Living Vegan For Dummies - Alexandra Jamieson [160]
If you aren’t taking aspirin or other NSAIDS, it isn’t usually necessary to take an iron supplement after menopause, and most men don’t need to supplement for this mineral. Before supplementing iron it’s wise to consult with your doctor and have a simple blood test.
Metabolic Mayhem for the Mature
Keeping off the muffin top in retirement is a high priority for a lot of baby boomers. One of the great joys of vegan living is that most of us have a lower BMI, or body mass index, than meat eaters, fish eaters, and even vegetarians. Because high protein and low fiber consumption are the factors most strongly linked with increased BMI, it makes sense that vegans would naturally weigh less and reap the associated health benefits.
Seniors staying sexier for longer
Switching to a low-fat, whole foods, vegan diet is one of the best ways to deal with women’s menopausal symptoms of weight gain, insomnia, hot flashes, fluid retention, vaginal dryness, and wrinkles. Along with greater longevity, lower incidence of heart disease, and osteoporosis, Asian and African women who eat a more traditional diet that’s less reliant on meat don’t experience the same rates of menopausal symptoms that Canadian and American women do, according to T. Colin Campbell’s The China Study (Benbella Books). Eating a diet devoid of the hormone-producing fatty animal foods like meat, poultry, and dairy can greatly relieve women’s symptoms and help them stay trim and confident.
Mature men also sense a sexier self after going vegan. The increase of fiber and elimination of cholesterol and high-fat meats and dairy products improves overall vein health and circulation. Because Viagra essentially works by increasing and improving the flow of blood in the body, it helps men with circulatory problems achieve erection. Vegans generally have better cardiovascular health, so erectile dysfunction won’t be as much of a downer.
As we age, our metabolism slows down and so do we. Not only do the mitochondria (every human cell’s power source) slow down, but most humans also lose muscle over time and exercise less. When people age and stop working to build muscle through weight-bearing exercise, their ability to metabolize energy and calories is reduced. For these people, it takes longer to burn off a piece of vegan cream pie at the age of 70 than it does at 25.
To improve metabolic response and overall energy, a vegan diet paired with a daily exercise routine that includes consistently increasing weight-bearing activities greatly improves the body’s ability to lose weight.
Healing Disease with a Vegan Diet
These top killers in America should be put on big banners right next to the post office posters of the most-wanted criminals: heart disease, cancer, and stroke. These, and most of the next top five diseases, including diabetes, affect the health of most seniors and are often avoidable with proper diet and lifestyle considerations. We’ve all heard the doctors and seen the special reports: What we eat can kill us — or heal us.
The facts are clear that a whole-foods, vegan diet that avoids processed sugars and over-chemicalized ingredients can help seniors to sidestep and even cure many diseases. Along with heart disease and cancer, osteoporosis and digestive problems plague senior citizens and lead to a greatly diminished quality of life.
Due to overfarming, and the explosion of monocrop agriculture, the actual quantities of nutrients in our food and soil have greatly declined over the past 100 years. Choosing a diet of organic foods that have been raised in healthier, more nutrient-dense soils will increase the nutrition you get from your food, thus helping your body recover from and avoid disease.
Improving cardiovascular health as you age
Sadly, most of the reasons that seniors develop cardiovascular or heart disease are avoidable. High blood cholesterol, smoking, lack of exercise, stress, and being overweight are the main culprits which become more dangerous as humans age.
And there’s no denying that a diet rich in meat, refined carbohydrates,