Improving Lives Is More than Eating Plant-Based Food

15 May 2023 – Eating plant-based meals improves lives – human and animal –, but other things are required to change survival into healthy living. For children, pediatrician David Bowman adds exercise, stress management, adequate sleep, avoidance of risky substances, and positive social connections as his six pillars of health.

Cardiologist Columbus Batiste offers the anagram SELFISH – spirituality, exercise, love, food, intimacy, sleep and humor – for an adult life of value to self and community. Neither recommended drugs or surgery; of course, they were speaking about prevention.

Ocean Robbins of the Food Revolution Network has a shorter list with a different twist for both adults and children:

1. Commune with Nature. “Live dirty, eat clean,” says gastroentologist Robynne Chutkan. Don’t just exercise. Go outside. Play with children. Garden. Make mud pies. Walk barefoot and connect with the ground. Studies show that the microbiomes of country dwellers are richer and more diverse than those of city dwellers because of activities like these, says Ocean Robbins of the Food Revolution Network.

2. Increase nighttime sleep. Studies indicate that babies who sleep more during the day and preschoolers who lack enough nighttime sleep both suffer from weaker microbiomes, which lead to more sickness. So do those of us who wake up during the night to use the bathroom. Restricting liquids three hours before bedtime helps to turn us around. Of course, that measure assumes we have regular bedtimes.

3. Avoid sweeteners, flavorings and dyes. Excess sugar clogs arteries and feeds microbes that eventually canlead to diabetes. Artificial sweeteners made from genetically modified corn, which is sprayed with pesticides that kill the good bacteria in the gut. Artificial colorings also hurt the microbiome, but prolonged use can alter brain processing and lead to problems like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). Of course, the smaller bodies of children are more prone to the effects.

4. Eat fiber and fermented foods. The best way to decrease digestion problems like diarrhea and constipation it to eat probiotics like fermented food. Children will probably prefer pickles and plant-based yogurt. The best way to prevent digestion problems is to eat prebiotics or fiber, which all plants have. Children tolerate leafy greens, some beans, jicama, bananas and Jerusalem artichokes better than other prebiotics.

5. Keep antibiotic use to a minimum. Excessive use of antibiotics not only makes bodies more resistant the next time; it also weakens microbiomes by killing both good and bad bacteria in the gut. When antibiotics really are needed, loading up on both prebiotics and probiotics helps to keep good bacteria alive.

The Best Ways to Protect Animals

To change the mere survival of animals to really healthy living, Stuart of Veganuary suggests that we humans do the following:

1. Avoid wearing silk, wool, leather and down feathers, so that less animals suffer. Cruelty-free clothing brands include Noize, Voni, Mooshoes, Matt & Nat and Brave Gentleman. All use vegan substitutes; Matt & Nat also add recycled materials.
2. Stick with high end items that last longer, so we won’t constantly have to replace our clothing. Hemp, bamboo, viscose and lyocell last longer and are better for the environment than nylon, acrylic, elastane, polyamide, polyester and polyurethane.
3. Wear secondhand clothing to decrease our need for wardrobe items created by cruelty to animals.
4. Use household products that are safer on animals and the environment. The brands Ecos, Method, Ecover, Dr. Bronner’s and Mrs. Meyer’s are. If they are not available, avoid cleaners with tallow, beeswax, lanolin, caprylic acid, oleyl alcohol and animal lecithin in them.
5. Avoid makeup or use cruelty-free cosmetics like Aveda, e.l.f., Arbonne, Biossance and Pacifica. They lack beeswax, carmine and lanolin.

Besides eating plant-based meals, how do you keep yourself and your children healthy?

Besides eating plant-based meals, how do you keep animals safe?