The siren-song of anti-aging seems to call out from everywhere today. From surgery to skin creams, is it possible that any of these options may improve quality of life and restore some of that feeling of youth? The simple answer is, there is no simple answer. Thoughtful study, understanding and application is critical when dealing with a subject of such importance.
Certainly nothing can make you literally younger. Anti-aging instead refers to the physical processes we associate with getting older. Why is it that some people may be advanced in years, and yet appear young? Why do others appear to be aging more rapidly than others do? A variety of factors may be involved, and diet seems to be a significant factor. (When it comes to diet, what you put in your body is something the body needs provides nourishment or it is something the body does not need and can throw bodily functions out of balance, cause stress or damage and require increased nourishment to counteract those negative effects.) As your body is exposed to toxins and other forms of stress, the health of your cells is impacted. These effects may be small, but they add up as so-called oxidative stresses accumulate in the body. Oxidative stress has the same basic impact on the body as rust does on a car. Instead of rust, we call these oxidizing agents free radicals.
The human body regenerates over time, cell by cell. This is how your body repairs from the stress of physical activity (exercise), the damage of a cut, broken bone, an infection or exposure to a strong toxin like chlorine. If the free radicals have been neutralized, the new cells will be able to function optimally. Left lurking in the body, those free radicals continue to damage the newly generated cells.
There is a solution. Antioxidants are compounds that neutralize free radicals. How important are antioxidants? Your body manufactures several of them, including glutathione and co-enzyme Q10. However your body is only designed to manufacture enough antioxidants to handle normal biology and product seems to decrease, as you get older. Many toxins in our modern environment never existed mere decades ago. They are free radicals and some even inhibit production of our own antioxidants and drive other nutrients from the body as well. This means your body is under a new kind of free radical burden, which might be substantially higher than what your parents were exposed to at your age.
The design of the body has a backup plan for dealing with free radical buildup. Certain foods contain potent antioxidants that your body can use to neutralize these free radicals as well. By eating more fresh, fruits and vegetables you increase the levels of antioxidants in your diet and begin to neutralize free radicals, giving your body the relief it needs to begin to repair and rebalance. High quality food supplements can also help to increase antioxidant levels as long as they are food-based and proven to actually contain still-effective levels of antioxidants. Most supplements are synthetic and studies have shown their benefit to be limited because the body does not recognize them in exactly the same was as antioxidants which are found in foods and supplements made from food extracts.
How much antioxidant support do you need? The current food pyramid suggests that you eat about nine servings of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables a day for minimal nutrition, including antioxidants. Some published studies suggest that the minimum might be as high as twenty servings a day. This could be quite a challenge. Are you currently eating nine? If you take any medications, experience stress in your life or workplace, or are dealing with the effects of any disease or injury, your minimal level of antioxidant support could be even higher. Because of this, the appropriate use of safe, food-based dietary supplements is a logical approach to supplementing, not substituting, the benefits of a good diet.
One of the earliest approaches to supplementing nutrient levels in the diet is juicing. By removing the extra fiber from a fruit or vegetable the body can more easily absorb the nutrients from freshly extracted juice. It is also possible to drink a large quantity of freshly made fruit or vegetable juice where eating the equivalent amount of whole foods would be extremely challenging. The downside to juicing, apart from convenience and often messy clean up, is these juices often contain high amounts of glucose and fructose sugars which are quickly absorbed as well. Bottled juices also tend to contain added refined sugar, making their benefits to good health questionable.
The next wave of technology to improve antioxidant support is the antioxidant supplement. The first dietary supplements sold were made from food extracts, but were quickly obscured by cheaper, synthetic substitutes. It was suggested that the synthetic molecules were the same as the food-bound nutrients but decades of collected research has shown a significant difference between antioxidants made in a lab and antioxidants found in food. Because of this, food-based supplements are regaining popularity as they demonstrate superior performance.
However, over time antioxidants oxidize and no longer provide value. Fruit and vegetable juice must be made from fresh sources and used immediately. Similarly, antioxidant supplements must be made from effective antioxidant sources that are still potent and the final products must be tested to ensure they are still potent.
Antioxidants should be found in everyone’s diet. There is a saying that the best time to dig a well is before you are thirsty so the earlier you incorporate antioxidants into your diet, the more you will benefit. However, anyone, at any age, can benefit from improved nutrition so never think it’s too late to change.
Dave Saunders is a nutrition consultant and national speaker. You can read more about health and wellness at http://www.glycowellness.com/ and http://www.glycoblog.com/.
Showing posts with label Anti-Aging Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anti-Aging Nutrition. Show all posts
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Anti Aging Nutrition and Foods Worth Eating
To help slow down the effects of aging examining what you eat is a good start. You need to begin thinking about anti aging nutrition. Although that sounds somewhat trite the truth is that everything you put in your mouth has the potential to effect your health and your skin and so your emotional reactions to aging as well.
Anti aging nutrition must include an increase in vitamins. A study done in the late 1990s has proven that vitamin B is essential in resisting aging. This includes all three of the vitamin Bs, B6, B12 and folic acid. These are important in keeping down the risks of heart disease and to assist with memory. They help to slow brain degeneration, as does taking ginkgo, which is also known to sharpen your wits and improve your memory. Vitamins C, D and calcium are also essential. These can all be taken in pill or capsule from or by increasing the foods that carry this essential anti aging nutrition for your body.
Some of the best foods you can eat include fruits and vegetables. That doesn’t mean that you have to give up enjoying those meat and potato meals you love so much. Just add some extra vegetables to your meal. The beauty of eating lots of vegetables is that they are fat, cholesterol and salt free. This is true of all vegetables except for avocados, olives and coconuts. That means that those ones should be eaten with less frequency while enjoying the others as often as you like. Diet suggestions for those who are approaching, and passing, middle age, say you should eat at least five servings of fruits or vegetables a day, but eight would be even better.
By following simple anti aging nutrition tips you will increase the fiber in your diet without increasing the calories. This also has the benefit of lowering your risks for many of the potential illnesses that reach out to us as we slide past middle age. These include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. One thing we need as we age is antioxidants. These are found in fruits and vegetables as well as vitamin supplements. Antioxidants are helpful in protecting aging bodies from disease and that is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.
Chris Lakatos is the creator of Anti-aging Health portal =>http://anti-aging.healthylivinghub.com/ You'll find useful informations, articles and resources to every aspects of your Health and medical needs.
Anti aging nutrition must include an increase in vitamins. A study done in the late 1990s has proven that vitamin B is essential in resisting aging. This includes all three of the vitamin Bs, B6, B12 and folic acid. These are important in keeping down the risks of heart disease and to assist with memory. They help to slow brain degeneration, as does taking ginkgo, which is also known to sharpen your wits and improve your memory. Vitamins C, D and calcium are also essential. These can all be taken in pill or capsule from or by increasing the foods that carry this essential anti aging nutrition for your body.
Some of the best foods you can eat include fruits and vegetables. That doesn’t mean that you have to give up enjoying those meat and potato meals you love so much. Just add some extra vegetables to your meal. The beauty of eating lots of vegetables is that they are fat, cholesterol and salt free. This is true of all vegetables except for avocados, olives and coconuts. That means that those ones should be eaten with less frequency while enjoying the others as often as you like. Diet suggestions for those who are approaching, and passing, middle age, say you should eat at least five servings of fruits or vegetables a day, but eight would be even better.
By following simple anti aging nutrition tips you will increase the fiber in your diet without increasing the calories. This also has the benefit of lowering your risks for many of the potential illnesses that reach out to us as we slide past middle age. These include cancer, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. One thing we need as we age is antioxidants. These are found in fruits and vegetables as well as vitamin supplements. Antioxidants are helpful in protecting aging bodies from disease and that is one of the most important things you can do for yourself.
Chris Lakatos is the creator of Anti-aging Health portal =>http://anti-aging.healthylivinghub.com/ You'll find useful informations, articles and resources to every aspects of your Health and medical needs.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Detoxifying Your Body
Detoxification (Detox): Is the removal of toxic substances from the body. This is mainly performed by the liver and kidneys. When the kidneys are not functioning correctly or not working at all an artificial technique called dialysis is used.
Why do we need to detoxify our bodies? Due to many elements our bodies are subjected to toxins. Sometimes these toxins accumulate in the body and make us sick. Therefore it is advisable to detoxify our bodies when this happens. There are several ways this can be done.
One of the most common ways is to modify your diet. This is known as a detox diet. Many people do this on a regular basis. They find it not only improves overall health but results in increased energy, helps your immune system and can also help in weight loss. Different diets commonly used are:
Fasting or abstinence of food- is a very common way of detoxing the body. Some just drink water others only juice. This can usually be done over a period of 24-48 hours.
Increased consumption of fish
Different combinations of foods
Eating foods which are high in antitoxins
How do we detoxify our bodies? The liver is the main organ that helps us deal with toxins in the body. There are 2 phases:
Phase 1: This is when the liver, by a chain of chemical processes, changes the toxic substance into a less toxic one. When this process takes place substances called free radicals are released into the body. These are potentially harmful to the body. Certain types of foods contain antitoxins that help us keep the body safe from these free radicals.
Phase 2: The liver cells then add a substance to the toxin to make it water soluble and allow it to be filtered out by the kidneys in the urine. They are also eradicated in the feces. Certain foods can help in this process.
Foods that contain antitoxins:
Beets,contain a variety of substances that help cut down damage caused by free radicals. They contain antitoxins such as beta-carotene, carotenoids and flavonoids, that help the body heal itself. Broccoli have Vitamin C and B These vitamins help the liver in the phase 1 process.
Spinach has vitamin B and folic acid, used in phase 1 by the liver. Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant. They are also a good source of vitamin E and C, which are both used, in the liver’s detoxifying process.
Brown Rice provides B vitamins and the antioxidant selenium. Carrots contain beta-carotene and other carotenoids Eggs supply B vitamins. Garlic has selenium and glutathione, both of which act as antioxidants. Wheat germ contains selenium and vitamin E which are a good source of phytochemicals.
Melons and peppers and citrus fruits are good sources of vitamin C. Tomatillos, papaya, plantains, carambola, and guava are good sources of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Caution should be exercised in detoxifying dieting to ensure that toxins are not released into the body more rapidly than the body can eliminate them. When this happens the condition is called the Herxheimer reaction. Symptoms include, nausea, vomiting and headaches. Some things that may help are:
Drinking a lot of clean water
Taking light exercise
Sunlight
Detoxifying slowly
Detoxifying your body can be beneficial to your health but you need to be careful when doing this. If necessary consult your doctor to be sure that there is no underlying problem that can be worsened by this process. Many people do experience beneficial symptoms from detox diets and make them a regular part of their eating habits.
Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients Consultant. His clients range from pro athletes and actresses, to cancer patients and children with Learning Disabilities. To learn if glyconutrients can help you, visit Buy Glyconutrients Product.
Why do we need to detoxify our bodies? Due to many elements our bodies are subjected to toxins. Sometimes these toxins accumulate in the body and make us sick. Therefore it is advisable to detoxify our bodies when this happens. There are several ways this can be done.
One of the most common ways is to modify your diet. This is known as a detox diet. Many people do this on a regular basis. They find it not only improves overall health but results in increased energy, helps your immune system and can also help in weight loss. Different diets commonly used are:
Fasting or abstinence of food- is a very common way of detoxing the body. Some just drink water others only juice. This can usually be done over a period of 24-48 hours.
Increased consumption of fish
Different combinations of foods
Eating foods which are high in antitoxins
How do we detoxify our bodies? The liver is the main organ that helps us deal with toxins in the body. There are 2 phases:
Phase 1: This is when the liver, by a chain of chemical processes, changes the toxic substance into a less toxic one. When this process takes place substances called free radicals are released into the body. These are potentially harmful to the body. Certain types of foods contain antitoxins that help us keep the body safe from these free radicals.
Phase 2: The liver cells then add a substance to the toxin to make it water soluble and allow it to be filtered out by the kidneys in the urine. They are also eradicated in the feces. Certain foods can help in this process.
Foods that contain antitoxins:
Beets,contain a variety of substances that help cut down damage caused by free radicals. They contain antitoxins such as beta-carotene, carotenoids and flavonoids, that help the body heal itself. Broccoli have Vitamin C and B These vitamins help the liver in the phase 1 process.
Spinach has vitamin B and folic acid, used in phase 1 by the liver. Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant. They are also a good source of vitamin E and C, which are both used, in the liver’s detoxifying process.
Brown Rice provides B vitamins and the antioxidant selenium. Carrots contain beta-carotene and other carotenoids Eggs supply B vitamins. Garlic has selenium and glutathione, both of which act as antioxidants. Wheat germ contains selenium and vitamin E which are a good source of phytochemicals.
Melons and peppers and citrus fruits are good sources of vitamin C. Tomatillos, papaya, plantains, carambola, and guava are good sources of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Caution should be exercised in detoxifying dieting to ensure that toxins are not released into the body more rapidly than the body can eliminate them. When this happens the condition is called the Herxheimer reaction. Symptoms include, nausea, vomiting and headaches. Some things that may help are:
Drinking a lot of clean water
Taking light exercise
Sunlight
Detoxifying slowly
Detoxifying your body can be beneficial to your health but you need to be careful when doing this. If necessary consult your doctor to be sure that there is no underlying problem that can be worsened by this process. Many people do experience beneficial symptoms from detox diets and make them a regular part of their eating habits.
Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients Consultant. His clients range from pro athletes and actresses, to cancer patients and children with Learning Disabilities. To learn if glyconutrients can help you, visit Buy Glyconutrients Product.
Anti-aging: Is It Really Possible?
Although it is obviously not possible to turn the clock back entirely, we can take many steps now to ensure that not only do we slow down the aging process, but we can also reverse many of the signs of aging that we may presently be experiencing.
The biggest key in the fight against aging is of course our diet and nutrition. The old adage, "you are what you eat" is absolutely true! It is impossible to expect to be healthy and vital if we are not eating the nutrients we need to keep our bodies performing at its best.
I truly believe that the increase in lifestyle diseases that we are presently seeing is in great part due to poor diets and junk food. It is very important to try to increase the amount of whole foods that we eat and decrease the amount of processed foods that we eat.
Processed foods have almost no nutrients left in them ... they are considered "empty calories". But even worse than that, the preservatives, additives and chemicals that are in these processed foods interfere with many bodily functions including hormones. These chemical toxins are called "xenoestrogens" and they often trigger a condition called "Estrogen Dominance".
What is Estrogen Dominance? Simply explained, it is when the ratio of Estrogen and Progesterone get out of whack and you have higher levels of estrogen, compared to progesterone. There are many things in our modern society that contribute to this imbalance including birth control pills, caffeine, alcohol and xenoestrogens (which are caused by external toxins and pollutants like detergents, pesticides, plastics etc.), as well as impaired liver function and even stress!
The hormonal imbalances caused by Estrogen Dominance have many negative effects on the body and can make you feel a lot older by triggering many symptoms like poor memory, "foggy brain", weight gain and difficulty losing weight, increased facial hair, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, darkened skin pigmentation, water retention and much, much more. Estrogen Dominance also increases the risk of many lifestyle diseases like cancer, fibrocystic breasts, breast cancer, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and much more.
Estrogen Dominance is much more common than people think, thanks to the world we live in. And it is happening to women at younger and younger ages, even to women in their twenties or thirties! So how do you combat estrogen dominance? One of the most important changes you can make is losing weight if you are overweight, since this triggers a vicious cycle of hormonal imbalances and weight gain, especially in the abdominal area.
But of course, how you lose weight is just as important, if not more, than just losing weight. If you lose weight following unhealthy weight loss diets, you could be unbalancing your hormones even more. The better method is to lose weight in a slow, steady fashion by eating healthy, nutritious food and NOT starving yourself.
If instead of following an unhealthy diet, you follow a healthy eating program you will not only lose weight, but will have many health benefits as well. Check out these little-known, powerful anti-aging benefits you get from eating a healthy, balanced diet:
- Eating a healthy diet decreases free radical production through proper nutrition, which is a powerful anti-aging technique, as well as decreasing the risk of developing different types of cancer
- Eating healthy also helps to promote anti-aging by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides to healthy levels
When you follow a healthy diet and do not skip meals or starve yourself, you actually speed up your metabolism and increase fat burning capabilities. Dieting is one of the best ways of slowing down your metabolism, which of course makes losing weight very difficult. Yo-yo dieting is a good example of this. Each time you lose weight and gain it back, you are slowing down your metabolism so that each subsequent diet gets harder and harder to lose weight.
- It is also possible to make a few simple changes to your diet so that the food you eat stabilises your blood sugar levels and reduces insulin and improves insulin resistance ... ultimately decreasing the risk of Diabetes. And did you know that Insulin is a major culprit in weight gain?
- And here is a very powerful anti-aging secret: eating a healthy, balanced diet supports your liver! If your liver works better, your body detoxifies more efficiently, which improves all areas of your health (including cellulite reduction the natural way), as well as supporting your immune system which is of course very important for good health
And not only do unhealthy diets unbalance your hormones, one thing that many people don't think about when they decide to lose weight following unhealthy fast weight loss diets: the faster you lose weight, the bigger the chances that you will be left with loose, sagging skin! A healthy eating program decreases the chances of having loose, sagging skin, because you lose weight in a slow, steady way, which gives your body a chance to firm up your skin. There are also many foods you can eat that promote healthy, firm skin tone. (The "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program teaches which foods promote anti-aging and also which foods you can eat to help to improve skin tone and prevent loose, sagging skin.)
About the author
Geri Richard is the owner of the "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program website. This program teaches you how to lose weight the healthy way, without hunger, food cravings or starving yourself on endless diets. It even includes a free e-book that focuses on how to reverse aging and improve your health and quality of life. Visit the website at http://www.weightloss-dietfree.com/ to see how you can get this free e-book.
The biggest key in the fight against aging is of course our diet and nutrition. The old adage, "you are what you eat" is absolutely true! It is impossible to expect to be healthy and vital if we are not eating the nutrients we need to keep our bodies performing at its best.
I truly believe that the increase in lifestyle diseases that we are presently seeing is in great part due to poor diets and junk food. It is very important to try to increase the amount of whole foods that we eat and decrease the amount of processed foods that we eat.
Processed foods have almost no nutrients left in them ... they are considered "empty calories". But even worse than that, the preservatives, additives and chemicals that are in these processed foods interfere with many bodily functions including hormones. These chemical toxins are called "xenoestrogens" and they often trigger a condition called "Estrogen Dominance".
What is Estrogen Dominance? Simply explained, it is when the ratio of Estrogen and Progesterone get out of whack and you have higher levels of estrogen, compared to progesterone. There are many things in our modern society that contribute to this imbalance including birth control pills, caffeine, alcohol and xenoestrogens (which are caused by external toxins and pollutants like detergents, pesticides, plastics etc.), as well as impaired liver function and even stress!
The hormonal imbalances caused by Estrogen Dominance have many negative effects on the body and can make you feel a lot older by triggering many symptoms like poor memory, "foggy brain", weight gain and difficulty losing weight, increased facial hair, decreased sex drive, vaginal dryness, darkened skin pigmentation, water retention and much, much more. Estrogen Dominance also increases the risk of many lifestyle diseases like cancer, fibrocystic breasts, breast cancer, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and much more.
Estrogen Dominance is much more common than people think, thanks to the world we live in. And it is happening to women at younger and younger ages, even to women in their twenties or thirties! So how do you combat estrogen dominance? One of the most important changes you can make is losing weight if you are overweight, since this triggers a vicious cycle of hormonal imbalances and weight gain, especially in the abdominal area.
But of course, how you lose weight is just as important, if not more, than just losing weight. If you lose weight following unhealthy weight loss diets, you could be unbalancing your hormones even more. The better method is to lose weight in a slow, steady fashion by eating healthy, nutritious food and NOT starving yourself.
If instead of following an unhealthy diet, you follow a healthy eating program you will not only lose weight, but will have many health benefits as well. Check out these little-known, powerful anti-aging benefits you get from eating a healthy, balanced diet:
- Eating a healthy diet decreases free radical production through proper nutrition, which is a powerful anti-aging technique, as well as decreasing the risk of developing different types of cancer
- Eating healthy also helps to promote anti-aging by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides to healthy levels
When you follow a healthy diet and do not skip meals or starve yourself, you actually speed up your metabolism and increase fat burning capabilities. Dieting is one of the best ways of slowing down your metabolism, which of course makes losing weight very difficult. Yo-yo dieting is a good example of this. Each time you lose weight and gain it back, you are slowing down your metabolism so that each subsequent diet gets harder and harder to lose weight.
- It is also possible to make a few simple changes to your diet so that the food you eat stabilises your blood sugar levels and reduces insulin and improves insulin resistance ... ultimately decreasing the risk of Diabetes. And did you know that Insulin is a major culprit in weight gain?
- And here is a very powerful anti-aging secret: eating a healthy, balanced diet supports your liver! If your liver works better, your body detoxifies more efficiently, which improves all areas of your health (including cellulite reduction the natural way), as well as supporting your immune system which is of course very important for good health
And not only do unhealthy diets unbalance your hormones, one thing that many people don't think about when they decide to lose weight following unhealthy fast weight loss diets: the faster you lose weight, the bigger the chances that you will be left with loose, sagging skin! A healthy eating program decreases the chances of having loose, sagging skin, because you lose weight in a slow, steady way, which gives your body a chance to firm up your skin. There are also many foods you can eat that promote healthy, firm skin tone. (The "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program teaches which foods promote anti-aging and also which foods you can eat to help to improve skin tone and prevent loose, sagging skin.)
About the author
Geri Richard is the owner of the "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program website. This program teaches you how to lose weight the healthy way, without hunger, food cravings or starving yourself on endless diets. It even includes a free e-book that focuses on how to reverse aging and improve your health and quality of life. Visit the website at http://www.weightloss-dietfree.com/ to see how you can get this free e-book.
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