We live on an amazing planet. What new, undiscovered worlds wait to entice us? A tranquil lake in the Canadian Rockies? A painting on a wall of the Louvre? A smile of recognition on our new grandchild’s face? Will we have the chance to enjoy these “mountaintop experiences,” or will time run out for us?
What if we knew in advance what our final years would look like? Can we imagine a day when we are too frail to drive our cars? Can we imagine a time when we can no longer recognize a place we’ve been to a thousand times before, or can no longer hear our granddaughter’s sweet voice? Can we imagine not doing all the things we’ve worked our whole lives to be able to do? The great irony of aging is that we may finally have everything we need materially, but no longer be able to enjoy it and share it with those we love most.
Despite the current statistics and the common belief telling us we are living longer, healthier lives, it is clear that something isn’t right. Degenerative conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and stroke are causes of serious concern for all of us. Aging itself is a degenerative disease. Fading vitality, wrinkles, sagging skin, obesity, gray hair or no hair, and diminished sex drive are just a few of the symptoms of an unhealthy body. The signs of aging begin long before we are “old,” but they often go unnoticed. Aging happens quietly and cunningly, and it speeds up with time, startling us with abrupt and dramatic changes that weren’t there yesterday but are here today.
Statistics suggest that many of us will suffer from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, and/or stroke. Unlike our parents, who accepted these diseases as unavoidable, today’s generations know that there must be another way. As a result, we are taking interest in new forms of health-care technology, drawn from both traditional and complementary medicine. We are also rediscovering precious ancient knowledge to empower us to achieve the health we so strongly desire.
The Body Ecology program is part of this new vision—an advance in how to resolve the problems of aging and disease. No other system of wellness is as balanced or as complete. As health educators, my team of Body Ecologists and I have been on the front lines of some of the most challenging issues facing people today, from autism to obesity to immunological disorders. Because we work every day with real people with real problems, we are intimately aware of emerging health trends and concerns.
The foundation for Body Ecology is food—what to eat, in which combinations, and how to prepare it. The effect of food on the body cannot be underestimated: how we feed ourselves is not just about satiating hunger; it’s about creating a healthy inner ecosystem that supports a vibrant and active life. The basics of the Body Ecology food program are outlined in detail in my first book, The Body Ecology Diet. Many of the principles developed in that book are also part of an effective anti-aging program, and will be covered in Parts I and II of The Body Ecology Guide to Growing Younger. In addition to how we eat, however, there are lifestyle changes all of us can make, easily and quickly, to reverse the signs of aging and increase longevity. Many of those important choices will be carefully covered in Part III.
The “Body Ecology Way of Life” is not my creation. Around our offices we always say that you can see “the hand of God” in this work. This knowledge is here because it’s time. It’s time for us to understand the missing pieces that create genuine health. We age because of ignorance, because of choice, and because we live in a world that supports early aging and degenerative conditions. Since its inception, Body Ecology has had the mission to change ignorance to understanding when it comes to the way we eat and care for our bodies. We exist to be a catalyst for creating a paradigm shift toward the true science of health and healing in this world—a paradigm shift that will benefit our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for generations to come.
— Donna Gates