We can no longer ignore what we eat as it endangers our health and ages us faster than we can blink. By eliminating these foods or bringing the intake to a minimum we will be able to not only see the waistlines shrinking but also find ourselves looking and feeling a whole lot better overall. What is the secret to staying “Forever young”? Let’s get to it and see what needs to be altered from our daily diet.
1. Hydrogenated Oils or Trans Fats
Seriously, these components have swallowed up America whole with practically contaminating everything from cookies to fried foods to “healthy” snacks, you name it—it’s probably there. These oils turn into an unhealthy fat storage, or trans fats, and have been long linked as a direct contributor to heart disease and obesity rates in this country. Nonetheless, people continue to choose foods that they are used to because old habits die-hard, it is comforting, and most, cost less. So how many potato chips can you eat or baked goods, or your favorite snacks? Well turns out that if you read the label and the trans fat IN A SERVING is less than 0.5 grams, the actual food label will read ZERO trans fat, according with the Mayo Clinic. Therefore, if the ingredient states partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated-anything-oil you should know to either not eat it or limit the intake. Hello cholesterol hike! Remember Margarine verses Butter? We have been fed with nonsense for over forty years, and if you cannot do without a taste of butter always choose butter over margarine. Assistant Professor of medicine Timothy Harlan, M.D. at Tulane University School of Medicine said that trans fat cases inflammation, and he explained that aging a “chronic inflammatory state” in itself, and reassured that one can look older by consuming trans fats regularly. Back to butter–trans fat intake is 3.3 g verses 15 g that is in margarine. The “bad” fats will cause obesity, spikes in cholesterol and high blood pressure. Through these health problems alone a person is bound to age faster. The FDA had finally recognized that hydrogenated oils are not safe for consumption…Really? Thanks, it’s been a while, let me get my arteries cleaned up here… Bottom line is–read your labels, and change your habits or it will not be the only thing that will be dying pretty hard here…
2. High fructose corn syrup or HFCS
We ARE going here! This GMO (Generically Modified Organism) ingredient is literally pushed in to everything that we eat. The heavy consumption of HFCS causes obesity, liver failure, heart disease, tooth decay…shall I keep going? Listen, if you want more sugar I’d rather have you eat apples all day long and dark chocolate. The HFCS is toxic to your body, there is really zero benefits in it but gazillion damages. Sodas, and all kinds of non-organic drinks contain it, so do your cookies, jams and almost anything out there that is why reading your labels is essential. Dr. George Bray (North American Association for the Study of Obesity) had long called for dangers of obesity from the HFCS, especially from the soft drinks. A 20-ounce Pepsi bottle equates to 17 teaspoons of sugar in accordance with the Chicago Tribune. The HFCS has clear and present dangers due to the amount of fructose it contains—average of 80 percent in comparison to table sugar that has 50 percent of fructose. It’s easy—since there’s more fructose in HFCS, it goes straight to your liver, causing liver damage called “fatty liver” that is affecting over 70 million people. In addition to the health issues that are mentioned earlier, the rising amount of sugar intake has been also associated with hypertension, metabolic syndromes and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes, among the few. Daily high amounts can lead to “accelerated aging” as well, states Dr. Mark Hayman, a Director of Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. Not convinced still? Listen, you don’t have to be an expert in this field to read about all the negative things the HFCS brings to you. Too much sugar is not good period, but HFCS brings you a quadruple dosage of what you should not have, and it has been called a “silent killer” for a reason. Yes, healthier foods are more expensive, but the price you pay today for them will be the price you will not have to pay for your health tomorrow.
3. Refined Salt
By now it is common knowledge that salt adds to water retention in your body, but this is not the only problem here. The Russians call salt the ultimate “white death”. This is because salt is a contributor to hypertension or a raised blood pressure, which directly causes: heart failure, kidney stones, water retention, a link to stomach cancer among the few. Excess salt leads to skin puffiness and swelling says Dr. Gillian McKeith in her book “You Are What You Eat”. However, how much salt you should have is dependent on how healthy you are and your diet. If you are under 50, says the Harvard Medical School, and you are in a great health and have no high blood pressure then you do not have to worry about salt intake’s dangers. What you must do is to avoid high salt and processed foods. The HMS also says that the folks with high blood pressure and diabetes should not have more than 2300 mg of sodium, or 1 teaspoon a day. Perfect example of foods to completely avoid is the Top Ramen, which alone has over 700 mg of sodium in one soup, in ONE!!! PS: The chicken flavored one has 890 to 910 mg…Yes, you heard this right! Therefore, please choose wisely, salt only if necessary, and salt less!
4. Processed Meats
Your daily lunchmeats such as deli, prosciutto, bacon (YES, sorry!) and sausages usually contain various but heavy amounts of preservatives which can cause skin irritations and inflammation. Eating more of red meat also is able to interrupt your body’s ability to produce collagen, states Health.com, so this alone can age your appearance greatly, since collagen is what keeps our skin looking younger, firmer, and healthier. Hefty consumption of red meats can also lead towards a heart disease, as they are high in saturated fat. The lead author Dr. An Pan of the Harvard School of Public Health study on red meat and mortality rates had concluded a direct association and evidence of eating high amounts of red meat with the coronary heart disease, stroke and some cancers (NIH.org—National Institute of Health). Hence, limit on deli meats and substitute with fish or turkey breast pieces instead. While bacon may be good for your soul it certainly is not good for your body or arteries. Stay heavy on veggies and you will never age faster than you need to.
5. Alcohol
As much as we all love a little cocktail here and there, we must not forget that alcohol is processed through the liver. The healthier the liver is the longer we will live, and the better we shall look. We are not talking about having a glass of wine a day. We are talking about having several drinks a day or more. Our liver processes toxins when we drink alcohol but it needs time to repair. Whatever contaminants your liver had not time to process will come out on to your skin. Acne, possibly of rosacea and wrinkles are all skin-aging results from the built up toxins from the liver, and since alcohol is considered a toxin, these are the possible side effects, explains Dr. Ariel Ostad from the American Academy of Dermatology. Alcohol even makes salty and fatty foods taste better and triggers the urge for more, so we are back at eating foods that age us faster. Lastly, frequent alcohol consumption will dehydrate the body, and can lead to a more serious and deadly liver disease such as Cirrhosis. So how much is “safe” to drink? The Harvard School of Public Health tells us no more than one drink per day for women and two for men (not hard liquor). With all that said, choose carefully, read the labels, avoid heavy indulging into the above foods and ingredients. Always choose veggies and fruits to satisfy your hunger, sugar and soul. Be well. Featured photo credit: Woven Baskets of Joy/ GM Yogma via flic.kr
