WAC Magazine

JANUARY 2014

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Wellness By Kathy Freston Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 Thinking of going vegan T his month we hear from author Kathy Freston about plantbased diets. Although Kathy makes a compelling case that being a vegan helps people live longer and healthier, she does not advocate that you try to make major dietary change all at once. Instead, she believes it's better to slowly change your diet. In fact, gradual change is how she shifted her own diet through the years. Now a veganist, Kathy eats a plant-based diet not only for personal well-being but also for the many benefits moving away from animal products provides our ecosystem. Although following a vegan diet isn't easy, many more options for vegans exist today than just a decade ago. All kinds of prepared foods specifically target vegans. Food labeling has improved. And there are many more restaurant options. As they say, timing is everything. Whenever you're considering a dietary change, remember that WAC Nutritionist Shana Hopkins can help. Read her sidebar for some quick tips on shifting toward a plant-based diet. 28 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | JANUARY 2014 Live longer, eat vegetarian How changing your diet could add a decade to your life N early a decade of extra life—that's what you get when you move away from eating animal foods and toward a plant-based diet. This is really exciting for anyone seeking healthy longevity. According to a recent report on the largest study of vegetarians and vegans to date—from Loma Linda University in California, called the Adventist Health Study—those eating plant-based diets appear to have a significantly longer life expectancy. Vegetarians live on average almost eight years longer than the general population, which is similar to the gap between smokers and nonsmokers. This isn't surprising, given the reasons most of us are dying. Let's take a closer look. Heart disease is our leading cause of death. Dietary cholesterol, found only in animal foods, is associated with living a significantly shorter life, while dietary fiber, found only in plant foods, is associated with living a significantly longer life. What if your cholesterol is normal? Well, here's the thing: Having "normal" cholesterol in a society where it's "normal" to drop dead of a heart attack is not necessarily a good thing.

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