by Toni Crabtree
M
y husband often
jokingly refers
to himself as my
“show and tell,” walking-talking
evidence of the effects of
taking my advice on healthy
living. While I can’t take all the
credit, he’s at least half-right.
Rich is a trim, attractive man
with a gray beard, very little
hair, beautiful blue eyes, a
warm smile, and great posture.
If you are like most people,
you would be very surprised
to learn that this year he
celebrates his 55th high school
reunion, and that he is, in fact
72. A very healthy, vital 72. No
medications, no significant
surgeries.
I am often asked, especially
by men over fifty, how he
does it and what is my
best advice for men to stay
healthy as they age?
In honor of Father’s Day and
in memory of my own dad,
whose poor health and death
at age 65 from heart disease
provided the motivation I
needed to get a grip on my
own health, I will share some
of my husband’s best health
practices and habits with you.
First, let’s acknowledge an
advantage he has: he has
good genes. His father lived
to 88 and his mother to 96.
Despite this wonderful gift,
we now know that good
genes aren’t everything
and that lifestyle habits
can undo even the best of
genes; that’s the science
of epigenetics (the way in
which the expression of
heritable traits is modified
by environmental influences
or other mechanisms
without a change to the DNA
sequence).
Built on that foundation of
good genes are many small
daily habits that serve my
husband well. The ones where
I can take the most credit are
those that involve food.
Let’s start with his morning
smoothie. I refer to it as a
“salad bar in a glass.” My
husband’s typical, quart-sized
smoothie contains all of these:
water or non-dairy milk
fresh greens: collards, kale,
spinach, or mixed greens
cucumber
carrot
celery
½ frozen banana
frozen pineapple chunks
protein powder, usually pea
protein
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