Best of The Aware Show with John Robbins: Healthy at 100!

Do you fear aging? Do you dread getting older? Do you think that you'll likely be sick or have a disease? Many people are living longer yet not living healthier. Today's guest is health expert, environmental pioneer, and best-selling author John Robbins. John is the author of the best-selling books "Diet For a New America," "The Food Revolution," and "Reclaiming Our Health." He talks about the growing population of people who are currently over 65 years old. Globally it continues to increase. John would like our older years to be a time of celebration and not a time to fear. It is possible to become much healthier as we age. It can be a time to be stable and connected. If we feel more positive about aging, we can add many healthy years to our life. On the other hand, if we shun it, and try to protect ourselves from the aging process, we close down possibilities. In the US especially, we can feel divided and separated. Many people ultimately die of loneliness. John talks about four cultures that he has explored where people live to be healthy at 100. The older people in these cultures are not interested in fast foods. They tend to have much more community. They eat simply, with many being basically vegetarian. This diet includes nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, and no artificial sweets. They don't have processed sugar. They are connected to the local food and eat seasonally. Family and friends are extremely important. The communities work together. By comparing the diets and attitudes of different world cultures with the American lifestyle, John shares the truth about the health effects of the foods we eat. The only son of the founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire, John was groomed to follow in his father's footsteps but chose to walk away from Baskin-Robbins and the immense wealth it represented to "…pursue the deeper American Dream…the dream of a society at peace with its conscience because it respects and lives in harmony with all life forms. A dream of a society that is truly healthy, practicing a wise and compassionate stewardship of a balanced ecosystem." We air this interview today to honor health pioneer John Robbins, who passed away in mid-June.  Info: www.johnrobbins.com