One who tastes, knows.

--Sufi saying

Although I present the Anti-Aging Diet as a fait accompli, I know that for most people, the kinds of changes that I am recommending won't come easy. They didn't for me. I didn't wake up one morning and decide to eat nothing but organically grown, plant-derived foods. Only after much study and a multitude of false starts (in terms of overcoming my cravings for fat, meat, white flour, and sugar) did I finally make the switch.

My personal evolution from burger-muncher to vegan actually began a long time ago. I was raised in the Midwest on what I now know (but what my parents didn't realize) to be a killer diet. It featured breakfasts of eggs, bacon, buttered toast with jam, and whole milk; lunches of a hamburger or cheese sandwich with french fries; and dinners of chicken, steak, pork chops, or pot roast with gravy--and, of course, ice cream, pie, or cookies for dessert.

I was a healthy kid who didn't give much thought to what I ate. In fact, I saved so much time eating fast foods as an undergraduate and then as a medical student that I sometimes wonder if I would have made it through without them. The possibility that my dietary habits could affect my health never really occurred to me. Nutrition, I'm sad to say, wasn't a facet of my medical education.

I had already graduated from medical school, completed my internship, and established myself as a hospital-based resident physician when I first became aware of the relationship between diet and health. One of my earliest clinical experiences had a profound influence on me. I had accepted a moonlighting job with Michael Lesser, M.D., a pioneer in nutritional medicine who directed a medical clinic in San Francisco specializing in the nutritional treatment of mental disorders. Much to my amazement, patients suffering from a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders, including psychotic depression, schizophrenia, and neuroses, experienced major improvement when we placed them on special diets supplemented with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients.

Impressed with the apparent power of nutrition to reverse disease, I read voraciously on the subject. Eventually, I began prescribing dietary changes and nutritional supplement programs designed not only to improve my patients' general physical well-being but also to treat their specific symptoms and diseases. I also began to change my own diet and upgrade my supplements.

My training in biochemistry helped me to understand the powerful role of nutrition in health and disease. An initial interest in the essential nutrients soon expanded to exploration of the amino acids, essential fatty acids, nonessential nutrients, and Chinese and Western herbs.

In the 1970s and 1980s, research gradually revealed that dietary factors contribute to a wide variety of health problems--for example, a high-fat diet sets the stage for heart disease and cancer. The more I learned about the damage done by animal-derived foods and the benefits bestowed by vegetarianism, the more I shifted toward the latter.

The Diet of a Lifetime

If you are not yet familiar with vegetarian cooking, be prepared for some surprises. Though some might dismiss it as boring, time-consuming, or difficult, nothing could be further from the truth. In this chapter, you'll discover a way of eating that not only supports your body's healing systems but is simple and tasty as well.

If you're in the habit of building your meals around animal-derived foods, the Anti-Aging Diet may seem like a major departure from eating as you've known it. But don't panic. You certainly won't feel deprived or go hungry. On the contrary, you'll have as much mouth-watering, satisfying food as you want. And after a while, the Anti-Aging Diet will have you feeling so much better that you won't even be tempted to go back to your old carnivorous ways.

If you've read the preceding chapters, you're certainly aware that the food choices you make are crucial to optimum health and longevity. Foods can heal and foods can kill. The line between these two extremes is very clearly drawn. Only foods that heal--grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables--make up the New Four Food Groups.

The Anti-Aging Diet promotes Renewal by maximizing antioxidant consumption and reducing free radical damage and oxidative stress to lower levels than your body has ever known. By adhering to the New Four Food Groups, you accomplish two goals. First, you boost your intake of disease-fighting essential nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber--the substances that reinforce your body's healing powers, increase its resistance to disease, and extend life span. Second, you sidestep disease-causing substances--the fats, sugar, white flour, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, additives, and preservatives that undermine health and shorten life span.

It is no accident that the Anti-Aging Diet incorporates most, if not all, of the dietary changes that I usually prescribe to patients with heart disease, cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, or a host of other degenerative conditions. It is the world's greatest diet, bar none, and your best shot at achieving optimum health and longevity.

The Anti-Aging Diet assembles an exciting variety of luscious foods that you'll love. This chapter lists them, along with related information about eating healthfully. Then beginning on page 487, you'll find a 14-day menu plan and recipes to get you started on the road to Renewal.

Don't feel that you have to overhaul your eating habits all at once. If you can, great. If you can't, just take your time and make changes gradually. Remember: The extent to which you follow the Renewal Anti-Aging Diet determines the extent to which you'll benefit from it.

Grains: Wholly Healthy

Whole grains should fulfill most of your calorie requirement. They're naturally high in fiber and low in fat. Populations consuming large amounts of whole grains have low rates of breast, prostate, and colon cancers as well as diabetes.

Grains assume great importance in the Anti-Aging Diet. All of the following are acceptable.

Use only whole, unprocessed grains and grain products--organic, if available. Avoid products that are refined or processed, with added fat, added sugar, and artificial ingredients. Always read labels on cereals, baked goods, and other grain products.

Breads can be especially tricky. They often contain flours from which the essential nutrients and fiber have been removed and to which preservatives, coloring agents, and other toxins have been added. Just because the label reads "whole-wheat" doesn't automatically make a particular loaf okay. Inferior breads and other baked goods often masquerade behind a cloak of apparent nutritional respectability.

Avoid breads and other grain products made with refined white flour or labeled as "enriched"--a dead giveaway that they have been stripped of their nutrients. They may include whole-wheat, pumpernickel, rye, raisin, and white breads as well as hamburger and hot dog buns, cakes, cookies, pastries, pancake mixes, waffle mixes, and most packaged cereals. Not only are these products nutritional vacuums but they also virtually always contain life-shortening additives, preservatives, and other toxins.

Baked goods often contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These oils are seething with free radicalladen "ugly fats," or trans-fats. Bypass them altogether.

Legumes: More Than a Hill of Beans

Legumes are plants with seed pods--primarily beans and peas, but also alfalfa, clover, and peanuts. They supply plenty of disease-preventing fiber. As a bonus, they're chock-full of those essential fatty acids that keep your whole body, especially your immune system and central nervous system, healthy.

According to at least one study, beans may control cholesterol just as effectively as cholesterol-lowering drugs. Researchers at the University of Kentucky in Lexington fed canned beans to 24 men with elevated cholesterol. After three weeks, the men's total cholesterol levels dropped by an average of more than 10 percent. The decline could be attributed to the beans' fiber, their vitamin E, their phytochemicals, their essential fatty acids, or perhaps the combination of these substances.

In the Anti-Aging Diet, all whole legumes and whole legume products are acceptable, including the following ones.

Many cultures around the world pair legumes with grains to form complete proteins. The following combinations make perfect substitutes for the complete proteins in meats.

• Rice and beans (from Latin American countries)

• Corn and lima beans, or succotash (from Native Americans)

• Pita bread and hummus, a chickpea spread (from the Middle East)

• Rice and tofu (from Asian countries)

Sensational Soy

Among legumes, soybeans stand out for their exceptional nutritional profiles. They contain all of the essential amino acids and are loaded with vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, phytochemicals, and essential fatty acids.

Soybeans have demonstrated a very strong protective effect against breast cancer. Asian women--both Chinese and Japanese--have very low breast cancer rates. Fewer than one in 50 women develop the disease, compared with one in 10 American women. Asian women also consume large amounts of soybeans.

Scientists at the University of Alabama in Birmingham fed high-soybean diets to rats that had been injected with breast cancercausing agents. They found that the rats eating the most soybeans were much less likely to develop breast cancer.

These days, you can buy an array of soybean products, including soy milk and soy burgers. And of course, there's tofu, the Asian staple that is becoming increasingly popular in the West.

Tofu is actually soybean curd. It comes in firm, soft, and silken textures, usually packaged in plastic tubs in the dairy case of your supermarket or health food store. Don't purchase tofu that is stored at room temperature or that is bubbly or bulging--an indication of spoilage from bacterial growth.

Once you've opened the container, store tofu submerged in water in your refrigerator, changing the water every day. If possible, use it within five days of opening. Tofu can be frozen, but its texture will change.

Tofu absorbs and takes on the flavor of any dish, so it's quite versatile. Add it to stir-fries, pasta dishes, soups, sauces, even pizza. Scrambled and served with salsa, it makes an excellent, cholesterol-free replacement for eggs. My wife, Dellie, puts tofu in everything. I like it best when she sautés it over low heat with grated fresh ginger, garlic or onions, and soy sauce and pairs it with steamed vegetables.

Here's an easy recipe for a generic tofu stir-fry that can be varied according to taste and availability of ingredients: Very lightly coat a skillet with olive oil or soybean oil. Add garlic and onions and sauté over low heat (or better yet, pre-sauté in the microwave) until soft. Add diced tofu, a tad of soy sauce or sea salt, paprika, and any other spices that you like (I prefer curry powder). Continue cooking for 2 to 4 minutes, until the tofu is hot. Serve over steamed vegetables, with rice.

Using Your Beans

Dried beans of any kind will keep for up to one year. They don't require refrigeration before cooking.

To prepare dried beans, begin by thoroughly rinsing them and discarding the water. Then soak them for at least three hours (or preferably overnight). Soaking beans helps to remove their raffinose and stachyose, two carbohydrates that, when digested by bacteria in the large intestine, produce gas.

Smaller beans, such as adzukis and baby limas, may not need as much soaking. In fact, you can eliminate soaking and increase the cooking time. Likewise, split peas and lentils need no soaking and cook very quickly.

When the beans are finished soaking, discard the water. Put the beans in a large pot and cover them with up to three times their volume of fresh water. Simmer until soft. Smaller beans need to cook only for an hour or so. The rest require 1½ to 3 hours. Do not add salt until the end, as it will harden the beans and increase cooking time.

You can store cooked beans in the freezer (in well-labeled meal-size portions) for up to three months. If you store them in the refrigerator, they're good for about three days. You should definitely discard them after five days.

If the amount of preparation required discourages you from including dried beans in your diet, canned beans are an acceptable substitute. A few provisos: Make sure they come in seamless, unsoldered cans (solders contain lead), and read the label to make sure that they contain no sugar, lard, preservatives, or additives. Your best bet for buying canned bean products is a health food store.

Fresh frozen green beans and green peas, though not quite as good as fresh, are excellent and easy to make. Buy organic, if possible. And read labels: The only ingredient should be the bean itself.

Fruits: Nature's Sweets

Rich in nutrients and full of flavor, fruits are naturals for the Anti-Aging Diet. Choose whatever is in season--fresh and organically grown, if possible. Here are some suggestions to whet your appetite.

About the only fresh fruit that doesn't qualify for the Anti-Aging Diet is coconut, which gets 35 percent of its calories from fat--90 percent of which is saturated. Dates are high in sugar and therefore should be consumed in very limited quantities.

When fresh fruits aren't as widely available--during the winter months, for example--frozen fruits make fine substitutes. The freezing process preserves fiber and minerals, although it does take a toll on some phytochemicals. You can microwave frozen fruits and add them to cereals and desserts. At home we make smoothies from frozen and/or fresh fruits--whatever we have on hand.

Dried fruits (such as apples, apricots, bananas, currants, dates, figs, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pears, pineapple, prunes, and raisins) tend to have a lot of sugar. They're okay in modest amounts, though. Try combining them with less sweet fruits to improve their flavor. Steer clear of dried fruits that contain sulfur. Many products are labeled as "unsulfured."

Applesauce and whole-fruit conserves make excellent spreads for whole-grain breads and rolls. They're great for breakfast, too. Again, buy organic products if you can.

Many packaged fruit products, such as canned fruits and fruit juices, leave a little (or a lot) to be desired. They typically contain extra sugar, preservatives, and other additives.

Fruit juices, for example, are for the most part unhealthy foods. Many of these beverages have extra sugar--often disguised as "fructose," "fructose corn syrup," or "fruit sweetener." Manufacturers like listing these ingredients on their labels because they sound healthier than sugar. But fructose, like white sugar, is converted by the body to saturated fat and cholesterol unless it is burned off by exercise immediately after consumption.

Likewise, be wary of juices that say "from concentrate" on their labels. These products--whether bottled, canned, or frozen--are frequently high in pesticides, fungicides, molds, coloring agents, and a multiplicity of other contaminants. Arguably the worst is frozen orange juice from concentrate. The vitamins are long gone. Until adequate safeguards are in place to control their content, avoid all frozen juice concentrates.

Cranberry juice has found a niche as a nutritional medicine for urinary tract infections. The fruit contains a phytochemical compound that prevents Escherichia coli bacteria from making itself at home in the urinary tract. Because cranberries are so sour, most bottled and canned juices have added sugar. The sweetener is counterproductive because it adversely affects immunity--not good for someone who is attempting to fight off an infection. Encapsulated cranberry products, which have recently appeared on the market, are a better option.

If you're an avocado fan, be aware that avocados get 90 percent of their calories from fat. Try to limit yourself to one per week. The restriction encompasses guacamole as well, so when you order that bean and rice burrito, ask the server to leave off not only the sour cream and cheese but also the "green sauce."

Vegetables: Unparalleled Goodness

Vegetables are more nutrient-dense than any other food in the Anti-Aging Diet. They're especially good sources of phytochemicals, those plant-derived compounds that protect against disease. As with fruits, opt for organically grown veggies whenever they're available. Choose from among the following vegetables (and, of course, feel free to add your own favorites to the list).

Some vegetables can cause problems if eaten excessively or prepared incorrectly. Exercise caution with the following foods.

Mushrooms. The common white variety sold in most supermarkets contains high levels of hydrazines, carcinogens that are used as rocket fuel. By comparison, the oriental mushrooms listed above actually contain an abundance of phytochemicals that prevent cancer and enhance immunity.

Potatoes. The sprouts and buds on potatoes contain harmful chemicals, so these growths should be removed before cooking. Likewise, potatoes that appear bruised are actually diseased and contain carcinogenic substances. Remove bruised areas or, even better, choose only healthy-looking specimens.

Nuts and Seeds: Okay in Moderation

Though they don't exactly fit into any of the New Four Food Groups, nuts and seeds are nevertheless plant-derived foods. And they can have their place in the Anti-Aging Diet--provided that they're used wisely.

Because they must contain all of the raw materials necessary to support the growth of a new plant, nuts and seeds are loaded with nutrients: high-quality protein, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and phytochemicals. They are especially rich in vitamins B₆ and E as well as the minerals calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, and zinc.

Despite this outstanding nutritional profile, nuts and seeds have one serious flaw: too much fat. Granted, it's vegetable fat, which is nutritionally superior to animal fat. Still, research has shown that excessive vegetable fat consumption can elevate risks of heart disease and cancer. So we reformed carnivores, who tend to replace the meat in our diets with nuts and seeds (along with other high-fat snacks), must learn to control our consumption of these particular plant-derived foods.

As components of the Anti-Aging Diet, the following nuts and seeds are acceptable in modest amounts.

Of these, chestnuts have the lowest fat content, supplying 10 percent of their calories as fat. Next come pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds at 40 to 50 percent of calories from fat. Almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts are in the 50 to 60 percent range; Brazil nuts, filberts, and hickory nuts are in the 60 to 70 percent range. Cashews, macadamia nuts, and pecans top the list at more than 70 percent of calories from fat.

With the exception of chestnuts, all of these nuts and seeds must be considered high-fat foods. A person following a 2,000-calorie, 10 percent fat diet can afford only 200 fat calories per day. Scarf up a few handfuls of nuts or seeds, and you'll surpass your fat calorie quota in no time.

Nutrition-wise, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil are your best bets. flaxseed oil has the highest essential fatty acid content of all oils: 58 percent alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and 14 percent gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). For this reason, thousands of nutrition-minded doctors, myself included, recommend taking flaxseed oil as a daily supplement. It will supercharge your immune system and foster optimum health and longevity.

flaxseed oil is available in both capsule and liquid forms. The liquid is easier to take and cuts down on the number of daily supplement capsules, but some people don't care for the taste. Personally, I like to spread flaxseed oil on my morning toast as a butter substitute and pour it on a salad along with a gourmet vinegar. (On page 522, you'll find a recipe for Dellie's Delicious Dressing, which features flaxseed oil.) You can stir flaxseed oil into bean dishes and soups--but do so after cooking rather than before. Temperatures above boiling shatter the essential fatty acids like a brick on china. If you do choose the liquid form, make sure the label says that it's organic.

Sunflower seeds can't match the essential fatty acid content of flaxseeds (they're 65 percent gamma-linolenic acid but completely devoid of alpha-linolenic acid). Nevertheless, they make a great snack. They're packed with the immune-boosting mineral zinc and rich in dimethyl glycine, an important anti-aging nutrient.

Walnuts vie for top honors among nuts. They offer the best compromise between a high gamma-linolenic acid content and good taste. Their oil sports enviable essential fatty acid levels (5 percent alpha-linolenic acid and 51 percent gamma-linolenic acid). And unlike flaxseed oil, you can cook with walnut oil.

Peanuts definitely don't fare well in the nutrition arena. (Botanically speaking, peanuts are not nuts but legumes. Because everyone tends to think of them as nuts, however, I'll discuss them here.) They're very low in essential fatty acids and high in saturated fat. If they're roasted in oil, they have even more fat. Plus, roasting makes the nuts carcinogenic. Salting them doesn't help any.

When peanuts are stored for long periods of time, they can play host to the fungus Aspergillus flavus. This fungus produces aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen and liver toxin.

Peanut oil has few nutritionally redeeming qualities. Low in alpha-linolenic acid and high in saturated fat, it raises cholesterol levels and interferes with essential fatty acid metabolism.

If you absolutely must have peanut butter, look for one that is certified aflatoxin-free (the label will say so). Westbrae Natural is one brand, marketed as "laboratory-tested aflatoxin-free, herbicide-free, and pesticide-free."

As an alternative to peanut butter, try almond butter or walnut butter. Both are high in fat, but at least they're full of essential fatty acids. Just be sure to use them sparingly. Almond butter is one of the staple items in my family's pantry. We use it at breakfast, as a butter substitute on toast. (At our house, toast is bread that is heated in a toaster or toaster oven and removed before browning or burning takes place.) For lunches and snacks, we make almond butter and fruit spread sandwiches.

Sesame butter is made from toasted sesame seeds. Toasting not only produces carcinogens but also destroys the seeds' fragile omega-6 essential fatty acids (which account for 45 percent of sesame oil). Instead of sesame butter, use sesame tahini, which is made from unroasted seeds.

Rather than eating nuts and seeds by the handful, sprinkle them into other foods. For instance, try adding them to your breakfast granola or whole-grain cereal for great flavor and crunch. As a bonus, you'll ratchet up your protein and mineral intake a notch or two.

Without their shells to protect their delicate oils from light and air, nuts and seeds quickly turn rancid. So purchase them in small quantities, preferably in their shells, and store them in sealed containers in the refrigerator or freezer. Toss out unused nuts, nut butters, and liquid oils after three months.

But What About . . . ?

In the course of following the Anti-Aging Diet, you're bound to encounter gray areas--foods that are neither plant-derived nor animal- derived but that nevertheless have a nutritional impact. Here are some of the more common dietary dilemmas, along with my advice for navigating them.

Beverages. Purified water--either bottled or run through your own purifier--is the beverage of choice. Get in the habit of drinking at least eight eight-ounce glasses every day to help keep your innards clean. If you prefer something with a bit more bubble and fizz, try club soda, seltzer water, or mineral water.

Caffeine-free herbal teas make delicious alternatives to coffee. Look for brands such as Celestial Seasonings and Traditional Medicinals, which are sold in supermarkets. Or brew up your own herbal iced tea, then add a little apple juice for extra flavor. Also check out the grain coffee substitutes available in health food stores.

As for soft drinks, read labels and steer clear of products made with sugar, fructose, high-fructose corn sweetener, or glucose syrup. You really don't need sugar for great-tasting soda. Many health food stores now carry sugar-free, fruit juicesweetened carbonated beverages.

You can easily make your own healthy soft drink by mixing one part seltzer water and one part organic juice such as apple, apricot, berry, grape, or grapefruit. (My personal favorite is strawberry-guava.)

Other beverages that fit the Anti-Aging Diet include fresh fruit juices, vegetable juices, fruit smoothies and other blender drinks, rice milk, and soy milk.

Salad dressings. You can transform a low-fat, low-calorie salad into a high-fat, high-calorie meal just by slathering dressing all over it. Although many of the dressings currently on the market are acceptable, I prefer to make my own. That way, I know that the oil is fresh and free of free radicals.

As I explained in chapter 7, oils turn rancid and form free radicals as they age. The longer they sit on a shelf unused, the more free radicals they generate. Unfortunately, you can't tell that this is happening just by looking at an oil. By the time an oil actually smells bad, it is already highly toxic. Not that eating one salad with rancid dressing will kill you. But regular consumption of the stuff puts a load on your immune system and speeds up the aging process.

For this reason, I always make an effort to purchase only the freshest oils in small quantities that won't go to waste. If I have an oil for more than three months (which seldom happens at my house), it gets tossed.

Making your own dressing is easy. Just add three or four parts vinegar (balsamic, rice, wine, or one of those fancy gourmet types) to one part oil (flaxseed, olive, or soy). You can replace the vinegar with lemon juice, if you prefer. And if you're not using the dressing right away, add two or three cloves of garlic and put it in the refrigerator to marinate.

When you do purchase bottled dressing, study the label carefully. Avoid any product that contains hydrogenated oils and preservatives or other artificial ingredients. If you can't find a suitable product in your supermarket, then check at your local health food store.

Salt. To make salt pour easily, manufacturers add aluminum-based flowing agents (sodium silicoaluminate is one). Aluminum is a brain toxin that has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. It has no place in the Anti-Aging Diet.

Unfortunately, most salts that contain aluminum don't list it on the label. Assume that any supermarket salt is made with the additive unless the words "aluminum-free" appear on the label. (Aluminum is also added to biscuit, cake, and cookie mixes to keep them from getting wet and sticky.) If you want to use salt, try sea salt, which is sold in health food stores.

What about salt and blood pressure? If you already have high blood pressure, consult your doctor. If you have normal blood pressure, a little salt shouldn't cause you any problems. Just be careful not to use too much.

Sauces. Sauces make meals interesting. But they can be high in fat (and cholesterol, if made with eggs, cream, or meat gravy) and devoid of fiber. The commercially prepared varieties may also contain extra sugar, additives, pesticides, and other undesirable chemicals. Use them sparingly.

In particular, steer clear of béarnaise, cheese, hollandaise, sour cream, stroganoff, and white sauces. These have way too much fat. Acceptable alternatives include curry, lemon, mustard, soy, sweet-and-sour (made with honey and vinegar), tamari, and teriyaki sauces.

If you make your own sauce, use organic ingredients as much as possible. Replace any fatty thickening agent with arrowroot, cornstarch, potato flour, rice flour, or tapioca.

The Tao of Change

The Anti-Aging Diet boils down to two basic principles: Stock up on plant-derived foods--grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables--and steer clear of animal-derived foods. Follow these guidelines, and you'll be well on your way to optimum health and longevity.

I want to help you become a vegan. Though a bit of persistence may be necessary, the transition needn't be painful. I did it, and I'm certain that you can, too. I am equally certain that once you have made the dietary changes that I'm suggesting, you'll actually feel better and healthier. And when you look back, you won't believe how easy those changes were.

In my 25 years of studying, practicing, and teaching Chinese traditional medicine, I've learned a lot about change. Chinese traditional medicine is based on Taoist ideas, and Taoism, at its core, is the study of change. Yin and yang are the manifestations of change (or, in Chinese, ching).

Taoism teaches that the only constant in life is change. Nothing stands still. You are always moving in a certain direction. To go in a different direction--for example, to become a vegan--you should first know how change works.

Taoist doctors have learned a very useful concept: the Great Law of Pu-Hsieh. It states that you can influence change most easily with a gentle push right at the point when change is greatest and always in the same direction of flow. (I'm indulging in a little poetic license here, but this is basically the gist of it.) Exerting force at the wrong time or going against the flow won't work and may even have an effect opposite the one you desire.

Suppose you are pushing someone on a swing. Do you push when the person is coming back toward you? No. Do you push when the person is at the bottom of the arc? No. You push at the point of maximum change, just after the person has switched direction and begun moving forward. And you push just a little, in the same direction that the person is moving. You go with the flow, using many small pushes to make a big swing sail high. Intuitively, you've been practicing the Great Law of Pu-Hsieh all of your life.

Of course, everyone is different. A few stalwart souls can make up their minds to do something and then do it. If this describes you, great. Go with that flow. This is the "yang" approach: the sudden, forceful act of will--going cold turkey.

For others, the slower "yin" approach may work better. Just apply the Great Law of Pu-Hsieh. Start by identifying the points of change in direction--the places in your diet, and in your life, where minimal exertion will effect the greatest change (because you are going with the flow). Then at each of the points of change that you identify, you want to give a little push in the direction of the Anti-Aging Diet. Over and over again, apply the Great Law, gently nudging yourself in the direction you want to go.

To start, make the changes that are easiest. Reduce portion sizes of animal-derived foods. Replace cow's milk with rice or soy milk on your cereal. Put tofu in sandwiches instead of meat or cheese. Learn new recipes--pastas, stir-fries, casseroles, bean dishes--and filter them into your meals. Have fresh fruit for dessert instead of dairy products and sweets.

It's up to you to identify the changes that you are ready and willing to make now and to implement them. Over time, what at first seemed like a big change will be reduced to a bunch of little changes. Before you know it, you'll be a full-time vegan.

Think Small

Becoming a vegetarian should never evolve into a task so impossibly humongous and daunting that you could never do it. My good friend Richard Carlson, Ph.D., wrote a bestseller called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: And It's All Small Stuff. This holds true for becoming a vegetarian: It really is not a big deal. Take it one step at a time, one meal at a time. Don't get discouraged, and don't give up. Realize that you have time. With patience and persistence, you'll get there.

Each time you enjoy another scrumptious vegetarian meal, you'll realize that you really don't need meats and dairy products to feel satisfied. On the other side of fear and reluctance lies a delectable banquet--perhaps a few extra decades of delectable banquets--just for you.

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Even an optimum diet like the Anti-Aging Diet needs the support of nutritional supplements. Only supplements can push your nutrient intakes to levels that actually fight disease and slow the aging process. The next chapter explains why supplementation is so important to Renewal.