“What not to eat is more important than what to eat,” says former badminton player and chief national coach for the India national badminton team, Pullela Gopichand. In his opinion, there is a lot of focus today on which superfood to eat, but “it is the things you don’t eat that are really going to keep you healthy,” says Gopichand, who has recently co-authored a book, The Longevity Code (Penguin Random House India) with physician-scientist Dr Sophia Pathai.Nutrition, not surprisingly, is a crucial aspect of this book, which seeks to “decode your biological age, understand the science of ageing, and apply breakthroughs in metabolism, movement, and mental well-being,” as the blurb states. The Longevity Code also examines the science and biology of ageing, the difference between biological and chronological age, understanding resilience, the role of genetics in ageing, the concept of healthspan and why exercise is essential for longevity, among other things.“Since we have started to live longer than ever before, it also makes sense to live healthier. Both are not necessarily the same thing,” Gopichand says. “People are living longer, but with disease, which doesn’t make so much sense. If you are living longer, you might as well live healthier.”Gopichand emphasises the importance of the concept of healthspan: the number of years of life spent in good health, free from chronic disease and ageing-related impairments. “For me, some of these things are fundamental. lI jwonder why we are not seeing them.” hThe idea of co-writing the book sprang from the two’s mutual connection: Sateesh Andra, “a long-time friend and someone I deeply admire for his foresight in science and innovation,” writes Gopichand and Sophia in the book.Sateesh, the Managing Director of Endiya Partners, was Sophia’s friend. “She met me at my academy in Hyderabad, and we started talking,” Gopichand recalls talking to her about his journey, the misconceptions about health he once had, the challenges in this space that both athletes and laypeople often face and how many classical Indian practices, which have been left behind, were actually good for us. “Those kinds of conversations happened, and one thing led to another, and she spoke about writing a book together.” Their book repeatedly emphasises the value of adopting a lifestyle proven to boost longevity: real food, physical activity, adequate sleep, and stress management. “New age sciences are not tested enough to keep looking at them as miracle answers. We need to get back to simple things: sunlight, sleep, stress a little less, move a little more, stay a little thinner and work a little harder. I think those fundamentals are more critical.”