Full Transcript Aging, Health, and Diet Changes 0:00 65 is an age where often people are less physically active and if you're not as 0:04 physically active then we're not eating quite as much so we may not be getting 0:07 the nutrients that we're having before. Um, 65 is also the age where some people 0:11 are economically actually better off than they were before so they can 0:15 splurge a little bit more than they were doing earlier. So you may not be doing 0:18 exactly the same thing. But the other thing, let's face it, you know, time 0:21 does take a toll. >> Mhm. 0:22 >> And so if a person had a little bit of a cholesterol issue, it might be uh, 0:27 affecting them if they've had higher blood pressure, it might be affecting 0:30 them too. When I say affecting them, it [music] can affect the heart, affect the 0:34 arteries, affect the brain. And so some of those things, those effects are real. 0:39 That said, 65 is not old age. Let me be clear. It seems like old age when you're 0:45 18 but 65 is an age where people should be vigorous, sharp. If you could run a 0:50 marathon when you're 45, you should easily be able to run one when you're 65 0:54 if not faster. Um, you are not old yet. >> The some of the toughest people to 0:58 convince are those closest to you and it hurts the most because you know they 1:03 don't have to go through that. My mom had a sister who had was identified with 1:07 breast cancer, a lump. >> Yeah. 1:09 >> And said, "Well, go to go to see Dr. Sabatino. Go to see Dr. Scott. At least 1:13 get a second opinion." But some people won't. 1:16 That's okay. But it hurts when you do it and with 1:20 your kids. With your kids. >> Yeah. 1:23 >> It kills you. >> Yeah. 1:24 >> But you got to have the bigger perspective on life that there is more 1:27 to life >> [music] 1:27 >> than fruits and vegetables. >> Some people will say, "You're too old to 1:31 change." And people don't want to change, you know, whatever. This is the 1:34 biggest lie I got to tell you. I was when my parents were alive, they lived
Convincing Family and Older Adults to Change 1:37 in a senior center. 1:39 >> Mhm. >> And uh, my mother had gone vegan because 1:43 she'd had a high high cholesterol and she had 1:45 went vegan and and I mean [music] it cured her. They move into this place, 1:49 there's nothing healthy. So I I sat down with the management. I said, "You should 1:52 really be serving vegan food, at least make them available." He said, "Old 1:56 people don't want to change. They're set in their ways." So, 2:00 that is not true. I gave a talk then. I gave a lecture. 2:04 Um and every hand went up when I said, "Would you like to have try vegan foods? 2:07 Would you like them available?" Older people are on a sack of pills. 2:11 Their doctor has given them worries and they're ready to change. We do a lot of 2:15 studies with older people. They are eager to swap recipes and get on a 2:19 healthier path. >> But if you if we started this interview 2:23 and if you didn't ask me, you know, how I 2:27 grew up or what I think of fruits and vegetables, I wouldn't say anything 2:30 about it. Because I don't I I'm not a proselyte. I don't think that's how you 2:33 do anything. I don't think it politically, religiously, or anything. 2:36 I'm very involved in my synagogue community. I'm president of our Jewish 2:39 Federation and that. I don't proselytize. [music] I think you 2:43 do it by example. And I've done that by example in my whole life. People could 2:47 be quite rude about it in in growing up about. If you weren't doing this way, 2:51 what's wrong with you? And that's never been the way. And and 2:54 even in in my marriage to Wanda, we've been married 34 years. The first 20 2:59 years of those marriage of that marriage, 3:02 she was mostly vegan. I would I think she would say kind of a junk food vegan 3:07 and all that. Have some salmon once in a while. Have some, you know, those and
Leading by Example in Marriage and Community 3:11 and organic wine. I would buy the organic wine, you know, sulfite free and 3:15 all that. But 3:18 I I would never I think she would say that one of the secrets of our marriage 3:22 is that I never judged. I mean, it's not my place to tell her what religion she 3:26 should be or how she should think. I love her because of her, not because she 3:29 ate the same thing that I did. >> You're not going to live forever, but 3:33 keep in mind what what is it that what is it that truncates life? I mean, 3:36 it's cardiovascular disease. It's cancer. It's diabetes. It's Alzheimer's. 3:41 All of these things have a nutritional component. So, Dean Ornish showed 3:46 back in 1990 that age was no barrier 3:51 to the benefit of a healthy diet and lifestyle. He brought in people, 3:55 plant-based diet, lace up your sneakers. And you know, you 3:58 weren't running a marathon. It was a 30-minute brisk walk every day. 4:02 Uh stress >> [music] 4:03 >> production. Do not smoke. 4:05 And after a year, 82% of people saw their arteries reopening. 4:10 Their chest pain was gone inside of 5-6 weeks. I mean, 4:14 you don't need any other reason, you know, to change your diet to have that 4:18 elephant get off your chest. >> Yeah. 4:20 >> Um >> [music] 4:20 >> And so, the arteries are opening up again. 4:23 And so, yes, you you're going to extend your life because the things that kill 4:26 you aren't going to are less likely to happen. And you're not going to live 4:28 forever, but it's it's fine. Um the other thing about it is 4:32 I don't care how old you are. Your quality of life is what's on your 4:36 mind every single day. So, if you can get rid of the things that are keeping 4:40 you feeling bad, um that's great. 4:44 >> Yeah. >> And that happens each day when people
Diet, Heart Health, and Quality of Life 4:47 are are changing their diets. Their blood sugar can come down. They feel 4:50 better. >> For me, um I grew up with or a salad 4:54 every day. My lunch at school when I was in grade school was a was a peach cut in 4:59 half with some cashew butter in the middle. And and trail mix before people 5:03 knew what trail mix was. I had cashews and raisins in a little bag. And and and 5:07 a fresh orange juice or something. >> [music] 5:09 >> But that was normal for me. I looked forward to a salad every day. And the 5:13 contrast of it is also true that when I was around, obviously, 5:18 my elementary school schoolmates and middle school kids, they weren't 5:22 eating anything like that. >> Mhm. 5:24 >> But that was okay. I I I didn't I didn't miss what I didn't 5:29 know. >> That that chicken drumstick is is not 5:31 your friend, either. It's got as much cholesterol as red meat. Let me say that 5:36 again. Chicken has as much cholesterol as red 5:40 meat. Or just just look on the look on the package. You will see it's got the 5:43 same cholesterol content, if not even a little bit more. Cholesterol 5:47 is in the lean portion of the meat. 5:51 >> Mhm. >> Now, the fat is not so good. The fat 5:54 causes your body to make cholesterol, but the cholesterol itself in the meat 5:57 is in the little cell membranes around the muscle cells themselves, and there's 6:01 more cholesterol in the lean than in the fat. So, people will be saying "Wait a 6:06 minute. I'm eating chicken breast, and I'm taking the skin off. Isn't that a 6:10 good move?" Yes, that is a good move. And if you take the meat off and put it 6:13 down your garbage disposal, that's better, too. 6:15 Um if you avoid the meat altogether, you're going to be fine. 6:18 >> I I guess what I think is that life is much bigger than um
Food as Fuel for a Bigger Life 6:22 >> [music] >> fruits and vegetables. And I think that 6:25 in in my long arc of of of observation of the movement is that those that are 6:31 kind of an ism, the vegetarianism or the veganism or whatever it is that 6:35 they kind of lose perspective. Cuz life is much bigger than fruits and 6:39 vegetables. There is sports, there's music, there's art, there's 6:43 relationships. >> All that sort of stuff. And yeah. 6:46 >> That's really the bigger picture, and the way I've always looked at it, I 6:50 always like Joel Fuhrman's uh book. He's one of my closest friends. With the the 6:54 book Eat [music] to Live, his first big big best time best seller and all that. 6:59 Point was, you don't It was a great If you think about the term 7:02 you eat to live, you don't live to eat. >> Yeah. 7:05 >> That's was the phrase. And I've always looked at 7:08 the diet that I grew up on as just fuel for all the rest of life. I 7:12 love my mangoes. I love my salad every day. I love my peas every day. But I 7:17 love Broadway shows, and I love traveling world and and and meeting 7:21 people in different cultures and things like that. 7:24 That's That's the stuff of life. >> [music] 7:43 >> She is
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