you live.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The RealAge Makeover: Take Years Off Your Looks and Add It to Your Life

“eat a little fat twenty-five minutes before your meal (70 calories or so of fat in the form of six walnut halves, twelve almonds, or twenty peanuts), you’ll stimulate a chemical that will both communicate with your brain and slow your stomach from emptying to keep you feeling full. (It takes about twenty-five minutes to kick in and takes about 65 calories of fat to stimulate.)”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: Losing Weight: The Owner's Manual to Simple and Healthy Weight Loss

“Red pepper, when eaten early in the day, decreases food intake later in the day.”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: Losing Weight: The Owner's Manual to Simple and Healthy Weight Loss

“Making energy creates waste, like exhaust from a car. That’s the byproduct of running the engine. Your cells work the same way, but this biological exhaust comes in the form of what are called free radicals, which are chemicals that can damage your cells.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“But the quest to preserve your brain is not just about avoiding something that’s scary. It’s also about preserving and extending youth, and youthful curiosity, learning, playfulness, and relationship building.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“YOU Tip: Rock Your Guac. Food fact of the day: The avocado is known as the testicle plant—not just because it’s shaped like the lovely sperm holders, but because it grows in pairs, and one side hangs lower than the other (really, we’re not kidding about the plant). The other reason why it could be named after the sacred scrotum: The healthy fat in avocado has also been shown to decrease BPH. Saw palmetto has the same fat as avocados and should decrease prostate growth as well. The major benefit: smaller prostate size, less BPH, fewer nighttime awakenings for urinating.”
― Michael F. Roizen, You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty

“Mitochondria are small contained units within your cells that function as your body’s power plants.7 When all is said and done, it’s the mitochondria that are responsible for giving you the energy to make your body run. Since everything that happens in your body requires energy—heart beating, stomach digesting, brain thinking, muscles moving—you need a constant supply of juice, which comes in the form of the chemical ATP. The mitochondria in each cell provide that juice by processing the glucose and fat from the food you eat. Those mitochondria convert glucose and fat into ATP, which is the jolt that is sent to your organs and systems to make everything run.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“•   Eat more food early in the day and less later on. Try to eat only in a seven- or eight-hour window. Eat only when the sun is up and eat 75 percent of your calories seven or more hours before your planned bedtime.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“An easy way to estimate your resting metabolic rate is to multiply your desired weight in pounds by 8 and add 200, but this is very variable, so if anyone ever offers to measure your real metabolic rate, accept the offer.”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: On A Diet Revised Edition: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management

“Who doesn’t love butter on bread or cream in a salad dressing? These ingredients add luxurious mouthfeel and flavor. The problem is that those additions are loaded with saturated fat—the worst kind. But never fear: We’ve got a really cheap gourmet hack that cuts the fat and adds a ton of flavor. The secret is something we like to call vegetable crema or cream—basically, pureed vegetables. Dr. C got the idea recently when he was perusing the olive oil section of his local grocery store. There, among the golden and green liquids, was a very small but very expensive jar labeled crema di carciofi (artichoke cream). Dr. C loves artichokes, which are not only delicious but also loaded with inulin, a prebiotic fiber that feeds good gut bacteria. A quick look at the ingredient list revealed there wasn’t much to this interesting treat: just artichokes, lemon juice, garlic, and a little olive oil. So, Dr. C decided to make it himself. He picked up a few cans of artichoke hearts, packed in acidulated water. When he got home, he threw them in a high-speed blender with some garlic and extra-virgin olive oil and let it whirl. He gradually added olive oil until the mixture was creamy and totally smooth. Then he tasted it: It was absolutely amazing. And he had a huge jar of it for just a few bucks! Artichokes aren’t the only foundation for vegetable cream; you can use the same method to create other variations with steamed carrots, roasted onions, and more. Want something really fast? Just blend some avocado with lemon or lime (no oil needed). The cremas are great on a piece of 100 percent whole grain bread or paired with some smoked salmon (just as good as cream cheese!). You can also add to hot soups, in place of crème fraîche or sour cream, to add extra body, or as salad dressing with its creamy texture.”
― Michael F. Roizen, What to Eat When: A Strategic Plan to Improve Your Health and Life Through Food

“If any food has any one of the five ingredients below as any one of the first five ingredients on the label, don’t let it near your mouth. ❏ Simple sugars ❏ Enriched, bleached, or refined flour (this means it’s stripped of its nutrients) ❏ All syrups, including HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup—a four-letter word) ❏ Saturated fat (four-legged animal fat or palm or coconut oil) ❏ Trans fat (partially hydrogenated vegetable oil)”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: Losing Weight: The Owner's Manual to Simple and Healthy Weight Loss

“And as people live longer and healthier lives, particularly without the complications of chronic disease, medical outlay growth will notably lag GDP growth. In practice, this means that the feared explosion of the federal deficit due to aging citizens will never come to pass; spending on health care for the elderly will be delayed by at least 20 years and that money can be channeled into pension retirement programs and other productive activities. Improved health means that money that would be spent on medical care when we are 50, 60, and 70 will not be necessary for 20 to 30 extra years. This money will be both invested and spent on nonmedical choices (leisure, housing, education, technology, etc.).”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“science tells us that when you are under the age of six, your genes determine what happens, but by the time you are 55, 80 percent of your health outcomes are determined by your choices, which dictate which of your genes are on and which are off.2 So while your genetic component at birth certainly has some influence on your ultimate health and longevity, life outcomes are much more about engineering via your behaviors, choices, and decisions than they are about genes.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“Our bodies are wired to react first; that’s why we fall victim to ads from Amazon and goodies from the grocery store, even if we know they’re not best for us long-term. In this way, our brain and our heart (really our executive functioning part of the brain and our reptilian brain) do compete when making decisions. Is there a simple fix for this? Not really, but there is a strategy: indulging in just a little bit of patience. That is, if you can delay your emotional decision—even for just a few minutes in some cases—it will allow you time to let your executive function process the information, weigh the options, and make the very best decision for you.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“When you feel hungry, drink a glass or two of water first, to see if that’s really what your body wants.”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: Losing Weight: The Owner's Manual to Simple and Healthy Weight Loss

“passion of mine is volunteering in my community. It can be serving the homeless children, reading to shut-ins, or escorting the elderly to medical appointments or going for walks outdoors. I’ve made a great circle of like-minded friends who also enjoy supporting others in need. Volunteering not only helps those we serve but gives those of us in the support roles a great sense of gratitude. I also established years ago with my friends a ‘no gift-giving’ policy for birthdays and Christmas. Instead, I asked those who insisted in gifting me to donate several hours of their time in community service. It’s amazing the number of folks who initially hesitated and now have adopted the same policy. I’ve made a great circle of friends with this practice. Paying it forward. .”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“Another difference was that the meat our ancestors ate wasn’t like the meat we know today. Theirs was low in fat and high in protein; ours often comes in the form of corn-fed cows pumped up to make fattier, tastier cuts. Even today’s buffalo burger is corn-fed. Truly wild game has about 4 percent fat, while now most commercially available beef has nine times that amount. (The theory behind protein-heavy diets like Atkins is that protein reduces overall food intake and could reduce calories as well. The”
― Michael F. Roizen, You: On a Diet: The Insider’s Guide to Easy and Permanent Weight Loss

“Measure your waist. Ideal is 32½ inches or less for women, and 35 inches or less for men.”
― Michael F. Roizen, YOU: On A Diet Revised Edition: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management

“Every little decision adds up, and even more as you live longer. That is what good genetic engineers do! Your lifestyle choices change the functioning of your DNA switches as surely (and in a much cheaper and easier way) than CRISPR.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“Think of the cardiovascular system as a highway system. If roadways are the infrastructure of the city, the conduits that get us from here to there, then our circulatory system is the infrastructure of our bodies. Our blood vessels carry nutrients and oxygen to our cells and then carry carbon dioxide and other by-products away from our cells.”
― Michael F. Roizen, RealAge: Are You as Young as You Can Be?

“our bodies are not constantly in a state of autophagy. It turns on and off. Recent research shows that we can have some control over it, inducing the process by periodically fasting.12 There also is quite a bit of evidence that autophagy helps us slow aging by quieting inflammation and helping build our immune system. Clean out the cellular trash, reap the longevity benefits.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“Regeneration: What’s better than having cells act younger? Having them actually be younger. This is what we mean by cellular regeneration. What if scientists could actually change cells, change mitochondria, and change the switches that control your DNA so that you have your original factory settings back again—and they are set to “younger”? That’s what’s happening right now in mice and dog models, where a manipulation can change aging cells to youthful ones.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“Now, take our existing structure and add some 40 years to the average life span. What happens? You have perhaps five generations instead of three as the typical unit: children, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and nonbiological family. Add in the fact that people will still have life bumps and changes, divorce will still happen, and blended families will grow. Families will become tribes rather than small units. Most of all, enhanced longevity underscores the importance of strong relationships—romantic, familial, and platonic—as they are a major source of optimum health. Keeping connected as we age is critical, especially for the very old (relationships keep us in the present, not the past).”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“Make your heart as good as new? Your brain? Your back? Every other part of your body that ages? That’s the promise of what lies ahead with one of the major players in the longevity race: senolytics. “Senescence” means the “process of growing old,” while “lytics” means “anti.” Senolytics is anti–growing old.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“The elderly tend to get fewer colds than kids, even though they have a weakened immune system. This happens because our systems develop defenses against antigens; we acquire antibodies to the germs we’ve defeated in the past (stored in plasma cells in your bone marrow, as mentioned earlier in Chapter 6), and destroy those antigens and viruses before they can multiply and cause that illness.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“This knowledge all stems from the Human Genome Project work that defined what makes you you. Four chemicals—represented by the four letters A, C, G, and T—come in base pairs to determine everything about you, from hair color to disease predisposition. Your individual sequence? About 3.2 billion letters in those 22,500 genes. That’s your individual code. That code is housed in 23 pairs of chromosomes—one of each pair from each parent. Each chromosome contains hundreds to thousands of genes that contain code that directs the manufacture of proteins and controls cell growth, function, and survival.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow

“In the brain, a storm comes in the form of gunk, or plaque, that builds up to interfere with the connection of cells. That plaque comes from brain waste (yes, all organs have waste). Some of it is called tau protein; some is called beta-amyloid, or sometimes limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43.1 Essentially, this cell waste attracts inflammation; the buildup disrupts the brain’s connections by gobbling them up and reducing their size, as a storm tangles tree branches and makes power lines ineffective.”
― Michael F. Roizen, The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow