Step 2: Understand Your Starting Point
Clarity creates direction
You’ve taken an other important step forward! Good for you!
Now it’s time to look at where you currently stand, understand your habits more clearly, and discover what small improvements may help support your long-term health.
Your Lifestyle Shapes Your Future
Research suggests that only about 20% of longevity is linked to genetics — the remaining 80% is strongly influenced by lifestyle and daily habits.
In Step 1, you discovered how long-term improvements in diet quality may support both health and longevity. Now it’s time to understand your personal starting point.
What You Will Discover
This Step 2 is designed to help you better understand:
• How closely your habits align with Mediterranean lifestyle principles
• Your current life expectancy trajectory compared to your optimized potential
• Which daily habits may be limiting your long-term health progress
• Your personalized targets designed to guide your 28-day reset
Your Assessment
Use the Mediterranean Diet Calculator to compare your current habits with leading research, including PREDIMED-Plus (2025) and JAHA (2024) and better understand your personal starting point.
Be honest. Complete your profile and answer all questions accurately—your results depend on it.
Calculate your score. Click the red button below to generate your instant report.
Review your results. Look at your overall score and pay special attention to the Life Expectancy section, which highlights your main opportunities for improvement.
Read Chef Urbano’s cooking suggestions. These practical recommendations help you move closer to science-based Mediterranean eating habits that support long-term health.
Analyze your personalized action plan. Take control of your new dietary direction by choosing your goals and setting realistic timelines for building a sustainable lifestyle focused on healthy longevity.
What Happens Next
After submitting your assessment, you will receive your Professional Analysis Report with the Personalized Action Plan by email for your records—completely free.
You will then be automatically redirected to Step 3, where you can activate your free Level 1 Membership. For your convenience you will find also the link to access step 3 in your email.
Inside Your Member Dashboard
Inside your dashboard, you will find everything you need to begin your transformation:
Your free Week 1 Menu Plan
Chef-guided e-recipes
Mediterranean Diet educational resources
Blog content and lifestyle tools
Media library and supporting materials
Full access to continue your 28-Day Health Transformation through Weeks 2, 3, and 4.
👉 Additional tools, educational content, and optional upgrades are also available to support your long-term progress.
Important Note: Your Level 1 Membership is a digital DIY (cook-it-yourself) program designed for your home kitchen and does not include in-person Chef@Home services.
*Disclaimer: Based on research published in PLOS Medicine long-term dietary improvements may significantly influence life expectancy. Population-based models suggest meaningful gains may occur when moving from a typical Western eating pattern toward a more optimized Mediterranean-style approach. These estimates are not individual predictions and may vary based on personal health, genetics, and lifestyle factors.
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET CALCULATOR ™
Select YES (Green) if you do this often, SOMETIMES (Yellow), or NO (Red).
(Select YES if you don't drink)
Your metabolic burn: kcal/day.
Current Status: --
Healthy Weight Range: --
| MENU PLAN | EST. WEEKLY WEIGHT CHANGE | EST. TIME TO GOAL |
|---|
Why the World Chooses the Mediterranean Diet
Medical experts and scientists worldwide agree: this is the best way to live a long and healthy life.
🏆 Ranked #1 in the World: For 9 years in a row, the U.S. News & World Report (2026) has named the Mediterranean Diet the #1 Best Diet Overall.
📺 Medical Proof: On ABC News, Dr. Darien Sutton explained that this lifestyle is about "preventative power." This means using real food to help your body stay strong and avoid sickness.
🩺 Total Health: Healthy living is about more than just food; it also includes safe movement and exercise.
March 13, 2020
Movement for Longevity
Featuring Instructor Cody McLaren
"Test your intensity to stay safe."
In this video, you will learn a simple way to check if your exercise is too easy or too hard. Knowing your physical limit is a key part of your health journey.
Note: Please talk to your doctor before you start any new exercise plan.
January 6, 2025
The Science of Prevention
Featuring Dr. Darien Sutton (ABC News)
"It is about the power of prevention."
Watch this report to see why doctors recommend the Mediterranean lifestyle. At Meals For Longevity, we take this medical science and turn it into simple, delicious e-recipes you can cook at home.
References & Scientific Basis
The Mediterranean Diet Calculator™ is designed by Culinary Art Professor and Executive Chef Giuseppe Urbano, and it is the intellectual property of www.MealsForLongevity.com.
Methodology & Sources:
Dietary Adherence: The scoring system is based on the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) methodology established by Trichopoulou et al. (British Journal of Nutrition, 2000 & NEJM 2003).
Longevity Projections: The estimation of years added to your life is based on the "Food for Healthy Life" epidemiological research from the University of Bergen (PLOS Medicine, 2022).
Alcohol Risks: Recommendations regarding alcohol moderation and abstinence align with recent data from the Global Burden of Disease Study (The Lancet, 2018).
Metabolic Calculations: This calculator estimates your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) using the Mifflin–St Jeor Equation, one of the most accurate and widely accepted formulas for healthy adults. Source: •Original research publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2305711/, Clinical summary: https://reference.medscape.com/calculator/846/mifflin-st-jeor-equation, Scientific review supporting accuracy: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4278349/
To determine Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), the calculator applies activity multipliers derived from Kansas State University’s Physical Activity and Controlling Weight guidelines. These multipliers categorize activity into levels such as resting, light, moderate, and heavy to estimate daily energy needs.
Sources: Kansas State University – Daily Energy Expenditure (Appendix 10): https://www.k-state.edu/fns/assets/course_1/food_for_thought/appendices/Appendix_10.pdf, K-State Essential Living Skills (Physical Activity & Energy Balance): https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/essential-living-skills-essential-food-nutrition-and-physical-activity-skills_S134B.pdfIdeal Weight: Target weight calculations utilize the Standard Healthy BMI Range (18.5 – 24.9) to determine an optimal health baseline.
Demographic Data: Life expectancy baselines by country are provided by Worldometer.
Nutritional Guidelines: The weekly meal plans (1,500 / 2,000 / 2,500 kcal) are structured according to the 2014 LARN (Italian Reference Intake Levels) and the 2018 CREA Guidelines (Linee guida per una sana alimentazione).
**Disclaimer: This information is intended for adults 18 years of age or older. It is not suitable for children, pregnant women, or breastfeeding women. The New Modern Mediterranean Diet Calculator™ is for educational, informational, and guidance purposes only.
This tool does not provide medical diagnoses or advice. The results (including BMR, TDEE, and Life Expectancy estimates) are based on statistical averages and do not account for individual physiological factors such as lean body mass, specific health conditions, or genetic history. You should always consult a doctor or qualified health professional before making any major lifestyle changes, starting a new diet, or changing your exercise routine.
