Vegan in the Golden Years
If you’re a full-on carnivore who doesn’t consider it a meal unless there’s meat on the plate, you probably have a stereotypical notion about vegans. You might picture a young hippie-type with flowers adorning their long hair, clad in clothing woven from hemp. In the 21st century, though, many people of varying backgrounds and age groups have chosen a vegan lifestyle — including senior citizens.
Certainly some people opt to stick to a vegan diet for moral reasons, but there’s no denying the health benefits of eating vegan regardless of the reasoning behind it. Everything has its pros and cons, so there are pitfalls as well as benefits for a senior who chooses to go veg. One only has to look at 77-year-old professional bodybuilder Jim Morris to see that, if done right, a vegetarian lifestyle can make your golden years even better than your youth.
Levels of Veg
You can’t simply say, “I’m a vegetarian,” and expect people to know what foods you’ve cut from your diet. There are four different kinds of vegetarians based on what they don’t eat. At the very bottom of the spectrum is the semi-vegetarian, or flexitarian, the person who probably can’t be considered a true vegan since he only cuts back on eating meat instead of eliminating it altogether. A lacto ovo vegetarian cuts out all meat but will still eat eggs and dairy. Lacto vegetarians shun meat and eggs but still include dairy products in their diets. The vegan is at the pinnacle of the veg pyramid: he steers clear of eating any animal products, so meat, eggs and dairy are entirely out.
Seniors on a Vegan Diet
Senior citizens who want to switch to a vegetarian diet can typically do so easily. If you’ve been thinking about it for years and haven’t made the move yet, it’s an ideal time to try it. One of the reasons for this is that caloric requirements drop as people age so you won’t feel as if you’re missing out on the prime rib or chicken breast. The secret to making any senior diet healthy is making it nutrient-rich, according to the American Dietetic Association. This is easily done with the help of a dietitian, so for those seniors living in assisted living facilities it’s a snap. Dietitians are on staff and can ensure that a senior’s vegan choice is respected while his nutritional needs are met. Senior citizens and their families can review what assistance is available on senior living websites such as Emeritus.com to make sure that a suitable diet can be provided.
Concerns for Senior Vegans
Seniors who go veg may not get all the nutrients most commonly found in the foods they’re giving up, such as Vitamin B-12, calcium, protein and zinc. According to the L.A. Times, protein and calcium can be obtained in many fruits and vegetables, but B-12 and zinc supplements are typically necessary to replace those carnivorous components of a healthy diet. These are especially important for older people to ward off conditions such as osteoporosis, poor circulation, heart conditions, vision problems and difficulty healing and fighting infection.
Senior Benefits of Vegan Diets
If seniors take care to eat a nutritionally balanced diet when going vegan, the benefits will abound. The Vegan Nutritionista says that high cholesterol, cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer are lower in people who eat a vegan diet. Living Senior adds that seniors on a vegetarian diet typically eat more vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables than their non-vegan counterparts. This helps protect eyesight, and it also helps senior citizens maintain a healthy weight, which can help reduce bone fractures if sufficient calcium is taken in through diet or supplements.
