African American Health and Living Longer Means Moving More

 

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

  Last week we looked at the death gap for African Americans - living sicker and dying younger than white Americans. African Americans have higher obesity rates, cutting their lifespans by six years, but Black vegetarians and vegans have less than half the risk of obesity compared to those who eat meat. Even at the same exercise levels, those eating more plant-based had but a fraction of the obesity risk. In African Americans, hypertension is the most significant contributor to their increased cardiovascular disease burden and mortality but… Black vegetarians and vegans combined had 44 percent lower odds of hypertension, and the same benefits were found for total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, cutting the odds in half among Black vegetarians and vegans. The results suggest that there are sizeable advantages to a vegetarian diet in Black individuals, and cardiovascular disease risk factors are even lower in African American vegans (who eat only plant-based foods, meaning no dairy).  So, there’s tremendous potential for plant-based diets to improve the health of African Americans.  It's a Meatless Monday and we can all benefit from plant-based living!

 Those who live longest and best in the five areas of the world called "The Blue Zones" eat similarly, and move similarly - they move a lot, but not too much.  Studying these groups has shown that the best activity for healthy living is the same for all the Blue Zones people - it's the one you enjoy most, can easily incorporate into your daily schedule, and can keep doing up to your hundredth birthday. The type of exercise you choose isn’t important. What’s important is working all your body parts with rigor — meaning to the point of breathing rapidly or sweating — for five to ten hours a week.  It’s important to exercise, but not to over-exercise, because knees, hips, and joints will eventually get damaged — particularly if you continue to exercise when you feel pain. The good news is that certain exercises and diet can cause tissue to self-repair and regenerate!  Stay tuned this week to learn more about moving and grooving to live longer and live stronger!

Yesterday we mentioned the Blue Zones, where people live best and longest, and that they all exercise in some way.  A similar pattern found in those areas is walking - it's fast walking, for an hour every day.  Walking an hour a day can easily be achieved if you pick a location fifteen minutes from your work and make a point of going there twice a day. It can also be reached by walking when you would usually drive.  Other great exercises that we can do into our 90s and beyond are bike riding, running, and swimming, to the tune of 30 minutes every other day and a couple of hours on the weekends.  When you can, bike, run and swim outside.  Exercising outdoors is better for you because of the positive side-effects of being outdoors in nature, such as better mental health by improving positivity, self-esteem, and mood, and helping to reduce negative feelings of tension, anger, and depression. But for days you can't, have a "Plan B" like a stationary bike, or a pool and track at a gym.  After 10 minutes, you should be sweating - aim for hills to increase the resistance and effort.  Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone and plan to move more to live longer and live stronger!

“Green exercise” has become very popular in the past year. Basically, it’s any form of exercise performed outdoors while enjoying the natural scenery. From yoga sessions on the river to tai chi classes in the park, many localities and fitness centers around the country moved exercise classes outdoors to promote social distancing and limit exposure to COVID-19. Green exercise surged during the pandemic and the trend may permanently change how we work out.  Exercising outdoors is nothing new - for most of the time that humans have existed, most of our physical exercise has taken place outdoors in nature. Even today in the Blue Zones where people live the longest, residents don’t consciously think about working out. Instead, exercise is naturally built into their daily lives and most of it takes place outdoors whether they’re gardening, farming, walking, or riding a bike.  It's encouraging to know that we can integrate more exercise into our own lives without any special tools or classes.  Being outdoors can lower pulse rates, and blood pressure, and lower cortisol levels, compared with city settings.  Let's face it, we were built with a desire to connect with nature including the plants and animals in the world around us.  Get the kids out today for some fun in the sun!

It's Fix It Friday and let's toast up some pepita granola!  Pepita's, pumpkin seeds, have more protein per ounce than any other seed, the same as beef, and are a lot healthier for us.  Here's how:

In a large pan over medium heat, toast 1 cup of old-fashioned rolled oats, then add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds and stir them around for 3 to 5 minutes.  Then reduce the heat and add 2 Tbsp ground flax seeds, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, and 1 t cinnamon and keep toasting until it's fragrant - 4 or 5 minutes.  Add 3 Tbsp of maple syrup (not maple-flavored corn syrup) and continue to stir until everything is coated and removed from the heat.  Once it has cooled, add raisins, dried cherries, cashews, dried blueberries - anything to make it pop!  Improve your health on the shelf with this granola, and the "Be a Plant-based Woman Warrior" cookbook!

	References:  The Blue Zones, Lessons for Living Longer by from the people who live longest by Daniel Buettner

 

Here's a Blast from the Past!

A study was done, and more are on the way, to look at the incidence and severity of COVID-19.  They found that plant-based diets, and to a good extent pescatarian diets, had much lower odds of severe cases.  Pescatarians are those who are predominantly plant-based, but also eat fish.  Those who were plant-based, they had a 73% lower risk of moderate-to-severe cases of COVID-19 than those who were not plant-based!  Pescatarians had a 59% lower risk of those moderate-to-severe cases, which is also huge.  The plant-based subjects not only consumed more vegetables and fruits, plant-based protein like beans and nuts, and less poultry, red, and processed meats than their counterparts, but they also consumed less in the way of sugary drinks and alcohol.  So, on this meatless Monday, consider going plant-based EVERY day to boost your immune system!

 November is World Vegan Month, and more and more people are living a plant-based lifestyle, with a 500% increase since 2014!  Here's an interesting result from a recent study - it found that a vegan diet reduced the number of pills a person was prescribed by 58% when compared to a non-vegetarian diet.  Because skipping meat can lower blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce cardiovascular disease risk, improve blood glucose levels, and reduce many other conditions and diseases, it makes sense!  Avoiding the many side effects of medications is a bonus of being plant-based.  So power up your plantified plate to improve your health AND reduce the need for medications while you’re at it!  Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!

  Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all, but an important steroid hormone that we produce when we're exposed to the sun or when we consume foods rich in vitamin D.  It is the MOST IMPORTANT immune changing substance - it alters our immune cell function more than anything else, yet 50% of us are deficient!   Spending 15 minutes in the sun before 10 am is a good practice, but now that it's colder and cloudier, it's harder to get that sunshine.  Ask your doctor to check your Vitamin D levels - it's not only important for bone health but low levels of Vitamin D are also being studied in relation to cancer, heart disease, and depression.  Mushrooms and fortified foods like soy milk, cereals, and oatmeal can provide Vitamin D, but may not be enough.  If you're looking for a cost-effective, vegan Vitamin D supplement, Pure and Essentials gives you a year's worth for about $15, on Amazon. On this wonderful Wednesday, improve your health on the shelf by getting some good Vitamin D!

 Transitioning to more plants in our diet can be difficult when we've consumed the Standard American Diet all our lives.  One of the things many of us can struggle with is how to prepare plant-based meals and find satisfying and delicious dishes that are also nutrient-packed and improve our health.  There are several good cookbooks available - at the first entrance into Kohls, there is a bookstand and a Plant-Based Cookbook that has some great dishes.  "The Change Cookbook", which can be ordered from Amazon, is a great cookbook with lots of added information about nutrition from the authors - Milan Ross, who weighed 450 pounds when he began his journey with Dr. Scott Stoll, an amazing physician who is on a mission to change lives by changing what we eat.   These might be great gifts for those on your Christmas list who want to eat healthier.  And the Blue Zones website has page after page of recipes to help you live longer and live stronger.  Have a great day everyone!

 November is pancreatic cancer awareness month - it is one of the most aggressive and lethal kinds of cancer, which is why Dr. Gregor, who wrote the incredible book, "How not to Die" says we need to prevent it in the first place.  Here's how:  studies indicate that the consumption of fat from all animal sources was significantly associated with pancreatic cancer risk, but there was no correlation between the consumption of plant fats and this deadly cancer.  Very interestingly, another study found a 72% increased risk of pancreatic cancer for every 50 grams of chicken consumed daily, and that's only a fourth of a chicken breast.  Plantify your plate to reduce your risk of pancreatic cancer and have a wealth of health on this fantastic Friday everyone!