Will the lifestyle you adopt today, help to carry you into your 80’s and 90’s living your best life?

Or are you eating your way into a chronic illness?

An international survey of adults 65 or older in eleven industrialized countries found the U.S. respondents were the sickest, with 87% reporting a chronic medical condition and 53% taking four or more medications. Forks Over Knives.

Keeping an Open Mind!

While I may not convert you from your happy carnivore status, I do hope to shed some light on the misconceptions you may currently harbour when it comes to a plant-based lifestyle so that you may consider incorporating even a day or two of vegetarian/plant-based meals into your weekly repertoire.

So, what effect does diet have on the aging process?

We all want a long life, free of illness and to enjoy good health for as long as we live. But what effect does diet have on the aging process and what habits can we adopt now to ensure that we live our best life?

The answer to this question may lie in the research that was conducted in the Blue Zones, a non-scientific term given to geographic regions where people supposedly have higher longevity.

The term was coined by Dan Buettner a National geographic fellow and author who proposed in his 2009 book “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest”.

In his book he identifies five Blue Zones, among , Okinawa, an island off the coast of Japan. The older group of Okinawans who were generally born before 1942 had higher levels of activity, prioritize rest, and sleep and have a diet that is largely plant-based! Source

Almost two-thirds of Okinawans still function independently at age 97. When these centenarians were developing as young adults and establishing lifelong eating habits, their diet consisted mainly of tubers, greens and vegetables, tofu and a little seafood. Source

Non-dietary factors also impact the longevity on Okinawa. Every adult has a reason for being, and the word “retirement” does not exist in their native dialect. There is a strong sense of community and members will support each other “literally and figuratively”. (source as above and Dispatch from Okinawa: Dan Buettner).

Compared to this prior generation, baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are at greater risk for:

• Diabetes (by 46%)
• Hypertension (by 38%)
• High cholesterol (by almost 500%)
• based on their diet choices (processed food among them)

You have no doubt heard about plant-based eating, perhaps even curious about what that looks like, but have misgivings similar to the ones I’m going to address here.

Let’s debunk some popular myths about plant-based eating:

Myth #1: You have to eat meat to get enough protein.

Fact: The average recommended intake of protein is 42 grams a day. Vegetarians and vegans average 70% more protein than they need every day (over 70 grams). Soybeans and quinoa are complete proteins which means they contain all 9 essential amino acids that humans need.

Lentils, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds, potatoes and many dark leafy greens and vegetables contain protein. (Medical News Today)

Myth #2: Vegans only eat vegetables and food that tastes terrible.

Fact: There is a plethora of websites, cookbooks, Instagram and Facebook accounts that share delicious, crave-worthy recipes. Comfort foods like lasagna, stews, even steak and pizza are on the plant powered menu!

Photos and recipes courtesy of “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken” by Sam Turnbull ~ a really fun and delectable vegan blog. Sam is the author of 2 best-selling cookbooks and about to launch a third!

Myth #3: There is no proof that a plant-based diet is healthier.

Fact: A low-fat, whole food and plant-based diet has been shown to halt and even reverse conditions like heart disease and diabetes. Vegetarians and vegans have lower rates of heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Source

Myth #4: You will become weak on a Vegan Diet.

Fact: What do Lewis Hamilton (Formula 1), Venus Williams (Tennis) and Derrick Morgan (Linebacker Tennessee Titans) have in common?

They bare all plant-based professional athletes.

Derrick Morgan, his children and his wife Charity, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, who cooks vegan meals for Derrick and 15 of his teammates!

Myth #5: Plant-based eating is too expensive.

Fact: It’s easier to eat a plant-based diet on a budget than it is to eat a carnivore diet. On a plant-based diet you are eating staples like grains, potatoes, bananas, beans and minimally processed plant-foods that are not only readily available but can be some of the cheapest items you can buy at the grocery store and farmer’s market.

Myth #6: We need milk and dairy products.

Fact: There are lots of alternatives to dairy products ~ and I can attest that my chronic inflammation in both hips (which I was told would eventually result in a double hip replacement) disappeared when I stopped eating/drinking dairy. Soya beans are naturally high in calcium and protein~I substitute soya milk, oat milk, cashew and almond, just to name a few, for dairy, which contain all of the nutrients I need.

I chose to eat a plant-based diet shortly after arriving in our new home in SW Ontario in 2019. I was determined to see if I could arrest the osteoarthritis diagnosis in my hips.

There was a profound shift in how I felt.

I began to walk regularly, lift light weights and adopted a plant-based diet now for about 95% of the time (Greek feta still gets me every time!).

I have lost 30 lbs. and feel fantastic! I no longer count calories, stress about what I am going to eat, or suffer any ill effects after eating.

More importantly, eating plant-based meals has been an eye opener for me. The meals I prepare, or purchase are visually beautiful and the tastes are vibrant.

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, widely thought to be one of the most influential scientists of all time chose to become vegetarian in the last year of his life.

He wrote a letter to a friend stating:

“So I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, but am feeling quite well this way. It always seems to be that man was not born to be a carnivore”. This was from a letter written to Hans Muehsam, and dated March 30, 1954, which was about 1 year before Einstein died.

We all have this marvelous opportunity to decide how we will take care of ourselves to enable us to live powerfully and healthfully well into our eighties and nineties and at the same time be productive and useful members of society as long as we are able.

May I suggest that we all make a conscious choice to consider, even in part, a plant-based diet?!

Be Bold, be authentically you!

Donna