Forget the labels and stereotypes associated with plant-based diets, and think of this: eating wholesome, natural foods can prevent, delay or even possibly reverse chronic illnesses older people have.

Eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans, and reducing the amount of meats and dairy products consumed, has been scientifically proven to lessen the risk (and pain) of certain diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia. All of these chronic illnesses have inflammation in common, which worsens when people consume animal proteins found in meats and dairy products, said David Dunaief, a New York-based internist who focuses on nutrition and lifestyle. Instead, people can incorporate broccoli, cannellini beans, bananas, quinoa, sweet potatoes and nuts or hummus into their diets.

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Does this mean older people have to become vegans? No, Dunaief said, but they should limit their intake of these sorts of foods. “The lower you go with animal protein, the better you do,” he said. For some people, that may mean having meat or dairy once a day. For others, it could be once every other day or once a week. There are also several levels of harmful animal protein: any processed foods, like bacon and sausage, are top offenders, followed by red meats, such as steak, dark meats before light meats, then turkey or chicken. Processed meats are classified as a carcinogen, which is just as bad as smoking, Dunaief said, and red meats have iron, which increases the risk of oxidation, and possibly the risk for various types of dementia, cancer or diabetes. (This 2015 study found red meat and processed meat consumption increased the risk of colorectal cancer by 20% to 30%.)

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Chronic diseases account for three quarters of the nation’s spending on health care, according to the National Council on Aging, and about 80% of older adults have at least one chronic disease (77% have at least two). The older the person, the more likely he is to suffer from more than that. By 2035, the number of seniors with four or more chronic diseases is expected to double, according to a recent study, a third of whom will be diagnosed with dementia, depression or a cognitive impairment. People may live longer in the future, but two-thirds of those added years will be spent suffering from these illnesses.

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People tend to wait until they develop a disease to begin preventive care, said Joel Furhman, author of “Eat to Live,” but if you want to be healthier, start sooner. “Once you have a diagnosis, it is even more important to try and reverse it through excellent nutrition,” he said. Why don’t people do it if it’s so important? Because conventional foods, such as those that are highly processed, are also highly addictive, containing dopamine and invoking withdrawal symptoms and discomfort when initially avoided, Furhman said. Fatty foods and excessive consumption of them can physically alter the brain, which is labeling the food as a reward, according to a 2010 study published in Nature Neuroscience.

There are a few other myths worth breaking, Dunaief said. Supplements aren’t always necessary and sometimes medicines do more harm than good, for example. Supplements are expensive, and yet doctors suggest patients with various ailments take more — that could cost as much as $150 to $300 a month. Many vitamins and minerals patients are told to consume can be found in plants. As for medication, it’s common to see older people managing all the pills they have to take, but it’s a grueling process for the patients to balance all those medicines and a dangerous process for doctors to ensure none counteract the other. They’re also expensive — the prices of 14 common medications increased between 20% and 85% last year. The cost of health care increases every year, 6% between 2016 and 2017, and an older couple retiring in 2017 could expect to spend $275,000 in health care costs alone through their retirement.

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So what can people do? Try cooking more foods at home, incorporating more vegetables, fruits and legumes into meals and fancying up salads with whole and hearty ingredients. Eat lighter dinners and get rid of unhealthy foods around the house, Furhman said. Changing lifestyles can be hard, but the goal is to develop a healthy and balanced lifestyle, Dunaief said. You don’t have to go organic, which can also cut costs, he said. “No body is the same, people metabolize differently, but this gives you the basis of what to do,” he said.