I’ve been heavily into researching and listening to podcasts about health and optimal diet for longevity for a while now. I’m especially fond of David Sinclair and his work and love his his podcast, Lifespan.
I’m noticing huge changes in my own health by adopting intermittent fasting (specifically OMAD) on optimal nutrition (IFAN as he likes to call it):
I could go on. Since I’m seeing such benefits for myself, I want to help my parents improve theirs. They are in their mid-70s and are beginning to experience the (not so) ‘normal’ signs of aging:
I know my parents’ (especially my father’s) diet isn’t great. My dad ingests quite a bit of sugar; he even sprinkles it on his sandwich for breakfast, as well as puts syrup on his bread, and has it in his coffee every day. The amount of processed food in their diet is still relatively high.
My mom and I try telling him what the effects are of eating too much sugar, but he laughs it off and comes up with excuses (“I just want to enjoy the years I have left”). When I tried to reiterate the severity of its effects on his health the other day, and attempted to explain that a long and healthy life is something he can influence through his choices, I feel like I ended up coming off too harsh. It visibly affected him, and I know he’s struggling with sugar and alcohol, so the exchange left me somewhat saddened.
I know it’s not my place to convince my parents of anything, so I left it at that. However, I want my parents to be around for a lot longer in good health. Seeing them decline, when I know they can prevent a lot of it, is a struggle for me.
So, I though I could get them interested in longevity and health and the science behind it. I’ve been looking for a video to send to them to spark that bit. I know the best thing I can do is probably to lead by example, but anything to kickstart their motivation would be great.
Do you have any tips? I found this video: https://youtu.be/-PUcG_ic40Y
What do you think; should I send them something and try to have a (loving) discussion? I’m sure many of you are in the same boat, so I thought I’d ask. Thanks so much.
My father takes pride in his unhealthy habits. He’s stubborn. We come from a very working class background and he actively resists anything that is seen as coming from the “elites”, which is basically anything to do with lifestyle. My mother died from lifestyle choices.
There’s so much behind why people make the choices they do. And food in particular is tied to much to your identity and culture. All you can do is live your life and hope people make changes on their own. For many being told any different will only make them dig in more.
My siblings and I begged my mother to stop smoking our entire lives. She died of lung cancer. She said her biggest regret was smoking yet she smoked until her very last days. She wasn’t a stupid woman, she wasn’t ignorant of the risks. She had her own reasons and no one could tell her otherwise.
In my late 40s I noticed changes in my body. I started reading about diet, exercise and things like getting out in the sun. I made a lot of changes. I feel better than at any other point in my life. Other friends have simply embraced aging. I have a friend who’s always saying “women our age …” meanwhile I’m standing in front of her, the same age and a living example of the opposite of what she’s claiming, but it’s like she has a mental block. I don’t talk to her about my lifestyle. There’s no point. It’s wasted breath.
You are modeling the best behavior for them. It is tough to change someone else’s mind or habits. Doubly sad when it’s someone you love and you know it would improve their lives. And it doesn’t help that the sweet taste is more pronounced as people age and other tastes diminish.
I know I didn’t offer any advice. Just wanted you to know I empathize
You are getting a lot of good advice. One thing might be to consider is overall nutrition. It sounds like your dad is struggling with sugar cravings, which can be a symptom of mineral deficiencies, and is also drinking alcohol, which can cause mineral deficiencies.
Bonnie Kaplan, PhD, and Julia Rucklidge, PhD, have done interesting work on nutrients and psychological well being (TedTalk here and book here). While their research is focused on more serious psychological issues, their findings suggest improving nutrition helps people to be more mentally resilient and able to make changes.
Their overall recommendation is to eat a high nutrient diet and to take a high quality, broad spectrum, micronutrient supplement. As almost all vitamins and minerals require cofactors to be used, it wouldn’t be enough to just take a few isolated vitamins and minerals.