It’s never too late to make a healthy change. Just ask Linda Middlesworth. At age 45, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, a wake-up call that prompted her to make some serious changes to her diet. She went from eating lots of fish, cheese, butter, and eggs to eating only vegan foods. As a result, Linda says, “I turned my life around and beat my cancer, my obesity, and my heart disease just by removing all animal-based products from my diet.” And she’s still going strong: In 2015, at age 71, Linda was voted PETA’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50. (You can read more about her here.)

May is Older Americans Month, and with National Senior Health & Fitness Day just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to re-evaluate your diet and make a change for the better.

Many fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods have anti-aging properties. They can prevent—and sometimes even reverse—many deadly diseases, including heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, and help increase life expectancy. Studies show that vegetarians and vegans live an average of six to 10 years longer than meat-eaters.

They’re healthy, active years, too. For example, in 2011, PETA supporter Fauja Singh became the first centenarian to complete the Toronto Marathon. He attributed his stamina to his vegetarian diet and even appeared in a PETA ad cautioning other athletes about the dangers of eating meat.

Renowned researcher T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., author of The China Study, believes that what we often think of as “normal” illnesses of aging are not “normal” at all. People can avoid many types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other degenerative illnesses simply by adopting a vegan diet, he says.

Dr. Neal Barnard, the founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the author of numerous books, including Eat Right, Live Longer, concurs. According to him, you can basically “age-proof” your body by eating plant foods that strengthen your bones, clean your arteries, dissolve fat, rejuvenate skin, and boost your immune system.

It’s much easier to eat healthy, delicious plant-based foods than it is to have a heart bypass operation, undergo chemotherapy, or suffer paralysis from a stroke. Not to mention the fact that fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes don’t have the serious—sometimes deadly—side effects associated with statins, blood-thinners, high blood pressure medications, and other drugs.

Ready to get started looking and feeling better the healthy and natural (and delicious!) way? Order a free vegan starter kit today!