The Tasty Way to Good Health

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Lonjevity Makes Healthy Taste Good

Gerry Davies has a mission and he’s passionate about it. He wants to change the way people eat enabling them to lead healthier lives. His experience includes over 20 years of practice as a medical doctor and 40 years following the literature related to diet and exercise. His approach to accomplishing his goal is a novel one; he opened a restaurant — Lonjevity Superfood Café, that is. Gerry saw a restaurant as an avenue to spread his message. He felt certain that once people began to try this new way of eating, they would discover the benefits of the food’s good taste combined with better health. His hope is that if you give them the food, the people will come. Yet in the long run, his greatest desire is for people to change their diets at home as well.

This former doctor has strong beliefs about the connection between diet and health. He is convinced that 80% of health issues are lifestyle-related and he’s got the research to back it up. His belief is that we don’t need doctors to treat 80% of health problems. Instead, a change in diet and lifestyle will do the deed. He holds the high glycemic part of Western civilization’s diet responsible for obesity, and states that 70% of the foods Americans eat belong in the high glycemic category. Gerry reduces these foods because “It’s the staple diet, and the staple diet is wrong.” His goal is to change the stats around to 70% superfoods. What are the superfoods? There are a wealth of options including fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Foods like dairy, eggs, meat, olive oil and certain fish which used to be deemed as harmful are now included in the superfood category. In fact, as Americans’ consumption of these foods decreased over a 30 year span, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes skyrocketed. It’s the massive amounts of glucose that we really need to avoid.

The concept behind the menu at Lonjevity is to eliminate the bad foods and replace them with beneficial superfood ingredients. In the process, old favorites are transformed into new creations, such as tabbouleh or risotto made with quinoa (a highly nutritious seed that is a complete protein). In doing so, he teaches others how to eat for health. The revolutionary pizza is made with whole grains, flax seed, and garbanzo flour yielding a pizza loaded with protein, fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 oils. Don’t let the new twists to your old favorites scare you. You probably won’t even notice the absence of foods in the white category on Lonjevity’s menu — no white flour, potatoes, rice or sugar. The principles operate on the belief that the hamburger isn’t bad for you; it’s the bun and french fries that need to be changed. So at Lonjevity, you get the burger with a whole grain bun and a choice of fries made from either sweet potatoes or yucca. First time diners accustomed to a traditional diet referred to this meal as “outstanding” on my visit to the restaurant.

Since wine and beer are also considered superfoods, Lonjevity houses a bar with community tables where on some nights, you can enjoy live entertainment. Moderate and responsible use of alcohol (1-2 glasses) is reported to be hugely beneficial to chronic disease, particularly vascular disease. In fact, either the excess or the absence of alcohol has been determined to be a risk factor for coronary disease

The fact that Lonjevity is located across from one of the largest hospitals in Florida and in the heart of hundreds of medical offices is what Gerry calls a “lucky coincidence.” Since the vast majority of doctors don’t tend to dispense information about the impact of diet on health, Gerry’s long-term aspiration is to get doctors interested in giving their patients practical dietary information. Since the best education is experienced firsthand, tasting the food at Lonjevity is the logical next step.

In the future, Gerry hopes to expand the business to include catering and retail, where customers may purchase bread and baked goods made from superfoods – enabling people to eat healthy at home as well. Due to customer requests, Lonjevity already sells their delicious whole grain bread made from Gerry’s recipe. The health-promoting ingredients include whole wheat, oats, pumpkin seeds, garbanzo, lentils, and flax seed.

You can enjoy healthy and tasty food 3 meals a day, 7 days a week at Lonjevity Café, located smack dab across from Sarasota Memorial Hospital. From now on, dining at Lonjevity could be the only reason you need to be in the neighborhood. What a way to live!

by Amy Warren