David Hasselhoff's Secret To Keeping Young

Shutterstock

Jay Christian|May 30, 2013 12:58 pm EST

Famously known for his past long-running TV shows — Knight Rider and Baywatch — David Hasselhoff has maintained a good diet for years and has practiced a secret that keeps him young and alert.

At 6 feet 4 inches tall, the actor tips the scale at a trim 195 pounds. He sticks to a strict diet: doing without red meat, sweet treats, alcohol, and desserts.

For breakfast, Hasselhoff says, "I eat a lot of fruit in the morning. Watermelon, grapes, pineapple, and strawberries give me a lot of natural energy and the water my body needs."

"Twice a week, I'll have a conventional breakfast. Three poached eggs, wheat toast and sliced tomatoes. On Sundays, I splurge and enjoy bagels, lox and cream cheese, capers, onions, and tomatoes. At 10 a.m., I'll start eating vegetables for a mid-morning snack: carrot sticks, tomatoes, mushrooms, green and red peppers slices, and celery. For lunch, I'll have pasta without sauce or grilled chicken and fish, never fried. Sometimes, I'll have rice. The protein and the carbohydrates, gives me a lot of energy, so I can work the entire afternoon with no snacks at all."

With his good diet program, you'd think that's all he needs to keep in great shape. But to keep up his physical endurance, Hasselhoff has practiced what Europeans have been doing for centuries and that is, taking a nap, often called "the power nap," right after lunch.

He said, "A secret that works great is that right after lunch, I'll take a 20-minute nap. It eases the stress and refreshes me."

Hasselhoff isn't alone. This method has been practiced for hundreds of years and today, scientists believe that up to 40 percent of heart attacks can be prevented by taking daily naps.

The "siesta" is an early afternoon rest occurring at noon and originated in Spain. Today, people in Spain, Southern Italy, Greece, and France, still practice the tradition. Even in the Latin American countries, when it's too hot to work outside in the midday sun, people take time off after lunch to rest.

You can also find many other countries, such as Japan, China, India, etc., practicing similar methods for resting at noontime. Aside from having heart benefits, it's is also known to aid in better digestion and improve mental alertness.

Hasselhoff continued, "I also drink about 5 quarts of bottled water every day. It cleanses the skin and makes a big difference in my complexion. Dinner is usually more chicken or fish and rice with lots of vegetables. I seldom eat red meat. I never have desserts.... sometimes a couple of cookies. I also stay away from alcohol, heavy sauces, butter, oils, fried foods, and sugar. I never feel deprived in any way. I can eat as much as I want and I won't gain weight."

For more of David's diet and exercise secrets, visit www.hollywooddietandexercisesecrets.com to purchase the book.