Take Charge of Your Health!

“Over 25% of American adults have Adult Non-alcohol Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). Of seniors who are obese, 90% have NAFLD. NAFLD is a subclinical disease that’s not well known, but it’s a major contributor to heart disease. The cure? There are no pharmaceuticals to treat NAFLD; the cure is strictly lifestyle. NAFLD can lead to heart disease, but it’s reversible for anyone willing to get off their butts, eat right, and exercise.”

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So began my interview with Nick Tompanis, MA. Nick is a life-long educator and tireless health advocate. After retiring from the public school system, he taught health and nutrition at the Adult Learning Center in Virginia Beach, VA. Nick currently authors a “no-ad” blog, “Nature’s Real Health,” which averages well over 100,000 views each month, and he is always ready to advise anyone wanting to live a healthier lifestyle.

Nick is a unique senior. Even at 74, Nick takes no prescription medicine and has not had as much as the common cold in over a dozen years.

I asked Nick for an interview because he teaches sensible, healthy living for seniors and offers common-sense health and nutritional advice, something we could all use, especially at this stage in our lives.

Art: So, Nick, what is the best diet for senior adults?

Nick: The Mediterranean Diet is widely recognized as the best diet in the world. The Traditional Mediterranean Diet uses unprocessed, natural foods and no fast foods. Meals are made from scratch, the way our grandparents used to prepare meals.

Art: OK, what is the Mediterranean Diet?

Nick: The Mediterranean Diet consists of:

- Fresh fruits & vegetables, beans, peas, nuts, and whole grains

- And lots of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

- The Mediterranean diet is NOT a low-fat diet; it has 30-45% good fat

- EVOO is a monounsaturated, GOOD fat

- Omega-3 fats are from wild fish & walnuts, with

- Relatively few sweets and red meat.

You can’t go wrong with the Mediterranean Diet. Greeks love their sweets, for example, but not as a daily treat. All nuts, seeds, and legumes (beans and peas) are healthy when eaten raw or roasted without salt. Beans are an excellent substitute for red meat though some red meats are eaten on special occasions.

Art: I try to eat healthier, but I’ve found some healthy food very costly.

Nick: When it comes to healthy eating, I don’t let that stop me. I’d rather pay the farmer for more nutritious food than pay doctors and pharmaceutical companies for their medications.

Art: So what’s so bad about the Standard American Diet (SAD)?

Nick: The Standard American Diet is like a big, black nothingness that has invaded the western world. It lacks nutrients. It leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other lifestyle disorders. The Lord packed thousands of plant chemicals (phytochemicals) into Real Foods, and we pay food companies to remove many of them.

I have a friend I’m trying to help, a 75-year-old Navy vet. I told him recently, “You are taking medications to take the sugar out of your system, but then you eat sweets to put it back in! Think about it; that doesn’t make any sense.”

Here’s the thing: I can present people with the facts. They can see it and understand it, but the Standard American Diet is like an addiction. People know better, but they’ve been eating this way for decades. It’s very challenging for someone to change habits that they’ve had for decades. The plague continues through generations. It is reinforced by our family, friends, and society constantly advertising processed junk foods.

Americans continue to get diabetes; they can’t stop themselves. So, the nation supports the Standard American Diet that degenerates your health. Did you know that half of all seniors are diagnosed with dementia after age 65? So their thinking is not the same. So, one may ask, how bad will things get before we decide to change? Sadly, most never change, and their poor choices cause much suffering before their demise. It doesn’t kill them right away, or it would be obvious, but kill it does. The Standard American Diet leads to millions of agonizing, premature deaths. Children are robbed of their grandparents far too early.

Art: What role does exercise play in a healthy lifestyle for seniors, and what type of exercise do you recommend?

Nick: Diet and exercise make up the cure for these lifestyle diseases, like obesity, diabetes, dementia, and heart disease. Many studies have shown that proper exercise can help reverse liver disease.

The problem is many seniors live sedentary lives. Some try to do too much, too soon, causing them to give up on exercise. It’s better to start small, maybe walk three blocks, then gradually increase your speed and distance. Remember, you can only do what your body allows you to do, so start small, maybe ten minutes, once or twice a day, then gradually increase your speed and distance.

Diet alone is not enough; one must exercise at least three times/week to build stamina and the immune system.

It’s not easy; it requires respect for your body. I decided not to subject myself to most processed or fast foods or a sedentary lifestyle.

Surveys show that 97% of Americans fail to get enough exercise – 97%!

Living a healthy lifestyle requires commitment and hard work. You are not used to it, so you must overcome unhealthy habits without making excuses. You can reverse obesity and diabetes if you are willing to do the WORK - preparing healthy meals and working out. By taking charge of your life, you are the doctor for improving your health.

Art: Thank you for the discussion and the links to your blog and articles. All questions/comments can be sent directly to Nick via email: [email protected]

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There are over 500 articles Nick has written for his blog. You will likely find many to draw your interest by scanning the articles. Here are three:

■ Avocados, the MedDiet, and Cardiovascular Disease: Avocados, the MedDiet & Cardiovascular Disease | Nature’s Real Health (naturesrealhealth.blogspot.com)

■ Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease: Prevention and Treatment: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Prevention & Treatment | Nature’s Real Health (naturesrealhealth.blogspot.com)

■ More Trojan Horses for Christmas? | Nature’s Real Health: https://naturesrealhealth.blogspot.com/2019/12/more-trojan-horses-for-christmas.html

■ See Nick’s Nature’s Real Health blog at: https://naturesrealhealth.blogspot.com/