I’ve got something a little different for you today. Well actually, Alicia does. She’s written an article just for you.
Alicia is a freelance writer for 12 Palms Rehab. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking healthy meals, and blogging about health, tech and communication. Her work has been published by Her Fitness Hut, Examiner.com, and Ask Miss A. She blogs over at MarCom Land.
I’ll be back next week for the start of Vegan MoFo 2013! I’m also starting my Natural Nutrition program next week, so I’m not sure how much time I’ll have to devote to Vegan MoFo, but I’m going to try. I didn’t prepare at all last year and was surprised when I actually made it to 20 posts. This year, rather than trying to create and post 20 new recipes, I’m going to focus on posting reviews & photos for other peoples’ recipes I’ve tried and enjoyed. Anyone else participating in Vegan MoFo this year?
Happy reading!
How Does Being Vegan Keep You Looking Young?
Celebrities like Jared Leto, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Portia de Rossi have sworn that their ageless appearance has not been caused by botox or surgery, but is instead the result of a vegan diet. While it’s pretty clear that some of Hollywood’s elite are lying through their laser-whitened teeth, they are not wrong in their claims that being vegan enhances a youthful face.
In proof, the aging process hasn’t solely stopped for celebrities. Regular ole’ people have proven that a vegan lifestyle can do just as much for your wrinkles and health as the fanciest doctor in Los Angeles. Just last year, the Daily Mail shed light on a 70-year old woman from Florida who appears at least 20 years younger than her stated age, after having switch to a vegetarian lifestyle in the 50s and finally turning to a pure, raw vegan diet 27 years ago. Her husband, who has not followed in her nuts, veggies, seeds and fruits path, looks every bit his 70+ years and struggles with diabetes and high blood pressure. His wife, you might note, does not even take the occasional aspirin.
So what is it about a vegan diet that really leads to that undamaged appearance? Let’s consider the most obvious benefit to veganism; namely, weight loss. After all, a 220-pound 28-year old woman looks a lot older than a 130-pound lady of the same age. The diet’s obvious caloric deficit and nutrient rich benefits often lead to a loss of excess weight.
The other major contribution to vegans’ physical appearance is glowing, blemish-free skin. This particular diet’s emphasis on nuts, fruits and vegetables leads to an abundant increase in Vitamin A and E intake, which naturally improves skin health. Not only does this make vegans’ skin appear baby-smooth, but it diminishes wrinkles and tends to cease any future acne breakouts. Nothing screams youthful beauty like a soft, wrinkle-free face! Plus, a study showed that people eating a plant-based diet often feel better rested due to increased sleep quality; perhaps the lack of circles under your eyes are also contributing to that baby-face appearance.
As if weight loss and good skin weren’t giving those vegan eaters enough of a head start on aging backwards, plant-based diets have also proven to increase hair and nail strength, growth and appearance.
But the benefits don’t just stop at looking good. Vegans also tend to live longer! That’s right, people eating vegan are at a drastically diminished risk for ailments common to the aging populations. The natural increase in fruits, vegetables and healthy grains eaten on a vegan diet lead to a much lower intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, and higher consumption of complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre and minerals; these changes are what give vegans lesser risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, hypertension and diverticulosis.
Naturally, a lack of these illnesses combined with the natural increase in energy caused by this diet guides vegans to continue engaging in the exercises of their youthful years, such as dancing, hiking, or cycling. And it should not be news to anyone that the more actively you live life, the younger you appear!
So clearly, whatever bacon topped, deep-fried cheese snack vegans are missing out on, they are more than making up for it by not only looking twice as young as everyone else their age, but living longer while they do it!
One Small Vegan 