Greetings! May this newsletter find you in excellent health with your Medicare insurance coverage🏥working well.
Any issues with your Medicare coverage (and the carrier isn’t helping), or you’d like to shop? Email Gray, Gray@TheBig65.com or book a time on my calendar.
I received a call from Marion in Clearwater asking how Plato is doing back home in the US while Quantz and I are visiting our son overseas.
Let the record so state that, according to our daughter Sus (Plato’s caregiver), the big galute is doing just fine.
It’s been a joy spending time with our Air Force son in Sicily, hanging out, watching Mount Aetna smoking in the distance, and catching up on lost time when he comes home from work.
They sure grow up fast, don’t they?
Nicholas rises early for his work on base. My schedule keeps me up late staying in touch with Medicare clients back home, but we make sure to have dinner together before I get back on the phone.
Sicily has one of the most interesting histories of any place in the world. The island was conquered by Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Germans, the French, Spaniards, Austrians, and the finally by the Italians.
As a result, the food is amazing, fresh (and reasonable).
Our biggest take away from visiting a blue zone🌍… do not underestimate the value of eating unprocessed food and walking every day.
Though I have to confess, walking 🪜 five flights of stairs, multiple times a day, did make me wish Nicholas had chosen an apartment with an elevator😆.
Why is eating unprocessed food so important?
According to a ten year study published in the Journal of Neurology:
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People who ate the highest amounts of ultra-processed foods had a 53% to 54% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate the least😱.
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Every 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake was linked to a 25% higher risk of dementia🧠.
Remember Marlon Brando/Don Corleone dying of a heart attack in the movie the Godfather? I’m guessing he wasn’t eating enough healthy Sicilian food.
This accordion player played the theme to The Godfather while I did my best to “make him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”
Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods So Harmful?
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Inflammation: They increase chronic inflammation in the body and brain.
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Blood Sugar Spikes: They cause repeated glucose spikes, which harm blood vessels (including in the brain).
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Gut Health: They damage the gut microbiome, which affects brain health through the gut-brain axis.
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Heart Stiffness: They contribute to arterial stiffness, raising the risk for both heart disease and vascular dementia.
Quantz often accuses me of being a little too theatrical, but hey, paying attention to our diet is one of the few things we can control.
Ultra-Processed foods have been heavily industrially manufactured and include:
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Soft drinks (regular and diet sodas)
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Packaged snacks (chips, cookies, crackers)
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Instant meals (microwave dinners)
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Sugary breakfast cereals
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Reconstituted meat products (like chicken nuggets, hot dogs)
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Sweetened yogurts
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Artificially flavored foods
Basically, if any food has a super long list of ingredients, and you can’t pronounce them, you are likely dealing with an ultra-processed product.
I’d like to think anchovy sandwiches aren’t on this list, because I ate them every day.
What did the snail say when he was riding on top of the tortoise?
Wheeeee 😆! Let’s keep learning and laughing.
So here’s the big picture for my fellow Medicarians:
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Reducing ultra-processed foods (even by just 10%) could meaningfully lower dementia risk.
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Replacing ultra-processed foods with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and whole grains is protective for the brain.
This is not about giving up on living, it’s about helping us all to see the light.
Think about swapping this for that:
Walnuts and almonds for chips and crackers,
Sparkling water for soda.
Grilled chicken or salmon for processed lunch meats.
Homemade pizza for frozen pizza.
Dark chocolate for cookies.
Remember, small, deliberate steps over a long period of time can really help. It’s not about perfection.
I grew this awful pornstache in solidarity with my son. Let’s stay healthy for the people we love.
Keep squeezing the juice🍊 out of life and look for ways to help others!
If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.
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Medicare questions or problems?
Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@TheBig65.com.
Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).
Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
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Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:
Alabama
Arizona
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The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.