Introducing a Medical Miracle What if we told you there was a way to extend your lifespan by delaying or completely preventing the types of chronic illness that lead to an early death? Would you assume we were talking about an experimental wonder drug, or maybe some type of expensive treatment only available overseas? If so, you’d be wrong. The real answer is much simpler, safer, and more affordable than that, and you can find it at your local grocery store. We’re talking, of course, about a healthy diet. That’s right: The secret to long life isn’t found in million-dollar spa treatments or genetic modification—it’s held within the foods we eat every day. A popular holistic health guru puts it this way: “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” And the very best way to protect your body against potentially devastating chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome is to follow a plant-based diet. What is a Plant-Based Diet? A plant-based diet is simply a diet that is composed mainly of plants rather than meat and animal-based foods. Animal-based foods include beef, pork, venison, and other red meats as well as poultry, eggs, lard, milk and dairy products, fish, and other seafood like shrimp and crab. These are the foods that you should limit, depending on which type of plant-based diet you choose to follow. So what types of plant-based diets are there? Let’s take a look: Vegans eat no meat or animal-based foods at all. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no other meat or animal-based foods Lacto-vegetarians consume milk and other dairy products, but no other animal-based foods. Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products, but no other animal-based foods. Pesco-vegetarians consume fish, but no other animal-based foods. Partial vegetarians (aka flexitarians) eat a vegetarian diet the majority of the time, but may indulge in fish or poultry a few times a week. As you can see, following a plant-based diet doesn’t have to mean giving up meat entirely. You have complete freedom to choose whichever type of plant-based diet best suits your lifestyle and personal preferences. Why You Should Follow a Plant-Based Diet Plant-based diets have gotten a bad rap in the past because previous studies tended to focus on the nutritional deficiencies they may potentially...