How to Live 100 Years
The Teachings of Luigi Cornaro

Have you ever heard of Luigi Cornaro? He wrote a book about 400 years ago titled "How to Live One Hundred Years," and his teaching, as simple as they may be, still hold true today. You may have heard about him in the writings of famous natural hygienists such as Herbert Shelton. The story of his life told in his book has been an inspiration to countless people for almost 500 years. In the misdt of confusion about what is the proper diet for us, Cornaro’s words may complement any diet you’ve been struggling with. But who is Luigi Cornaro?

Luigi Cornaro is an Italian nobleman who was born in 1467 in Padua, Italy. Well educated, he has written many volumes of philosophy later in his life. When he reached the age of 40, he was apparently as sick as he’d ever been. All the doctors he had seen told him that life was basically over for him. Fortunately, he happened to consult another medical head who had a very different advice for him. To the question, "what can I do?" he answered: "Cut out the rich food, eat as little as you can, don’t abuse your body, and you will get well." And from this moment on, he indeed started to get well.

He cut down his intake of food to twelve ounces of solid foods and fourteen ounces of wine. He called his system la vita sobra, which became the name of the book he wrote later, "The Sober Life." With this small intake of food, Luigi immediately began to feel better. At the end of the year he was completely free of all his health problems.

Much later when he was 70 years old, his relatives encouraged him to increase his daily amount of food. He then agreed to increase his food from 12 ounces daily to 14 ounces. Apparently this didn’t work for him. After eight days of this change, he lost all his joy for life, and after 12 days, he had a fever that lasted 35 days. He then went back to his old diet and regained his health.

We wrote his book on the sober life when was 80 years, and sent it to all the kinds and noblemen that he knew under the title "How to Live 100 years." Luigi indeed lived to be over 100 years old . He died peacefully at the age of 102.

So what is the value of Luigi’s teaching for yourself? You might think, yeah right, but there’s no way I can live on so little food. But that is not the point. Luigi Cornaro didn’t ask the reader to eat his minimal diet, but understand the principles of the sober life. He wrote that the amount of food needed for each person might vary, but the principles of the sober life must been applied. So what were Luigi’s principles?

The Two Rules for Maintaining Health and Prolonging Life were reduced to two things, quality and quantity.

• First rule of quality: eat what agrees with you.
• Second rule of quantity: eat no more than you can easily digest, and only what is necessary to sustain life.

With these two principles alone, he was able to reverse a so-called incurable disease, regain his health, and live to be 102. In our world of "always reaching for more," there is much to learn from Cornaro’s teachings.

It is amazing how these principles are now being proved by modern science. We now know that reducing the caloric intake of animals extend their life, and there is enough to show that humans on a low calorie/high nutrient diet live longer than average. But even better, they live healthier lives. What the stomach cannot digest, even when the food is organic and raw and freshly picked, ferments and poisons the body. Eating just enough to satisfy your need is the science of health.

Although Cornaro’s health teachings are quite simple, they will appeal to anyone with common sense. It may be the missing piece that you need in order to solve your own puzzle of health.

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