Extend Your Life By Eating Right

Yes, you can age gracefully and add years to your life just by what you eat, and the sooner you begin the greater the benefit for you. It is a recipe for living longer and healthier. It is an opportunity to actually turn back the hands of time. By choosing the right foods many age-related changes can be reversed. You can increase your life span by up to 14 years simply by employing healthy eating behaviors, by not smoking, by drinking alcohol in moderation and by exercising at least 3 times a week.

People are living a little bit longer every year due to our success in battling childhood disease, providing better drugs to keep our cholesterol low, our vision clear, and our bones strong, access to better medical procedures that can add years to our lives and understanding more about the aging process. Most of us will probably live to be at least 78 or 80. Our life expectancy is at an all time high. Although we cannot expect to be forever young we can maintain our youth and be as young as we feel as long as we live. How do we do that? How can we ensure that we will live to be 80, 90 or even 100 and be healthy enough to enjoy our life as we age?

By eating nutritiously and maintaining a healthy weight many of the problems we face with aging can be prevented, minimized or even delayed, says Michael Roizen, M.D., author of Real Age: Are You As Young As You Can Be? (HarperCollins/Cliff Street,1999). Being overweight can take a toll on your body and make a person 9 years older than his or her chronological age. We all know that eating healthy and staying fit brings great rewards. We feel good and look good when we make healthy choices and live a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet is essential in order to live a longer life. A diet that includes fruits, vegetables and whole grains and is low in fat and cholesterol will keep us on the path of eating healthier for the rest of our lives. Good nutrition is the basis for life.

As we age, our body basically has too many free radicals that can do damage to our body’s cells. From vital organs to skin cells, this damage is responsible for many diseases and accelerates the aging process. Our health pays the price. Antioxidants are compounds in foods that can stop these free radicals from doing this kind of damage. They allow the body to repair the damage done and resist any future attacks. Three essential antioxidants are vitamin C and E and beta-carotene. Plant compounds, called phytonutrients, also have antioxidant abilities. These are found in fruits and vegetables. Getting enough of these will help you reach a ripe old age or at least to reach your maximum life span. A recent study at Tufts University found that antioxidants in addition to retarding the aging process, may also reverse it. There is no guarantee that you will reach 120 or 150, but adding a few extra years is definitely a plus. You can get antioxidants in the fruits and vegetables you eat. Imagine, with every strawberry, blueberry or carrot you put in your mouth, you could be reducing your risk of disease and adding years to your life.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT FOODS

The recipe for success is definitely in the foods you choose. For maximum benefit, healthy aging, and maintaining your youth (anti-aging) add the following foods to your eating plan;

COLD WATER FISH.. Eat fish twice a week. Fish like salmon, herring, and tuna that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Shrimp and tilapia are other good choices to help keep your heart, eyes and brain young.

DARK LEAFY GREENS.. Spinach and swiss chard are low in calories and fat and high in folic acid, vitamin A , potassium and magnesium. Other dark leafy vegetables include bok choy, collard greens, spinach, kale and romaine lettuce. Dark leafy greens help prevent vision loss and keep your mind sharp.

DARK SKINNED FRUITS.. Apples, grapes, plums, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, acai berry, blackcurrants and figs all have high levels of antioxidants to help ward off diseases like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

OLIVE OIL, AVOCADOS AND ALMONDS.. These are good fats, monoun-saturated fats that are heart healthy, disease fighting fats.

NUTS.. Most nuts are good sources of minerals and vitamin B and are good fats. Adding nuts to salads and eating them as snacks can boost your immune system. 2 tablespoons is a good measure for a quick snack. Most nuts are high in calories. They are good fats, however.

WHOLE GRAINS .. Strive to eat 3 servings of whole grains each day such as; brown rice, wild rice, whole oats/oatmeal, whole wheat bread. Whole grains have phytonutrient content equal to any fruit or vegetable.

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES.. Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Kale, turnip, brussel sprouts, radish and watercress assist the body in its fight against toxins and cancer. Whenever you eat vegetables put about 20% more on your plate then you normally do. These are filling and full of nutrients.

LEGUMES.. Beans have the highest antioxidant content. They are low in calories and are packed with nutrients. Eat them 3-4 times a week.

YOGURT.. Eat low fat yogurt as one of your 3 dairy servings each day. Yogurt has probiotics that help add healthy bacteria to your intestines.

WATER.. Water is essential for hydration of the skin, organs, and muscles and helps us get rid of toxins and wastes in our bodies. Drink at least 3-4 glasses of pure water each day in addition to other liquids and watery foods such as; watermelon, teas, soup, tomatoes,oranges, and 100% fruit and vegetable juice.

GREEN TEA.. Drinking green tea daily is also good for longevity.The Japanese are one of the longest lived peoples in the world.They have been drinking green tea daily for ages.

GARLIC.. Eating a clove of garlic a day ( raw or cooked) is great protection against heart disease, cancer and the development of colon cancer. We also found it helps ward off the common cold.

We especially liked the guidelines for eating healthy suggested byLaura L. S. Mueser, a perinatal social worker at the University of Washington Medical Center.

* Eat 6-11 servings of bread or grain, like rice, pasta, tortillas or cereal a day.
* Eat 3-5 servings of vegetables, like carrots, cabbage, tomatoes or broccoli a day.
* Eat 2-4 servings of fruit or fruit juice, like apples, peaches,mangoes, or bananas daily.
* Eat 2-3 servings a day of meat, fish, beans, eggs or nuts, for protein.
* Eat 2-3 servings daily of yogurt, cheese or milk.

Certainly if you do all that you will not have time nor room for the unhealthy snacks and “junk food” we all seem to crave and eat too much of. Junk food consumption in America is associated with heart disease and obesity. Everyone has their own list of what constitutes junk food in their diet. Candy, gum, fried foods, sweet desserts, and carbonated beverages are some of the foods we label junk food. They offer little in terms of nutrients needed for the body. It is important to judge each food according to the list of ingredients and nutrition facts on the label. This information will help you be more knowledgeable when choosing foods to reduce your nutritional health risk.

The anti-aging food pyramid is also a great guide for choosing the appropriate foods for maintaining your youth and making choices for a healthy lifestyle.

“This is the world’s most advance Food Pyramid specifically designed for anti-aging. In addition to optimum nutrition for cellular fortification, it curtails sugar imbalance, control oxidative stress, aids in detoxification, and prolong lifespan. It is the best anti-aging diet available, and it has been proven clinically to work.”

by Michael Lam, MD, MPH, ABAM, CNC

http://www.drlam.com/pyramid.asp