Over 50, no medications? (blood, couch potato, doctor, heartbeat)

[LittleDolphin]

I'm curious about whether we have any CD'ers, over the age of 50 who are healthy and take no prescribed medications?

If you're one of them, what's your secret? Lifestyle, exercise, diet, peace of mind?? Pets, love, friendship, spiritual practice??

[BitsnBites]

Well, I am not over 50 but my dad is. He is 64 years old. 6'4", not sure how much he weighs but he is thin with a tiny belly. Mostly flab LOL.

My dad is on zero meds of any kind. Normal BP, blood sugar and cholesterol. Doesn't smoke. What he does is go to bed when he is tired instead of forcing himself to stay awake. He goes for a long walk 4-5 days a week, usually about 20 long city blocks or so each time. Takes a multi vitamin twice a day, Omega-3 fish oils and drinks fresh water throughout the day. No soda. No HFCS. No hydrongenated oils. My dad lives with me, so I can verify this as I do the food shopping :-)

A typical day in my dad's diet is as follows:

Breakfast: 1 bowl of hot oatmeal with raisins with a glass of OJ
Snack: 1 apple
Lunch: turkey, lettuce and tomato sandwich on multi grain bread and salad
Snack: orange
Dinner: baked potato with unsalted butter, steamed broccoli and 4oz of baked chicken breast
dessert: grapes

He started following my lead when his BP was high a few years ago. The doctor put him on HBP medicine and within two weeks my dad was a mess. They made him very agressive, affected his heartbeat and generally made him shaky. He felt awful and was a real PITA LOL. He stopped the meds after the two weeks and agreed to try eating the way I eat. He's been off of the BP meds now since 2007. He had not been on any meds before that or after that, so its all good!

[LittleDolphin]

Wow, that's great. Tell your Dad he's my personal hero...and good on you for helping him!

So what worked for your Dad was a low-fat diet, lots of fruits and vegetables, light animal protein and walking as exercise? Does he eat any red meat or pork or fish?? Any alcohol?

Anyone else with tips or bragging rights?

[Frog127]

I'm 48 and weigh 200 lbs and drink at least three beers a day. about 15% body fat. I smoke one cigar a month (used to be one a day). I eat oatmeal in the morning with black tea. Two grilled cheese for lunch and chicken and asparigus always for dinner and sardines for a late night snack. I NEVER eat beef or pork. I work out with weights twice a week and ride my bike for a half hour every day.

AND ! I drink apple cider vinegar EVERY morning to balance my PH.


I haven't been on a prescription drug since antibiotics in 1971.

PS.............. I take LOTS of vitamins and minerals and some secret Chinese herbs.

[LittleDolphin]

So ACV daily for balanced pH, lots of exercise and no beef or pork..sounds like it's working...have you had a recent blood panel done with a lipid profile to see how your innards are doing?? Just had one myself and it was fascinating to see the chemical make-up of one's body...

[BitsnBites]

Originally Posted by LittleDolphin

Wow, that's great. Tell your Dad he's my personal hero...and good on you for helping him!

So what worked for your Dad was a low-fat diet, lots of fruits and vegetables, light animal protein and walking as exercise? Does he eat any red meat or pork or fish?? Any alcohol?

Anyone else with tips or bragging rights?

Thanks, that's sweet

My dad does not drink alcohol, probably hasn't had any since the late 60s. He's a meat eater, so he does have a ribeye or a burger once and a while. I usually get grass-fed, free-range beef (from local farms) when the mood calls for it, but he generally has chicken. The only pork he has is sausage or bacon. And that is maybe only a few times a year.

It's not so much a low-fat diet as it is a diet low in refined, processed foods and one that includes more vegetables and fruit than anything else. At least that's how I presented it to him!

[Frog127]

Originally Posted by LittleDolphin

So ACV daily for balanced pH, lots of exercise and no beef or pork..sounds like it's working...have you had a recent blood panel done with a lipid profile to see how your innards are doing?? Just had one myself and it was fascinating to see the chemical make-up of one's body...

I have it done every year and my doctor told me if all his patients were like me he'd be ot of business LOL.

I'm so proud of my panel. I wish I could post it

LDL68
HDL69
Total Chol 147................ etc....etc...

I'm due next month for a new one..........fingers crossed

[CosmicWizard]

Just turned 60 at the end of June. The only drugs I take are the occassional Ibuprophen pills. I also do NOT rely upon conventional doctors, and the various screening scams. I prefer naturopathy, chiropractic, reiki, theta healing, acupuncture, rolfing, hypnosis, etc. I've been eating vegetarian foods for more than 35 years..with absolutely NO meat. While I have no way to prove it scientifically, I am nonetheless convinced that making the switch to vegetarian food at the age of 23 is the best decision I've ever made in my life. I consume a variety of herbs and supplements. I walk 5 miles a day everyday, rain or shine, hot or cold...no excuses accepted ( in reality there may be up to 10 days a year that I fail to walk 5 miles, but I more than make up for the shortage with frequent walks of much greater distance ). Over the course of any given week, my daily average is at least 5 miles. Strength training is also a crucial component of my healthy lifestyle strategy, so I spend 45 minutes, 4 days a week, lifting weights at the local gym. I've been doing that for the past 25 years. From 7 to 9 PM I am a hard core couch potatoe. I drink a beer or two just about every night during my couch potatoe time. My overall strategy has worked well for me, but I find that most people are not willing to exercise this level of discipline ( except for the beer drinking and the TV time! ) over such a long period of time.

[LittleDolphin]

Wow Cosmic, you've got incredible discipline! And your eating style is commendable--even the 'liquid bread' beer component..me? I'm partial to liquid red grapes...

Frog127--great numbers--and I thought mine were good! But my C total's 182...

[CosmicWizard]

I like the liguid red grapes too, and even the white ones, but the grapes don't satisfy my taste buds the way that the hops do.