Avoid Becoming an Old Geezer
By Ellie Marrandette
Have you ever heard the story of the new pastor preaching his first sermon? As the story goes, the Pastor was in fine form that Sunday morning.
First, he bellows, “You know a true Christian would never watch R-rated movies!”
An old man in the back shouts, “Amen to that!”
He ranted, “Nor would a real Christian be seen in a bar!”
“You tell ’em, pastor!!!” the old man agreed.
“Neither should a Christian be caught smoking or chewing tobacco!”
At that, the old man spits into his can. “Well, now you’ve gone from preaching to meddlin’!”
What do you think of when I say, “Old Geezer?” Perhaps someone set in their ways, not willing to change habits, in a state of denial, content with how they look, even if they wear a pot belly? Old Geezers don’t want children in church, (kids belong in the nursery!) They don’t enjoy modern music, (when are we singing, Bringing in the Sheaves?)
Old Geezers have unbendable mindsets. Old Geezers are people of habit. 90% of the times they prefer to eat the same twelve meals. “Just give me meat and potatoes! Steak and French fries, hamburger and fries, Bratwurst and fries …”
Their mantra: “Anything but veggies, yuk!” My mantra: “Eat for Nutrients!” When it came to suggesting diet changes, I occasionally got an old geezer “meddling” response too.
However, changes keep one from getting stale. Change keeps the mind active, inquisitive, and ready to try new things.
Anything is fine in moderation, even bacon, a few potato chips, or French fries – but not every day. If one consistently consumes fatty, processed foods, the mind, as well as the body becomes sluggish. Old Geezer Sluggish! Have difficulty thinking of the right word lately? Are you dragging your body around mid-afternoon? Do you survive on caffeinated colas or coffee to keep you going all day? Sorry, you’re becoming an old geezer.
Is this really how you want to live? Last year I mentioned my favorite patient who started out with a chip on his shoulder. He was sure I was going to place him on a “sticks and twigs” diet.
After he was assured that nothing could be further from the truth, he began to embrace what he heard. What a difference in his demeanor and health when he ate for nutrients!
Diets:
I’d never promote tasteless food. Colorful foods, found in the well-rounded Mediterranean, Dash, and Volumetric Diets, provide all the healthy nutrients the body requires. Basically, a daily diet, depending on your size, should contain 3-6 ounces of meat with 5x more vegetables and about 25% healthy fats on your plate.
Let me break that down a bit more. Choose any meat that is “round” or “loin.” Examples: sirloin, pork loin, lamb, ground round, London Broil, or filet mignon. Those contain the same amount of fat as chicken and turkey (which of course is recommended.) Shrimp, salmon, tilapia, crab, lobster, or any fish is nutritious.
Use lower-fat – not fat-free cheese on Italian food. (The body needs fat for metabolizing fat vitamins.)
Spice up your Mexican food with salsas, fat-free refried beans, low-fat sour cream, guacamole, and lower-fat cheddar again. Hot spicy food revs up the metabolism. This pertains to hot, spicy Asian foods too.
German? Pork loin and sauerkraut for probiotics, sauerbraten is flavorful. If you eat well 90% of the time, there’s no reason to feel guilty if you consume a brat every once in a while.
Remember Eat for Nutrients! Every nutrient needed to sustain life was found in the Garden of Eden, including fibrous foods.
Let’s Talk about Fiber:
A good daily diet should contain about 25- 40 grams (4 grams= 1 teaspoon) of fiber. (That includes hearty bread with 4 grams per slice.) Fiber assists in a faster transit system and therefore rids the body of dangerous acidic toxins. If toxins remain in your system, it creates an Acidic pH, creating an environment for cancers, kidney, and liver disease, among other illnesses. Besides that, an acidic pH makes one extremely grumpy! What grandchild wants to be around that? Alkaline people are naturally happier.
Water:
Ensure you wash those toxins out with plenty of plain water. Why do most men resist drinking water? They’ll drink sodas, beer, alcoholic drinks, Gatorade, or sugary selections. Real sugar has only 16 calories per teaspoon. Use real sugar, just less of it. Please stay away from aspartame or Splenda drinks. (I’ll contribute an entire article on the dangers of those someday.) You can always place a jug of water in the fridge with sliced cucumbers, citrus fruit, grapes, or berries for flavor and additional nutrients.
Vitamins:
Another excuse I frequently heard from men (even a doctor I worked for) was, “I’ll simply take a multivitamin.” Yes, vitamins are fine as an insurance policy. Vitamins, however, need food to activate. They also should break up in your system quickly. To test your vitamin, place one in a ¼ cup of white vinegar. Stomach acid is around 2.0 – the same as vinegar. It should break up within 15-20 minutes. If not, it won’t disperse into your system and you’re wasting your money.
There’s a lot of talk about food combining. What exactly does that mean, you ask? When you worked in the business world, a job didn’t materialize correctly unless everyone worked together.
B vitamins have great teamwork. They should be taken together (such as in a B complex supplement that contains B12, folate, B6, etc.) to metabolize effectively. Those caffeinated drinks are washing away any B vitamins you have left. Remember, it’s B vitamins that convert fats, protein, and carbohydrates into energy!
Manly Vitamins:
First, more is not better!
There are specific nutrients that are most beneficial for a man’s needs. Primarily vitamins A, C, D, folate, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and zinc.
Vitamin C assists the body with absorbing iron. Add lemon to your fish and consume orange juice with your iron-rich steak and eggs.
Zinc is needed for cell division, wound healing, the prostate, and sense of taste and smell. Zinc and vitamin A foods should be combined: Once again beef, lamb, pork, and seafood like oysters, or shrimp. Try pumpkin seeds, cashews, legumes, beans, hummus, yogurt, and whole-grain fibrous bread.
Vitamin D, K, magnesium, and calcium together are vital for strong bones. In fact, calcium can only be absorbed if Vitamin D is present. Have raisin bran and bananas with 1 – 2% milk.
After age 50, calcium requirements increase. A man should be getting 1500 milligrams a day, primarily from food. Most know calcium is important for bone health but is also important for your heart and circulation as well as muscle and nerve function. Strength and resistance training will also protect your bones.
Increase calcium-rich foods: low-fat Greek yogurt, cheeses, sour cream, milk, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach, romaine, and green leaf lettuce are essential.
Speaking of healthy bones, your body can only absorb calcium when vitamin D is around, like in sunshine. Your body doesn’t make vitamin D. If you’re in a climate that never sees the sun, take a supplement. Vitamin D improves your mood, muscle, and brain function. Add to that anti-inflammatory, auto-immune, and neuroprotective properties, and you’ll understand why it’s vital to health!
Exercise:
Rid yourself of stress as much as possible. There are many enjoyable exercises that are out in the fresh air and sunshine; hiking, pickleball, swimming, walking the dog, and golf stimulate brain cells.
Exercise gets rid of the extra fat we accumulate when our metabolism slows down (2nd Law of Thermodynamics.) Muscle burns fat. Resolve to exercise even while you sit watching TV. You can use hand weights or stretch bands to stay flexible. It keeps the blood flowing!
Brain Activity:
Keep your brain active with puzzles, card games, solitaire, or other mental exercise. Become creative by learning a craft, reading, or writing your memoirs. An old geezer’s brain needs a workout to stay mentally fit. The memory retention herb, Ginkgo Biloba has worked wonders for most patients.
“Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and a very large amount of the land remains to be possessed.” (Joshua 13:1) NASB
Remember God’s not done with you either.
Live your best life!
After attending Graham Jr. College in Boston and Moody Bible College, Ellie Marrandette earned her Bachelor of Ministry (BMIN) from Trinity Theological Seminary. Fascinated by psychology and physiology, God directed Ellie toward a rewarding healthcare career. She became a licensed, certified nutritional counselor, working with doctors, nutritional centers, and independently as the founder of New Creations Ministries, a faith-based solution in overcoming health challenges. In recent years, God has focused Ellie’s path toward writing. She is the author of four Christian novels, a novella, and a non-fiction book on healthy living entitled, Life’s Too Short to Eat Bad Cheese (Nutritional and Life Lessons God Teaches Us.) Her most recent book, God’s Furry Messengers was just published in July, 2023 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9SJJTH9. All can be found Here. Her current endeavor is to complete a children’s devotional this year. For more about Ellie Marrandette visit her New Creations website.
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