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HEALTHY EATING D NUTRIENTS

Body-Aging Habit No. 1

J

X \A weakness foc o n v e n i e n c e ^foods. ^

Big Offender: Partially hydro-genated oils (a source of trans fats),which manufacturers manipulate toincrease stability and shelf life.

How It Ages You: Lurking inmany processed convenience foods,partially hydrogenated oils take theiraging toll by promoting inflammation.Chronic inflammation is a low-grade,systemic irritation that smolders deepinside the body. Like rust that spreadsthrough a car, inflammation erodesthe body's basic mechanics.

Specifically, chronic inflammationages the body by nibbling away attelomeres — the caps on the endsof your chromosomes that are keyto protecting your genes. Telomeresshorten naturally with each celldivision, and eventually telomeres areused up and cells become inactiveor die. Cell death is natural, butlifestyle factors — such as eatinga lot of hydrogenated oils — canshorten telomeres prematurelyand accelerate aging. (For more ontelomeres, see page 60.)

"Inflammation is the No. 1 enemyof telomeres," says Shawn Talbott,PhD, CNS, a nutritional biochemistand author of The Secret of Vigor. Heexplains that prematurely shortenedtelomeres are linked to heart disease,

type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.Partially hydrogenated oils are

full of trans fat. Although the U.S.Food and Drug Administration hasrecently made moves to ban its use inhuman food products, a legal loopholeallows small amounts of trans fats to

go into processed foods while stillpermitting those foods to be labeleda s t r a n s - f a t - f r e e .

A new report by the consumer-advocate Environmental WorkingGroup noted that while "trans

40 / EXPERIENCE LIFE / November 2015

il

fat" appears on only 2 percent ofNutrition Facts labels, the fat is usedin an estimated 37 percent of allsupermarket foods.

"People think the war on trans fathas been won, but sleeper cells wereleft behind," says Lodge. "Remember,food labeling is not completely honest."

Bottom line: If your go-to mealsare processed or if you snack onpackaged cookies or crackers withoutpaying close attention to serving size,you may be ingesting several grams oftrans fats each day.

T h e F i xEat fewer processed foods. Shop theperimeter of grocery stores, whereproduce and fresh foods are displayed.

Eat more high-quality fats andget the omega-3 fatty acids foundin salmon, halibut, anchovies,

grouper, flaxseeds, chia seeds, andsesame seeds . These fa ts boos tbrain and nervous-system healthby nourishing ceil membranes, saysKathie Madonna Swift, MS, RON,

LDN, cofoundef of the Integrative andFunctional Nutrition Academy andcoauthor o f The Swi f t D ie t .

A diet high in phytonutrients andantioxidants Is also linked to longertelomeres, so eat plenty of leafy

greens, berries, cruciferous veggies,and other brightiy coiored produce,and drink lots of green tea. (For tips on

brewing, see page 20.)7

4Body-Aging Habit No. 2

Giving in to a ^serious ^sweet too th .Big Offender: Sugar, whethersucrose (the refined, highly processedand crystalized version of plant sugars), glucose, dextrose, fructose, orother types of added sweeteners.

How It Ages You: Excess sugarin your diet loiters in the blood andcauses trouble by glomming on toprotein molecules. This process, calledglycation, causes cellular aging inseveral ways.

First, it slows the body's repairmechanism. Although glycation'seffects are mostly internal, agingskin is a prime external sign. "Sugarmolecules gum up the collagen inyour skin," says Talbott, makingskin less elastic and causing it tow r i n k l e f a s t e r .

Glycation also ages the body bycreating oxidative stress. Oxidationeventually leads to a buildup oftoxins called advanced glycation endproducts, or AGEs. The accumulationof some AGEs is normal, but eatingpoorly is like hitting the fast-forwardbutton on aging.

That's because AGEs build up inthe body and damage our cellularengines: mitochondria. The loss ofcellular energy gives rise to such age-related complaints as loss of memory,hearing, vision, and stamina.

Some findings show AGEs buildup in the brains of people withAlzheimer's (increasingly referred toas "type 3 diabetes"). AGEs are alsolinked to the more rapid developmentof arterial plaque in people with heartdisease, and appear to be associatedwith Parkinson's disease as well.

The FixIf you can go cold turkey on processed sugar, great. If not, cut backas far as you can. For the sweets youdo eat, choose foods made with less

heavily processed natural sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup,instead of refined (white) sugar.

"Although natural sugars aren'tmuch better for your health, foodssweetened naturally tend to be lessr e fi n e d a n d c o n t a i n o t h e r w h o l e - f o o d

ingredients, and that is beneficial forreducing sugar load," says Talbott.

Cut back on the sugar you use inrecipes at home, and try adding lesssugar to your coffee, tea, and otherfrequently consumed beverages.

One more tip: Don't swap your

sugar for artificial sweeteners.There's evidence that they can do asmuch or more damage to your healthin other ways (see ELmag.com/

secretingredients).

Body-Aging Habit No. 3

Waiting to eatuntil you'refamished.

Big Offender: Crashing andspiking blood sugar, which wreaks hormonal havoc, promotes inflammation,and drives unhealthy food cravings.

How It Ages You: when thestomach is empty, its secretion ofghrelin, also called the "hunger hormone," doubles. When the stomach isfull, secretion of ghrelin slows and itshormonal opposite, leptin, signals thatthe body is satiated. But it can take20 minutes for this process to unfold.During this time, it's easy to overeat.

"Going for a long period withoutfood and then gorging is the textbookway to gain weight," says Talbott."When you gorge, you eat more, yourblood sugar spikes higher, and yourbody stores more calories for laterbecause i t 's in feast-or-famine mode."

Significantly, frequent blood-sugarspikes are linked to insulin resistance,a precursor to type 2 diabetes andmetabolic syndrome, and to body-w i d e i n fl a m m a t i o n .

"As we get older, we get metabolic-ally less flexible, meaning our bodieshave difficulty using insulin to shiftm i c ronu t r i en t s f r om the b l oods t reaminto cells," says Deanna Minich, PhD,FACN, CNS, author of The Complete

Handbook of Quantum Healing."An inability to use insulin

effectively hastens aging byzapping a person's vitality,strength, and sex drive."

The F ixDon't wait until you're voracious toeat. Tune in to your body and get toknow what it feels like to be moder- .

ately hungry, says Swift: "This is thesweet spot."

To satisfy moderate hunger, eata healthy mix of macronutrients —

proteins, fats, and nonstarchy carbs.This trifecta offers high-quality, long-lasting energy. Swift recommendshummus and veggies, nut butter and

apple slices, or nuts and seeds mixedwi th a l i t t l e d r ied f ru i t .

ExperienceLife.com / EXPERIENCE LIFE / 41

HEALTHY EATING ■ NUTRIENTS

Eating too manyr e fi n e dcarbs.Big Offender: Refined, starchycarbohydrates (healthy carbs strippedof all the good stuff).

How It Ages You: Refinedcarbs are simply sugars in disguise."Starch turns into sugar the minute ithits your bloodstream," says Lodge.Beyond causing glycation (see HabitNo. 2), refined carbs set the stage forinsu l in res is tance.

Lodge notes that the human bodyevolved with a limited ability to breakdown sugars (and limited exposure tosugar in concentrated forms), so ithasn't kept pace with the modern diet.

After a meal laden with refined

carbohydrates, the body's blood-sugarlevels soar, and the pancreas spraysinsulin into the bloodstream to helpcells convert the food's energy (glucose) into fuel. It often miscalculatesa n d r e l e a s e s t o o m u c h i n s u l i n .

As a result of this excess insulin,blood-sugar levels drop, and 30minutes later you're hungry again."The body wasn't designed forthis yo-yo effect," says Lodge. Thetechnical term for this effect is "insulinresistance"; it's a precursor to suchage-related diseases as type 2 diabetes,metabolic syndrome, and heart disease.

In addition, because simplecarbohydrates burn quickly, theyleave nothing to nourish the health-promoting microbes that reside in ourlarge intestines.

The F ixstick to whole-food carbohydrates,such as vegetables, legumes,and whole-kernel grains. Becausewhole-kernel grains are left intact(versus being pulverized into flouror stripped of their germ and bran),

they take longer for the body todigest, and the sugar is released in aslow, steady stream.

T h e r e s i s t a n t s t a r c h e s a n d

fermentable fibers in complex carbsalso feed your hungry gut flora andinfluence signaling molecules that

help moderate insulin release."These foods provide critical

information for your body," saysSwift, "They're our primary currencyfor aging well — one of the besti n v e s t m e n t s w e c a n m a k e . "

I W E BE X T R A !For anotheriffy eatinghabi t wor threexamining,see ELmag.com/foodhabitsage.

42 / EXPERIENCE LIFE / November 2015

Body-Aging Habit No. 5

Eating whenyou're

: stressed."We've learned a lot lately about the

importance of carbohydrates to our gutecosystem," says Swift, who explainsthat healthy gut flora feed on fermentable fibers and resistant starches foundin many complex carbohydrates.

These so-called indigestible carbs 'produce short-chain fatty acids that inturn affect glucose regulation, blood-sugar regulation, and insulin resistance."Eating the right type of carbs is critical to supporting this milieu," she says.

Big Offender: Cortisol, thestress hormone secreted by youradrenal glands.

How It Ages You: Stresshormones (automatically released bythe body under all kinds of stressfulc i rcumstances) are ant i the t ica l to

digestion in a couple of ways.First, the release of adrenaline and

Cortisol — fight-or-flight chemicals— diverts blood toward your limbsand away from your stomach andintestines. As a result, food mayferment in the intestines, upsettingthe balance of good and bad bacteria,says Lodge, and hindering theintestines' ability to break down andabsorb key nutrients like vitamin B12.

"Eating when you're stresseddamages your body and locks out therepair crew," says Lodge.

Stressed or distracted eating canalso lead to unconscious eating. Youmay eat more than you intended oreat foods you wouldn't have chosenunder be t te r c i r cumstances .

The F ixIf you are stressed and tempted toraid tfie cupboard, Lodge says, drinka glass of water and go for a five-m i n u t e w a l k i n s t e a d .

Whenever possible, eat in placeswfiere you feel calm and happy. Athome, create a relaxing atmosphere:Set the table and light a candle, sug

gests Kevin Spelman, PhD, an adjunct professor at the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland,Ore. "Just as your senses assimilatethat environment in a pleasant way,

your body will assimilate food in amore efficient way." ®

Cathe r i ne Gu th r i e i s a Bos ton -based

science writer and Experience Lifecontributing editor.