Real Men Age Gracefully - Nutrition Definitions

Nutrition Definitions men's series:

There was a time not so long ago that “graceful” aging was viewed as a woman’s topic of conversation.  Baby boomers, male and female alike are contributing to a shifting paradigm. Ours is not our grandparent’s “ripe old age”.  Ours is not even our parent’s longevity. According to the 2009 National Vital Statistics Report, 20^th century longevity rate changes are reflected in the trend that shows a new ripe old age of 100; more and more we are likely to become octarians.

A recent Google internet search for the phrase “graceful aging” yielded 79,200 results. The business of staying young has resulted in a plethora of multi-million dollar industries – from hair color to Viagra. The same phrase in a book search on Amazon returned 131 titles including Tales of Graceful Aging from the Planet Denial by Nicole Hollander and Rethinking Aging: Growing Old and Living Well in an Overtreated Society by Norton Hadler. Interestingly enough, the phrase “anti-aging for men” yielded 124,000 results on Google and 97 book titles on Amazon.

 Although we have not arrived, what if we lived in a culture where aging is equated with getting better rather than worse? What if we understood that we really begin to come into our greatness after the age of 50? There are signs that we are embracing the knowledge that aging is not a disease, although many are still intent on finding the magic anti-aging potion. For women it’s about LOOKING younger, for men it’s FEELING younger. “The truth of the matter is that total testosterone levels decline in men at the rate of approximately 1.6% per year starting at age 30. And that’s just the rate that they fall without additional influences.” (from His Change of Life by Chris Meletis & Sara G. Wood, ND)

The new science of biogerontolgy (the biology of aging) makes new the old secrets of healthy longevity: diet, activity and attitude! Bestselling author Andrew Weil, MD is leading the charge in separating myth from fact about life-extending herbs and anti-aging medicines in his book Healthy Aging: A lifelong Guide to Your Well Being. While there are a laundry list of things we can do to keep our bodies and minds in good working order; at the top of the list is FOLLOW AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET!

At the end of the day, the aging journey boils down to prevention and acceptance. Accept the things you cannot change, prevent/change the things you can and allow the aging gift of wisdom to help you distinguish the difference. Sound familiar? Who would have ever thought that the popular poem known as the Serenity Prayer just might be the best advice for the real man on the path of graceful aging!

Meal makeover expert, nutrition coach and Professor Velonda Thompson, PhD helps baby boomers gain control of runaway weight gain and empowers them to age gracefully. As a 25-year health promotion veteran, she is the author of several cookbooks including the newly released, as seen on Fox2 TV cookbook Beyond Candied Yams and Sweet Potato Pie.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/mornings/%22beyond-candied-yams%22-author-talks-healthier-soul-food

Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers “are the most famous generation in American history.  The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Baby Boomers as those born between January 1st, 1946 and December 31st, 1964. This gigantic generation has transformed America as they have passed through every stage of life. Now they are getting ready to retire. Beginning January 1st, 2011 every single day more than 10,000 Baby Boomers will reach the age of 65.  That is going to keep happening every single day for the next 19 years, until 2029.”

SOURCE: http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/in-2011-the-baby-boomers-start-to-turn-65-16-statistics-about-the-coming-retirement-crisis-that-will-drop-your-jaw

Having been born almost smack dab in the middle of this 19 year range of post WWII population blast, I know I speak for many of my fellow Baby Boomers when I say in the coming years, we want to show up totally opposite of the predictions.  According to the American Hospital Association by 2030:

_ More than six of every 10 Boomers will be managing more than one chronic condition.

_ More than one out of every three Boomers – over 21 million – will be considered obese.

_ One of every four Boomers – 14 million – will be living with diabetes.

_ Nearly one out of every two Boomers – more than 26 million – will be living with arthritis.

_ Eight times more knee replacements will be performed than today

SOURCE: American Hospital Association. (2007). When I’m 64: How Boomers Will change Health Care. Retrieved September 16, 2011 from www.aha.org/content/00-10/070508-boomerreport.pdf

It is now common knowledge that the over 65 population will nearly double as a result of the aging Boomers and we want to be the 21st Century “Blue Zone” generation, as described by Dan Buettner is his New York Times Bestseller, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Lived the Longest .

What is a Boomer to do? The fact of the matter is that it is not complicated; however that in no way implies that it is easy to break our old habits of excess and convenience. It all boils down to prevention. The power to choose sensible precautions that will lessen the impact of aging is as simple as cutting our consumption of that which is refined and processed. Above all get the water in and get the white out!

Biomarkers for Alzheimer's

The Early show reported that researchers have identified a protein biomarker that may be helpful in Alzheimer's prevention. It has been determined that 3 stages of the disease exist: Preclinical, Mild impairment and full blown Alzheimer's. It is in the preclinical stage that the newly identified biomarkers will be of particular importance, as this stage can occur approximately 10 years before other symptoms become apparent.

We all are aware that age is a primary risk factor, with the risk doubling after the age of 65. Additional risk factors include family history, head injuries and body weight. Speaking of body weight - a nutritious diet with a variety of food from each food group is extremely beneficial.

What is good for your heart is also good for your head:

• Maintain a healthy weight with a good balance of exercise and food.
• Limit foods with high saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Cut down on sugars.
• Limit foods with high sodium and use less salt.
• Stay hydrated (some people may have fluid restrictions due to another medical condition, such as heart failure or liver cirrhosis). (Source: WebMD)

the above tips and discussion can be found by visiting http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/guide/alzheimers-nutrition.