My 75-year-old grandfather, Abraham Feffer has been vegan for 33 years. I conducted an interview with him to fully understand his lifestyle and the long term effects of veganism on him.

Abraham first decided to abstain from meat due to health reasons, such as high cholesterol concentration and his doctor’s advice. Not long after becoming vegetarian he, “started feeling better and after some research, I decided to take it one step further and become a vegan” he said.  He felt that this measure would let him enjoy the full benefits of healthier, non-processed foods. “Thirty-three years into veganism and the effect is showing,” he mentioned. He says that his latest blood test results show that he is in a better health condition than before. His cholesterol levels are within the healthy range and he even added that he was able to quit taking some supplements such as vitamin B12 pills that he had to start taking after becoming vegan. Despite his age, he is running 10-12 kilometers every single day and he is healthy and active overall. 

He believes that the secret to his physical well-being lies within his diet and healthy lifestyle. Today, he is not expecting any excessive muscle soreness, no joint pain, or anything of that sort that most people his age suffer from. He says he is not taking any supplements, not even anything to keep his protein intake high enough. According to him, he gets all the protein he needs from legumes such as lentils, beans, peas, etc. It is important to mention that he does not put too much thought into it and naturally follows this healthy balanced diet. Even though today there are a lot of supplements and replacements to meat and dairy, he believes that it is not necessarily needed or required. 

When asked whether he recommends following a vegan regimen he responded that he definitely does. However, he thinks that teenagers should seek doctor advice before making decisions like that. Since they are still growing, and need to make sure they do it right so they don’t cause irreversible damage. “I think that as teenagers there is a peer pressure element going into many decisions and that it is harder to follow this kind of diet in that case”, he said. One example he gave was going out with friends and not being able to find anything to eat. However, it is important to mention that he refers to a different time (when he was a teenager) when restaurants had fewer vegan options. 

Ever since I can remember my grandfather always had different eating habits compared to the rest of the family. Maybe that is what helps him keep such a healthy body and healthy mind. My grandfather is living proof that even a person suffering from an underlying health condition (in this case, high cholesterol levels) can benefit from being vegan. Changing eating habits from a young age can set an example for the rest of the family just as my grandfather did for my family and me.