health secrets, elderly health, cancer screening, vegetarian diet, exercise, mental health, discipline Aunt Jee Atcharaphan At 75 years old, Aunt Jee has no illnesses thanks to small disciplined habits practiced continuously for over 40 years. She has detailed check-ups of every organ, never neglecting her health, to the point that doctors have to ask her to slow down because new tissue growth can't keep up. She eats well and exercises because she enjoys it, not because it's trendy, so she has sustained it for a long time with real results. She chooses to live mindfully and trains her mind to be calm, knowing that negative thoughts can harm the body more than expected.
How do you organize your life?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: To organize my life, I often talk to myself and say I want to be strong. I don't want to be old and bedridden one day. So, I have to get up and do things that improve my health, and it can't be just following fashion; it must be disciplined. People say I'm too serious, but looking at others who are strict yet still get sick, if you aren't strict and don't let discipline be part of your life, you'll forget or quit. Trends don't last, and some lack motivation or make excuses like being too busy. So, if you start from liking something, it will never leave your life.
When was the last time you were sick enough to see a doctor?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: Actually, people ask why I see doctors so often. I love going to the doctor for my annual physical exams. Want to know where I go? The cancer institute. People ask why I go there so often, what I expect to find. I started going before any illness appeared, so I've been going for 10 to 20 years.
What does the cancer institute check?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: We don't have to probe or dig around; the doctors examine themselves. They check the breasts thoroughly every year, squeezing and pressing. People ask if the breasts get damaged from this, but during breast exams, they place breast tissue between plates and press it flat. I go regularly because breast cancer can affect even healthy people, so during annual check-ups they examine the upper and lower abdomen and intestines.
How often do you get these checks?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: Usually every 5 or 10 years, but I went once and then again two years later. The doctor said my intestines looked very healthy, smooth and coiled. I've never been sick enough to be hospitalized and rarely catch colds. I get full exams—lungs, urine—and regularly visit the Good Elderly Health Center at Sirindhorn Building, Chulalongkorn Hospital. It's very thorough; they ask everything and charge only 50 baht, but you must be over 60.
Why do you choose a vegetarian diet?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: Regarding my eating habits, I don't like rushed eating or hard-to-chew foods. When I was busy at work, I wouldn't swallow unless I chewed at least 30 times because if food isn't chewed properly, it burdens the stomach. If you swallow large chunks, the stomach struggles to digest, causing bloating, burping, and sour smells. So, first, I eat slowly; second, if I don't have time, I skip meals and eat later. My caregiver even tells me to hurry when I’m about to work. This is why I must eat slowly and thoroughly.
Do vegetarians need to study nutrition? How did you learn about it?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: I didn't start vegetarianism because I planned to. One day, I saw animals being slaughtered and thought, do I really need to eat fish? I decided not to kill animals for food and quit immediately. But to study it, I went to the Asoke group, one of the first vegetarian groups, to see their food and learn from kind people who explained that protein is important. Since we don’t get it from meat, we get protein from tofu, mushrooms, beans, and grains, so it's important to eat a complete diet—not just enough to not be hungry, but to be nourished.
Do you eat many eggs for protein?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: At first, not many. Eggs aren't related to cholesterol issues. I usually eat one or two eggs normally. When I went to the Good Elderly Health Center, the nutrition department advised me to eat tofu in sheets and not to eat too much egg yolk.
Do you monitor cholesterol when you get check-ups?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: My cholesterol doesn’t spike; it stays below 200.
When you stopped eating meat, what was the hardest part about being vegetarian?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: It wasn’t hard, but things weren’t the same as before. I ate because I wasn't seeking pleasure from food; I never forced myself. Once, when I was sick with a cold and fever, I craved fish porridge with salted fish but couldn’t eat it. I told myself no and stuck to vegetarian food. I even asked the vegetarian shop for ingredients and told them how much I wanted that porridge. They joked it was a test, but I didn’t eat it and never craved it again.
Do you take any supplements?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: I don’t take supplements, but vitamins are different. Doctors say vegetarians sometimes miss vitamins B1, B6, B12, so they advise taking those, plus vitamin C to prevent colds and vitamin D to help prevent bone fractures and maintain bone health as I age. That’s all I take.
How do you schedule exercise?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: I don’t have a fixed schedule or say I must exercise today or not. I know the benefits and have built muscle and body strength through yoga. Sometimes I remind myself why I practice. At the yoga studio, people want a beautiful figure, but I say health first; beauty is a bonus. Yoga sculpts the body slim and firm, not just losing fat in one area. Before yoga, I weighed 58 kg; now, I weigh about 52–53 and maintain it. I also enjoy road cycling.
Do you ever get stressed or angry at others?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: Not much. When I get angry and scold, I still laugh, and people think I’m joking. I tell them, "I’m angry with you," and explain why. I don’t hold grudges. Usually, I don’t keep anger inside. I release it by sending loving-kindness and avoid using bad words toward anyone.
What do you think harms your health the most?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: Thoughts. The mind leads everything. So, don’t create negative thoughts like hate. If one negative thought comes, more will follow. I choose not to accumulate what I know is harmful. Why collect negativity?
Have you pictured yourself at age 80–100?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: Not really. I live in the present. I don’t expect to live to 100.
Can you give one sentence as a reminder to be mindful?
Aunt Jee Atcharaphan: One day you’ll definitely be bedridden if you refuse everything, don’t want to eat well, don’t want to exercise, and only think negatively. Everything you do piles up inside you. You are the one who suffers from your own anger and stress. When you’re angry or stressed, quickly look in the mirror and see what your face looks like.
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