
age of 75 – complications of a stroke. He was a positive, friendly person and had a nice family and lots of friends – all conducive to a long life. But he was overweight and had a pronounced belly that extruded over the belt buckle, a fairly common sight for most men over 30. He subscribed to the typical American diet and was not into exercise. Sorry, riding in a golf cart does not qualify as LifeNuts exercise.
Visceral fat, as you know, is fat you can’t see, the kind that lies below the subcutaneous fat that we can see and touch – around our bellies, thighs, and most other conspicuous spots. Even though visceral fat is hidden, it surrounds the internal organs and is associated with cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), cancer, and diabetes. It can be eliminated by changing to a plant-based diet and daily exercise – as LifeNuts recommends.
Our golfer-friend succumbed to one of these calamities, a stroke, which led to pneumonia, which led to a ventilator. Funny how lessons become more meaningful when death strikes close to home.
For those reading this who want to avoid such an early demise (our friend was only 75), going to the website of the National Institute on Aging might help: http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/featured/healthy-aging-longevity.
I agree with most of their recommendations, although I must chuckle at their including a meat and dairy in their proposed diet. Remember: politicians don’t run this country – lobbyists do. And the meat and dairy industries have two of the most powerful PACs known to mankind. They infiltrate every aspect of food in the government, including this institute.
They also explain that we are living longer, which is simply not true. In 2011, Americans lost about a half year in longevity. The Japanese gained about a half year, that despite several crushing national events. Why do they live much longer than we do? Answer: their lifestyle is much different than ours. LifeNuts documents this well in our nutritional section. Despite spending more per capita on health care than any other developed nation, the USA is still 36th in longevity, another reflection on our lifestyle.
So here’s the problem. Many people, myself included, don’t (or didn’t) think much about aging in our 20s, 30s, and 40s. It never occurs to folks in those age brackets that old age will come, sooner rather than later. But old age, just like taxes and death, will come to each of us. Some will enjoy their old age, being functional, healthy, and vibrant. Others, who have chosen the typical American lifestyle of unhealthy eating, a sedentary existence, and a proclivity to worrying, anger, and frustration, will suffer the consequences. For me, I choose the LifeNuts program and, even though there are no guarantees on what the future holds, I will probably live a long, happy, and healthy life.
Please share LifeNuts with your friends, relatives, and those close to you so that they, too, can be healthy and vibrant in their old age. Time passes quickly.