Ep. 100: Why a Plant Based Diet Is the Real Fountain of Youth: Healthy Aging Explained

Can food really help you age better? In this episode of Age Like a Badass Mother, Lauren Bernick breaks down why a whole-food, plant-based diet is often called the closest thing we have to a fountain of youth.

Lauren shares how nutrition transformed her own health after reversing heart disease, and explains the science behind how plant foods support healthy aging from the inside out. From protecting your arteries and brain to improving skin, energy, and longevity, this episode explores the powerful connection between what’s on your plate and how you feel as you age.

You’ll also learn the top anti-aging foods Lauren swears by, why colorful plants matter, and simple ways to make plant-based eating more practical in everyday life.

In This Episode

•  How a whole-food, plant-based diet supports healthy aging 
•  The connection between nutrition and heart health 
•  Why inflammation and oxidative stress accelerate aging 
•  Foods that support brain, skin, and vascular health 
•  The role of fiber and gut health in longevity 
•  What “Blue Zone” populations teach us about living longer 
•  Simple ways to eat more plants without overcomplicating it

This episode is sponsored by Grand Teton Ancient Grains

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Websites, Cookbook, Classes, and Merch

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ACE Plant-based Eating Course https://discover.wellelephant.com/ace-plant-based-eating-course-reg/

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Transcript

Lauren Bernick (00:01.292)
Hi friends. This episode is a mini episode where we just check in. It's not too long. Today, I want to talk about why I think a whole food, plant-based diet is the fountain of youth. This episode is brought to you by Grand Teton Ancient Grains. I just love this company. They're an organic family farm that grows the grain and mills it on site. All the crops are grown without

pesticides, herbicides, or glyphosate. Their soil is rich with nutrients, resulting in the highest nutritional value in their grains. They offer ancient grains like einkorn, spelt, and Khorasan, plus fresh flowers and traditional pastas. Their pasta is made on-site from their fresh flour. So you can learn more at ancientgrains.com and you get free shipping when you fill a box.

all the information's in the show notes. Okay, so let's talk about why I think a whole food plant-based diet is the fountain of youth. You know, this is obviously, the podcast is called Age Like a Badass Mother, and I think the most important thing about how we can age well is what we put in our bodies, what we,

fuel our bodies with, not to mention what we clean our house with and put on our bodies for body care and all that. There's a lot of toxins that we surround ourselves with that we put on our bodies. But aside from that, I think the most important thing we can do to stay younger and healthier, and really, honestly, to even look our best is to eat a whole food plant-based diet.

So a lot of you know that I reversed my heart disease by following a whole food plant-based diet. If you wanna hear more about that, you can listen to episode 48. I lowered my cholesterol, really unclogged my arteries, brought my blood pressure down. Today I sleep better, I have more energy. So I really feel that there is nothing a plant-based diet hasn't done for me. And a whole food plant-based diet,

Lauren Bernick (02:23.017)
is often called the fountain of youth because it targets many of the biological processes that drive aging and chronic disease, inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, vascular damage, and cellular dysfunction. So, you know, I've talked at length about how to start eating a whole food plant-based diet, but really all you have to do is Google whole food plant-based recipes without oil.

or obviously you can go to my website. I've aged like a badass mother, but I also have wellelephant.com. That's more of the health and wellness and nutrition side of it. Wellelephant.com, you can get my free cookbook. You can take my class, Ais Plant-Based Eating to learn how to really stick to this way of eating. But really all you have to do is keep eating the food. So you don't have to get my recipes.

Just get them anywhere, Google it. So the main thing, the number one thing is that it protects your arteries. So your arteries age just like your skin does. Diets high in saturated fat and processed foods can damage your endothelium. That's the lining of your blood vessels. That's what leads to plaque buildup and stiffness and reduction in circulation. So.

Whole food plant-based diet helps improve blood flow and nitric oxide production, which keeps your arteries flexible and oxygen moving efficiently through your body. You'll have better circulation. That affects everything from brain health to energy levels to sexual health to skin appearance. So, I mean, that's huge. Nitric oxide is enormous. So, I mean,

One of the things I think people really fear about aging is brain health. I think people are very scared as well they should be. It's terrifying to think that you one day, God forbid, wouldn't recognize your children or your loved ones. So what's good for your heart is good for your brain. Turns out it's also good for your skin. Like I said, there's nothing it doesn't do. Okay, it also reduces chronic inflammation.

Lauren Bernick (04:46.613)
I think we know that low grade inflammation is linked to nearly every major age related disease, heart disease, type two diabetes, Alzheimer's, arthritis, certain types of cancers and plant foods are naturally rich in anti-inflammatory compounds like polyphenols, carotenoids, flavonoids and fiber. And these compounds help calm the inflammatory processes that accelerate aging.

It also feeds the gut microbiome, fiber does. Your gut bacteria influences your immunity, your metabolism, your mood, your hormones, and even how quickly you age. Fiber-rich foods, which are beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, feed beneficial gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids associated with reduced inflammation and healthier aging.

It lowers oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is essentially cellular rusting. It damages the DNA, proteins and cells over time. Plants are packed with antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals. You can get those mostly from berries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, herbs and spices, beans, and know, colorful produce. As they say, eat the rainbow.

The more colorful the diet, the broader the antioxidant protection. So it also supports healthy weight without extreme restriction. So you've heard me talk about this many times. I mean, I've talked about how I always carried a few pounds, how I was chastised by adults when I was a child, you know, called fat as a house. I've talked about that, even though I was absolutely not.

was a tiny bit chubby, but I always carried a few pounds. I tried every diet under the sun, you name it, I tried it. But when I started eating a whole food plant-based diet, because of my heart, I wasn't even thinking, I was scared I was gonna die, I wasn't even thinking about losing weight. But then the pounds just started dropping off. It was crazy, within three months of starting,

Lauren Bernick (07:12.461)
eating this way, I had lost 20 pounds. I have kept that 20 pounds off for 11 years without trying without thinking about it. It's totally taken that noise out of my head about, oh, I shouldn't eat this. I'll gain five pounds. I shouldn't eat that. I just eat. I eat the way I eat, know, beans, peas, lentils. So I eat legumes. I eat whole grains, all kinds of like what I just mentioned from ancient grains plus

you know, brown rice, quinoa, all oats, all those things. I eat that, I eat fruits, vegetables, I eat a little bit of nuts, I make my salad dressing out of a nut sauce, like out of nuts and you know, other things. So I make a nuts-based salad dressing or a seed-based salad dressing that I've called my spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. you know, when you have a delicious salad dressing that you really love,

You can eat a gigantic salad and as Dr. Furman says, the salad is the meal. You wanna have at least one big salad a day. Dr. Esselstyn says, to keep your arteries supple, you wanna eat your green leafy vegetables like kale or bok choy or Swiss chard, beet greens, things like that. Asparagus, you wanna eat those.

Broccoli, you wanna eat those like six times a day with a little bit of vinegar on it to help make nitric oxide. I've said this before, I don't do a good job of eating that six times a day, but I eat it three times a day, I would say. And I eat it in large amounts. He's just saying like a little tiny handful six times a day. you know, like I said, my weight has stayed constant.

And at times I even drop a little lower, but like 20 pounds is the base. Sometimes I'm down 25 pounds, but it's just a miracle to me as somebody, I mean, maybe you can relate to this, where your weight is just constantly on your mind. It's just been such a relief not to have to think about that. If you wanna listen to more about that, because here's the reason. The reason is that whole food,

Lauren Bernick (09:35.776)
our whole foods are generally high in nutrients and fiber, but lower in calorie density. So that means that you can feel full while naturally eating fewer calories. I interviewed Chef AJ about that way back. It's episode 34. So you can go back and listen to that. But really maintaining a healthy weight reduces stress on joints, hormones, the vascular system, metabolic health,

all factors in aging well. So I mean, that's just a bonus. A whole food plant based diet may influence longevity pathways. So there's a lot of research about this. We've all heard of the blue zones, the places around the world where there's the highest percentage of centenarians. If you want to go back and listen to my episode with Dan Buettner Jr, it's episode 79.

But there's populations that are called the blue zones with exceptional longevity in places like Okinawa, Sardinia, Loma Linda, California. And it shows that diets centered around whole plant foods are a common theme. So scientists are also studying how plant rich diets may positively affect your telomeres. Those are like the little, they're like.

Picture your shoelace, this is how it's been described often, and then the little caps that go over your shoelace, that's the protective cap on your chromosomes, your telomeres. So plants may positively affect that. Insulin signaling, mTOR pathways, cellular repair mechanisms, and autophagy, that's your body's cleanup process. plants affect all of that. can you imagine, I mean, your body is doing so many amazing things for you.

all the time. Okay, but here's probably what you're most interested in. People often look younger too. So back about a year or so ago, I had Dr. Rajanikata, she's a dermatologist on it's episode 44. And she wrote a book, and it talks about how to glow from the inside out. And she truly believes and she looks amazing.

Lauren Bernick (12:00.365)
that you can glow from the inside out just from eating plants. And on top of that, I had my good friend Debbie Adler on episode 44, 41, I'm sorry. We talked about girlfriend hacks for aging well. So she has this fabulous book. We talked about it when she came on the show, The Mediterranean Plate. I'm holding it up for anybody who's just listening.

and it says plant-based recipes free from gluten, salt, oil, and sugar. And within this fabulous book with amazing recipes, Debbie has, I'm gonna go over this, the top 18 anti-aging foods. bear with me a little bit while we go over this because this is fascinating. The top 18 anti-aging foods. I won't read all of it, but I'm gonna give you the gist of it. First she talks about almonds.

And she said after 16 weeks of eating two ounces of almonds, this was a study. People found improved, like improved depth and severity of facial wrinkles. They attributed that to vitamin E and fatty acids, polyphenols and antioxidants. So almonds, the next one's asparagus, it's an antioxidant.

There's an antioxidant in asparagus called glutathione, AKA the master antioxidant, and it slows down the aging process. Okay, yay asparagus, good job. Avocados. So a lot of you who follow Dr. Esselstyn's protocol know that he's not really a big fan of avocados because they have a lot of saturated fat, but if you're comfortable eating avocados, they have glutamine in them and it fights off harsh environmental

toxins and elements. So avocados and next is blueberries. You knew that was gonna be on there. It has a strong antioxidant called anthocyanin. That's what gives it its blue, that's what gives it a blue hue. And it protects your skin from losing collagen. So that helps you reduce wrinkles. Broccoli, love broccoli.

Lauren Bernick (14:18.797)
It has anti-aging inoculation. gives you great relief from oxidative stress. enjoy your blueberries. Next is Brussels sprouts. That has an antioxidant called chemferol and it prevents premature aging. So I mean, go eat your Brussels sprouts. Now other things have chemferol, kale.

beans, cabbage, spinach, onions, grapes, strawberries, grapefruit, and apples. So, kempferil, that's a really big one to help premature aging. Carrots have high levels of beta-carotene that prevents premature wrinkling. Cauliflower reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. It helps you avoid premature aging because oxidative stress leads to the body being able

unable to fight off cellular damage from free radicals. Next is cucumbers. And you have to eat the skin because in the skin is a mineral called silica. And silica is an anti-aging compound. cucumbers also contain magnesium, potassium, vitamins A, B1, and C, which all keep your skin looking vibrant and healthy. Lima beans, okay, you guys, I had no idea about this.

Lima beans are so good and Debbie has such a good recipe for lima bean hummus in this cookbook. And I've seen other recipes using hummus, using lima beans for hummus. So look those up. But lima beans have alpha-linoleic acid and it's the most abundant fatty acid in the epidermis. So it helps reduce the thinning of your skin. So if you're like,

struggling with crepey skin, I know I am. So I gotta get some more lima beans. So it's chuck full of linoleic acid. And since your body doesn't make this fatty acid, you have to eat it. So eat your lima beans. Kale, kale has countless vitamins and minerals and powerful antioxidants such as zeaxanthin and quaseratine. And it helps

Lauren Bernick (16:38.541)
with hydration and cell turnover. It also has vitamin K, which helps reduce dark circles under your eyes and tightens your skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles. I mean, I have to say with all the things I have with my skin, I mean, I'm 57, I don't really have a lot of wrinkles. let me tell you, I eat a ton of kale. Okay, lemons, they have vitamin C, which helps produce collagen. That also helps with fine lines and wrinkles. Shiitake mushrooms.

really any mushroom, but I think Debbie's highlighting shiitake mushrooms. They contain ergothionein and glutathione, both, did I say that right? Ergothionein, yep, and glutathione, both of which help protect against free radical damage and restores balance. It reduces inflammation, helps with wrinkles, and let's see, next is pomegranate seeds. They,

help create keratin keratinocytes large cells in your skin outer layer that promotes regeneration from the epi of the epidermis. So you want to eat your pomegranate seeds. So it stimulates the keratinocytes and that will help your skin plump up.

Red bell peppers have carotenoids that fight wrinkles and increases blood circulation. Spinach, very hydrating, it has polyphenols that are packed with antioxidants, help oxygenate and replenish your skin. Sweet potatoes, yum. Sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin A. They help protect...

promotes skin formation and prevent wrinkles, as well as slow down the aging process. And then last but not least, tomatoes, rich in lycopene, that helps neutralize harmful molecules. So those are the top 18 anti-aging foods. So go eat those. So, you know, this isn't just about looking good, although I know we all want to.

Lauren Bernick (19:01.399)
but it's about lifespan, it's about health span. And plants give you improvements in, like we just talked about, skin clarity, but energy, sleep, digestion, joint pain, recovery, mental clarity. You'll have better circulation, you'll have hydration from high water content foods, antioxidants, and reduced inflammation. That can really visibly affect aging, like we just talked about.

And a plant-based diet doesn't stop aging, nothing does. Time march is odd, but it can dramatically improve the odds of aging with better mobility, more independence, less disease, and a higher quality of life. So I really call it the fountain of youth because you don't wanna be one of those slumped over old people who can barely get around, who just doesn't look.

good or feel good or sleep well or you know, your health is everything. And the best thing you can do for your health, the easiest thing you can do for your health because you do it three times a day anyway, you're already eating just change what you're eating if you're already not eating a whole food plant based diet. So that's my little soapbox for today. I welcome any questions feel free you can find me on

social media at age like a badass mother. You can watch our YouTube channel if you're not watching it already. If you're listening on Apple or Spotify, we also have the age like a badass mother YouTube channel where you can watch a video of the podcast. I also do little videos of, you know, quick little cooking videos and how-to videos. I've done like how to cook tofu.

how to make potato chips out of just potatoes and a little bit of salt. I did purple potatoes the other day, which are high in, they have all the compounds that the blueberries have. So, know, the anthocyanin. So, you know, it doesn't have to be boring. You could still eat potato chips. But how about eating potato chips with a purple hue that's gonna help reduce inflammation? I mean,

Lauren Bernick (21:24.969)
It's exciting, you get to eat what you want and you get to keep at a healthy weight and you get to have your health. So there's nothing better than a whole food plant-based diet in my opinion. Okay, let me know what you think. Send me a comment, you can feel free to email me at Lauren at age like a badass mother. And I appreciate you listening, you know I do, I really do. So, muah, take care until we meet again next week.