Foods That Combat Aging – Read Now and Download Mobi
Foods That
COMBAT
AGING
The Nutritional
Way to Stay Healthy
Longer
DEBORAH MITCHELL
A Lynn Sonberg Book
This book contains advice and information relating to health care. It is not intended to replace medical advice and should be used to supplement rather than replace regular care by your doctor. It is recommended that you seek your physician’s advice before embarking on any medical program or treatment. All efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained in this book as of the date of publication. The publisher and the author disclaim liability for any adverse effects that may occur as a result of applying the methods suggested in this book.
CONTENTS
EAT FOR LONGEVITY
BE SUGAR SMART
GOOD FAT/BAD FAT
MAKE FIBER YOUR FRIEND
CALCIUM
ADD ANTIOXIDANTS
COOK TO FIGHT AGING
CALORIE RESTRICTION
EXERCISE
BRAIN EXERCISES
BALANCING HORMONES
STRESS MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2. FROM MARKET TO MEALS
GO NATURAL
CHOOSE AND USE HEALTHY FATS AND OILS
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
HOW TO READ FOOD LABELS
EGG SAFETY
MEAT, POULTRY, AND FISH
CHAPTER 3. 10-STEP ANTI-AGING DIET
STEP 1 : WATCH YOUR FATS
STEP 2: BE NUTS ABOUT NUTS
STEP 3: ENJOY AN ABUNDANCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS
STEP 4: STOP INFLAMMATION WITH EVERY MEAL
STEP 5: MAKE FRIENDS WITH FIBER
STEP 6: HYDRATE YOUR BODY
STEP 7: OPTIMIZE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE
STEP 8: COOK THE ANTI-AGING WAY
STEP 9: STRIVE TO BE TOXIN FREE
STEP 10: DRINK GREEN TEA
CHAPTER 4. A SAMPLE ANTI-AGING MENU
CHAPTER 5. THE ANTI-AGING NUTRITION COUNTER
HOW TO FIND YOUR FOODS
HOW TO IDENTIFY ANTI-AGING NUTRIENTS
ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
Books Authored or Co-Authored by Deborah Mitchell
Getting older sure beats the alternative, so the saying goes, but must we have such a gloomy, defeatist attitude about aging? Absolutely not! In fact, there are many things you can do right now, every day, to help minimize the effects of aging while you grow older.
There’s no denying it: growing older is a natural part of the life cycle. From the moment you were conceived, you began to age. The years keep passing, and there’s no turning back. The secret is in how you make the journey, and a big part of the trip involves food. You can make nutrition and lifestyle choices that promote health, longevity, and vitality, or those that make you feel, look, and act old. The choice is up to you.
Some older men and women proudly proclaim that they are having the best times of their lives, that they can finally do things when, how, where, if, and with whom they want. For them, and indeed for the majority of people, the older years can mean a chance to travel, explore new hobbies, go back to school, volunteer for a favorite cause, even start a new career.
Yet our negative and fearful attitudes about getting older are grounded in some real concerns, and one of the main ones is this: Will we be physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of enjoying the decades of life ahead of us? This is a legitimate question, and one that you as an adult, regardless of your age, should think about and address now to help make the most of your older years.
Foods That Combat Aging can help you make positive food and nutrition choices that combat aging every day and help you maintain health, vitality, and a positive attitude that helps you enjoy life. The great thing about making food choices that help fight aging is that you get several chances every day to make a positive impact on your health and your fight against aging. And if you make a not-so-great selection or two once in a while, you know that you can go right back to making great choices at your next meal!
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF AGING
Hair turns gray, energy flags, fine wrinkles appear, and house keys get misplaced a little more often—these are just a few indications of growing older. Everyone ages differently; the number of signs and symptoms, their severity, when they appear, how they respond to our attempts to reduce or eliminate them—all of these factors and more should be considered when you talk about aging and how to combat it. The list of changes associated with aging is a long one, but here is a representative look.
General decrease in energy level and a tendency to tire easily
Decreased memory
Decreased sex drive
Abdominal obesity and an inability to lose weight
Some hearing loss, especially for higher frequencies
Development of arthritis: affects about one-third of men and one-half of women
Loss of lean muscle tissue
Development of insulin resistance
Changes in bowel function
Changes in hair color and volume
Tendency to sleep more lightly and to experience less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
Reduction in muscle strength
Reduction in bone density
Reduction in reaction time
Reduction in levels of antibodies (and thus ability to fight off infections)
Reduction in levels of most hormones
There is much you can do to reduce, compensate for, or slow the progression of many of these and other physical and metabolic changes that occur with aging. One of the most important things you can do is harness the power of anti-aging nutrition, which we do in two ways in this book. One is through the convenient anti-aging nutrition counter offered in the second part of this book. The other is through a discussion of the dietary steps and other actions that complement any nutritional efforts you take in your fight against aging. Let’s look at some of these other approaches, along with a discussion of how wise food and supplement choices can help you fight aging now!
You are fortunate to live in a time when the field of anti-aging medicine has become a vital and increasingly well-researched area of medicine. Health-care practitioners who are involved in anti-aging medicine are excited by the forward-thinking nature of this new approach, which involves helping people take the steps necessary to maximize quality of life in their later years. Basically, anti-aging medicine is concerned with three concepts.
Prevention: taking steps to prevent the development of diseases and ailments associated with growing older. Proper nutrition is a key element of prevention.
Integration: combining the best of both worlds— conventional and alternative/complementary medicine—to achieve anti-aging goals.
Holism: recognizing and treating people as whole beings composed of many integrated parts that work together. Thus an anti-aging approach to arthritis of the hip addresses all the factors that have an impact on arthritis, including diet, exercise level, social needs, stress management, emotional health, supplementation, and pharmaceuticals.
Three or more times a day, you have a chance to fight aging with food! Your food choices are one of the most important ways you impact your health, and so it’s vitally important that you understand the basics behind what makes certain foods good partners in the fight against aging. We say “partners” because although healthy food choices are key purely on a nutritional level, they also work hand-in-hand with other factors in the effort to ward off aging, namely, exercise, stress management, supplementation, and hormone balancing. In this book we focus on nutrition, but in this chapter we also explain the relationship between wise food choices and these other factors that impact aging.
This section could be called “Be Carb Smart,” but we want to impress upon you that when we talk about carbohydrates, we’re really talking about sugars. That’s because all carbohydrates are broken down (metabolized) into simple sugars. Therefore, because sugars are the bottom line when it comes to carbohydrates and their metabolism, we think it’s important to begin there. Once you see the connection between carbs and aging, you’ll never look at carbs quite the same way again. Here’s the story.
Carbs come in two forms: simple or refined, and complex. Simple sugars include table sugar and natural sugars found in fruits, honey, and milk. Refined carbs are in white flour, white rice, baked goods, and refined pasta. Simple/refined sugars not only get stored as fat if you eat too much of them, but they also cause blood glucose levels to rise. Elevated blood glucose levels, especially chronically, can lead to insulin resistance (when the body cannot produce enough insulin or cannot adequately use the insulin it does produce) and eventually result in diabetes and its many complications, including heart disease, kidney disease, nerve disorders, and blindness.
But the link between carbs and aging is this: high blood glucose (sugar) levels accelerate aging through a process called glycation. Glycation is a natural occurrence in which glucose molecules and certain fat molecules interact with and attach to protein molecules, forming AGEs—advanced glycation end-products—and damage the protein. Wrinkling of skin is one example of what glycation can do, as collagen and other proteins in skin are damaged by glucose. Although glycation occurs in everyone, it speeds up when there’s a lot of glucose present. The rest of the bad news is that glycation is not reversible, so the goal is to prevent it as much as possible. How do you do that?
What You Can Do Now
You can be sugar smart and keep your blood glucose levels in a healthy range (ideally, a fasting glucose level that is less than 100 mg/dL). Since carbohydrates are a key energy source, you need to provide your body with the best fuel in the form of smart carbs—complex carbs rather than simple ones. Complex carbs are more complicated in structure and generally higher in nutritional value than simple carbs. A diet that includes a moderate amount of carbs (about 50% of total caloric intake), mostly the complex type, can help keep blood glucose levels in check, as complex carbs generally cause a moderate increase in blood glucose levels while simple ones cause a sharp, rapid (and unhealthy) rise.
Another factor to consider is the glycemic index, which is a gauge of how quickly foods convert into glucose. Foods with a low value (generally 50 or lower) convert into glucose slower, which keeps blood glucose levels more balanced throughout the day and thus helps fight aging. Here are some smart carb tips, followed by a sample glycemic index.
Choose brown or wild rice instead of white rice.
Substitute whole-wheat or other whole-grain breads, rolls, and bagels for their white flour cousins.
Include one to two servings (½ cup per serving) of beans daily: lima, butter, white, pinto, black, soy, kidney, or garbanzo.
Choose yams or sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.
Include one serving of oatmeal or all-bran cereal daily.
Choose whole fresh fruits for dessert.
Choose a whole-grain pasta (wheat, spelt, buckwheat, rye) instead of white pasta.
Significantly reduce or eliminate white sugar and white sugar products from your diet.
If you use fruit juices or fruit products, choose unsweetened varieties: unsweetened apple sauce, juices and nectars, canned or jarred fruits (in natural juices only).
It’s become common practice to classify fat into two categories—“good” and “bad”—to make it easier to identify which ones you should include more of in your diet and which ones to reduce or avoid. Certainly when we talk about fighting aging, we want to optimize the benefits of good fats and minimize the damage from the bad ones.
First you should understand that “fat” comes in four main types: saturated, polyunsaturated (which includes omega-3 and omega-6), monounsaturated, and trans fats. Fat is essential for life: most of the body’s organs—especially the brain—could not function without it. But “essential” does not mean you need large amounts of it. Although the Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans consume 20 to 35 percent of their calories from fat, the lower end of that range is much healthier and realistic given that the majority of people in the United States are overweight or obese and that diseases associated with high-fat intake (e.g., heart disease, stroke, some cancers) are responsible for the majority of disease-related deaths.
“Good fats” include monounsaturated fats and omega−3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat. These fats typically are not listed on nutrition labels and so information about their values in foods is usually not readily available. You can calculate the amount of good fat in a product by subtracting the sum of bad fats from the total fat value. The resulting number is a fairly accurate idea of the amount of good fat in the product, although the figure may also represent some of the polyunsaturated fat called omega-6, which is sometimes good, sometimes bad. In the nutrition counter in this book, we provide values for total fat, bad fats, and good fats.
Although fats can have many negative effects on your health and contribute to aging, they also have many anti-aging benefits if you eat the right ones. That’s why it’s important to eat a balanced amount of good and bad fats. What does that mean? Your intake of bad fats should be less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake, and your intake of good fats should be at least 15 percent to 20 percent of your total caloric intake. Based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet, less than 200 calories should come from bad fats, and 300 to 400 should come from good fats. You should remember that all fats provide 9 calories per gram, which is more than twice as much as the calories supplied by carbohydrates and protein (4 per gram). So if you order a fast-food fish sandwich that has 15 grams of saturated fat and 2 grams of trans fat, you’ve nearly reached your daily limit for bad fats with one food item alone (9x17 = 153 g).
So what are some of the benefits of eating a balanced amount of good and bad fats?
They help the body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). This ability declines with aging.
They make you feel fuller, which helps you resist the temptation to eat between meals and before bed.
They help keep the brain healthy. The brain is composed of 60 percent fat, and if you deprive your body of a sufficient amount of good dietary fats, symptoms associated with aging, such as poor concentration, faulty memory, and reduced acuity, are likely to occur and with greater severity.
They help keep the immune system operating optimally so it can fight off infection, promote wound healing, and reduce the risk of cancer.
Age-related changes to skin, hair, and nails can be reduced.
Fats help the gastrointestinal system avoid constipation, bloating, and other digestive problems that are common as we age.
A small amount of saturated fat is needed by the liver to manufacture cholesterol, which the body uses to produce hormones. Restoration of declining hormone levels, which occurs with age, is an important factor in the fight against aging (see “Balancing Hormones”).
Fats help maintain a healthy nervous system.
Good sources of monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids include olive oil, avocadoes, salmon, walnuts, herring, and olives.
Bad Fats
Bad fats include saturated fat, which is most often found in animal products, including meats, poultry, fish, and dairy products, as well as some tropical oils, such as palm and coconut; and trans fat, an artificial fat created when an unsaturated fat is bombarded with hydrogen atoms, resulting in a partially saturated fat.
Bad fats contribute to aging in a big way, namely:
Saturated fats increase the amount of “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, LDL) in the bloodstream, which causes heart disease, atherosclerosis, and restricted blood flow.
Saturated fats are associated with insulin resistance, a leading cause of diabetes.
Both saturated fat and trans fat are associated with an increased risk of colon cancer.
Eating trans fat doubles the risk of heart attack by increasing the levels of LDL cholesterol, decreasing the levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol), and promoting the formation of blood clots, all of which increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Trans fat increases triglyceride levels, which increases the risk of developing blood clots.
Trans fat causes inflammation of blood vessels by increasing levels of C-reactive protein, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease.
Liver function, the immune system, and reproductive function are all harmed by the consumption of trans fat.
What You Can Do Now
A diet high in saturated and trans fat is associated with elevated blood cholesterol levels, which can result in heart disease and other serious medical conditions. The nutrition counter in this book can help you identify the amount of bad fats in foods so you can make healthier choices. You can also reduce the amount of bad fats in your diet if you:
eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
choose non-fat and low-fat dairy products.
remove the skin from poultry.
steam and sauté foods rather than fry them.
limit meat consumption to lean cuts while avoiding organ meats.
regularly substitute plant protein for animal protein (e.g., beans, peas, lentils, tofu, tempeh).
read ingredient labels and avoid foods that contain trans fats, which appear as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” “hydrogenated oil,” or “margarine.” Baked goods, crackers and cookies, processed and frozen dinners, fried foods, and margarines typically contain trans fats.
Remember when the word “fiber” used to make people snicker and look embarrassed? People aren’t snickering anymore, because they’re learning just how important fiber is and how getting enough of it can not only make you feel better, but live healthier, longer.
Fiber is a calorie-free nutrient that is necessary for maintaining regular bowel movements, controlling cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and helping with weight loss or maintenance. It has been shown to help reduce the risk of colon cancer, one of the primary causes of cancer death in the United States.
Fiber is present in food in two forms: soluble fiber, which is a sticky type found mostly in beans, dried peas, oats, nuts, seeds, and most fruits, such as apricots, bananas, grapes, and citrus. Soluble fiber is responsible for normalizing blood glucose levels and reducing cholesterol levels in the blood. Insoluble fiber is coarse and helps promote intestinal regularity. It is found mainly in vegetables, bran cereals, wheat bran, whole-grain cereals, and pears.
What You Can Do Now
Most adults consume about half of the recommended amount of fiber, which is 38 grams for males 19 to 50 years of age and 25 grams for women of the same age. It is important to get the recommended amount of fiber daily to help prevent age-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, and to help maintain skin health. Here are a few tips on how to increase your fiber intake. The nutrition counter in the back of the book also contains information on fiber content of more than 3,000 foods.
Choose whole-grain breads, rolls, and pastas instead of those made with white flour.
When appropriate, eat the skins of fruits and vegetables. Buy organic produce when possible, and always thoroughly wash produce before eating it.
“Sneak” extra fiber into your diet: sprinkle a tablespoon of wheat germ on your cereal, choose granola for a snack instead of chips, add flax seeds and kidney beans to your salad.
Choose bean dip instead of those made with sour cream. Serve the dip with raw vegetables instead of chips.
Include one serving of beans, lentils, or split peas per day. These can be in chili, soups, stews, salads, or as a side dish.
Include one serving of oatmeal, all-bran, or another high-fiber cereal per day.
There’s no bones about it, you need adequate amounts of calcium to keep your bones healthy. Calcium is especially critical for bone health, and for the 44 million Americans for whom osteoporosis is a major health threat. The National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases reports that 10 million Americans already have osteoporosis and 34 million more are at increased risk for the disease. Of special concern is the fact that 50% of women and 25% of men older than 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime, contributing to the more than 1.5 million osteoporosis-related fractures that occur each year. Osteoporosis can also cause pain and limit mobility and thus have a negative impact on the quality of life.
Calcium is essential for more than bone health. This mineral also protects against colon cancer, is key to dental health, aids in the production of energy, and is critical for heart and nerve function.
National surveys show that many Americans consume less than 50% of the calcium they need. Because calcium needs change over a lifetime, many people forget to ensure they are getting enough of this critical mineral. As people age, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing calcium, and this problem is compounded by the fact that many older adults take medications that can impair calcium absorption. The need for more calcium also kicks in for both older men and women who are postmeno-pausal.
What You Can Do Now
According to the Institutes of Medicine, the recommended daily intake of calcium for both men and women is 1,000 mg daily for adults 31 to 50 years, and 1,200 mg for those older than 50. Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption, so try to get 400 to 600 IU (international units) per day up to age 70, and up to 800 IU if you are 70 or older. Here are some ways to ensure you get enough calcium.
Dairy foods can be a good source of calcium, but they also contain a lot of protein (see warning in bullet below). If you eat dairy products, include low-fat varieties.
Many non-dairy foods are also very good sources of calcium, including dark green, leafy vegetables such as bok choy, spinach, broccoli, and kale; sardines (with the bones) and salmon; tofu; and almonds.
Calcium in orange juice? You bet! Many foods are now fortified with calcium, including many brands of orange juice, cereals, breads, soy milk and soy cheese.
Moderate your protein intake. A diet that contains excess protein (many Americans consume too much protein, especially from animal sources) can contribute to the development of osteoporosis, because when excess protein leaves the body it often carries calcium with it. The World Health Organization recommends 0.45 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 lbs) of ideal body weight per day, while the U.S. RDA recommends 0.8 grams as the maximum. Thus, if your ideal weight is 130 pounds, your minimum protein intake should be 27 grams and the maximum, 48 grams.
Some of the most powerful weapons you have against aging are antioxidants—certain vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that take on free radicals and combat the extensive harm they can cause to the body. Some common and powerful antioxidants include vitamin A, C, E, B6, and B12, beta-carotene, and folic acid. Other potent antioxidants include phytonutrients, which are special chemicals found in plants.
As your body metabolizes food through a process known as oxidation, it also produces nasty byproducts called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can cause significant damage to the body’s tissues and contribute to aging (including wrinkled skin) and certain diseases, such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, macular degeneration, and heart disease. Thus one goal of an anti-aging food plan is to include lots of antioxidants.
One important thing to remember about antioxidants is that they work best as a team: consuming many antioxidants is much more effective than using just one. One of the best ways to get a wide variety of antioxidants is to eat many different fruits and vegetables, which are naturally rich in antioxidants.
What You Can Do Now
Eat about nine servings of fruits and vegetables daily. The 2005 US Dietary Guidelines recommend 5 to 13 servings daily, with the numbers adjusting according to the total number of calories consumed. Nine servings are recommended for a 2,000 calorie per day diet.
• When you want something sweet, reach for a piece of fruit. Or try some variety: slice up a fresh apple and pear, add some orange or tangerine slices, a handful of berries, and squeeze some lemon juice on the mixture. This is a great snack, dessert, or a complement to your breakfast.
Introduce more vegetables into your menu by adding chopped favorites to stews, soups, or stir-fry.
Include a salad on your menu every day, and be creative. Try several different types of lettuce and spinach as your base, and then add shredded carrots, radishes, daikon, and red cabbage, toss in cooked string beans and peas, brighten it with chopped beets and avocado slices, and top it off with chopped walnuts and slices of red onion.
Stuff vegetables with vegetables! Acorn and butternut squash, green and red peppers, large tomatoes, and cabbage leaves can be stuffed with a mixture of steamed and seasoned vegetables mixed with brown rice, barley, or beans.
It’s not always what you eat as much as how you prepare it that can make a difference when it comes to aging. Remember when we talked about glycation and AGEs under “Be Sugar Smart”? AGEs are formed in the presence of high temperatures and without water, as in foods that are fried, baked, grilled, broiled, or microwaved. Thus fried foods (e.g., French fries, deep-fried fish, and vegetables), grilled chicken, baked bread, broiled steaks, fried eggs, and microwaved potatoes all contain AGEs. Although it isn’t possible to completely avoid AGEs (remember, the body produces them naturally as well), you can do some things to significantly reduce your exposure to them.
What You Can Do Now
When having fish, try poaching or steaming.
Meats can be stewed, stir-fried, or made in a slow cooker.
Limit the number of high-temperature foods you eat per week. If you currently eat such foods at least once a day, gradually reduce that number to once or twice a week at most.
Steam, boil, or stir-fry vegetables, or use a slow cooker.
Add more fresh and raw fruits and vegetables to your diet.
• Marinate foods in olive oil, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, dry wine, or cider vinegar, which reduces the formation of AGEs.
An increasing number of studies indicate that calorie restriction extends life in both animals and humans. Studies, beginning with the first one done at Cornell University in 1935, show that the lives of many different animals can be extended 30 to 40 percent and that age-related illnesses can be delayed when their caloric intake is restricted. Today, organizations such as the American Diabetes Foundation, the National Institutes for Health and Aging, and the American Heart Association are all doing research into calorie restriction and its impact on health.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who followed a calorie-restricted diet for six months experienced a 24 to 25 percent decrease in body fat, a decrease in DNA damage (which occurs with aging and contributes to disease processes such as cancer), and reduced both core body temperature and fasting insulin levels, two indicators of longevity. Overall, the changes experienced by the people on a calorie-restricted diet suggest that long-term calorie restriction may extend lifespan.
What You Can Do Now
Does calorie restriction mean you have to starve if you want to live longer? Not at all. The idea behind calorie restriction is to follow a low-calorie diet but to eat nutrient-rich foods; that is, you make every calorie count! Here are some tips on how to do it.
Include lots of high-fiber vegetables in your diet, and eat them raw when feasible.
Focus on monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids rather than saturated and/or trans fats.
Choose lean animal protein (including egg whites) and especially plant-based protein, which is typically much lower in fat than animal protein. Beans, legumes, tofu, and tempeh are protein-rich plant sources.
Choose whole, fresh fruits rather than fruit juices, which are higher in calories and sugar and have less fiber than whole fruits.
Choose whole-grain breads, cereals, and pasta rather than those made with refined flours.
Avoid sugar and sugary foods, processed foods, and fried foods.
Experts and those who follow a calorie restrictive approach emphasize that it is a lifestyle, not a fad diet or a short-term approach. You can learn more about calorie restriction for longevity in the “References” section at the end of this book.
Wait, don’t turn the page just because you see the “E” word. Study after study shows similar results: if you want to slow the aging process, you need to exercise. In a study of nearly ten thousand men ages 20 to 82 who were followed for about five years, for example, researchers found that physically unfit men who subsequently got in shape had a 44 percent lower death rate than those men who remained inactive.
Do you think you’re too old to exercise? Nonsense! In a study published in the Journal of Aging and Health (2006), researchers reported on the exercise activities of 64 men and women ages 66 to 96 who lived in an independent living facility. The volunteers were divided into three groups: a walking group, a resistance training group, and a control group (no exercise). At the end of the sixteen-week study, the investigators found that the volunteers in both of the exercise groups enjoyed better body strength, flexibility, and agility, even in areas that were not trained, than the non-exercise group. These improvements typically translate into people being able to take better care of themselves and to live longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives. The study findings suggest that exercise in older people may provide more overall health benefits and less exercise-specific advantages than in younger people, which translates into a great deal for older adults.
What You Can Do Now
Before you start any exercise program, you should check with your doctor to make sure you choose the safest and most efficient type and intensity of exercise program for you. Moderate, regular (30 to 45 minutes, five to six days per week) exercise is the general prescription to combat aging. Remember the list of signs and symptoms of aging mentioned earlier in the book? Exercise helps fight many of them. For example, regular exercise helps improve heart and lung function, increases bone density, reduces body fat, improves muscle strength, improves the ability of the body to utilize insulin, reduces blood pressure, alleviates stress, improves mood, enhances sex drive and sexual function, and reduces joint pain.
One of the most common complaints about exercise is that it’s boring, and boredom quickly leads to non-compliance. But exercise can be much more interesting if you add variety, and variety begins with a three-part approach to anti-aging exercise: stretching, aerobic training, and strength/resistance training. There are dozens of excellent books that contain suggestions and instructions in each of these categories. Always check with your doctor first, however.
Stretching. It’s important to maintain flexibility, and stretching is a great way to do it. Every exercise session should include stretching, but don’t start your sessions with a stretch! Warm up your muscles first with five or ten minutes of moderate activity such as brisk walking. Stretching cold muscles can result in injury. After you do your aerobic and/or resistance training, then take five minutes to stretch again. Many yoga poses are excellent ways to stretch and stay flexible.
Aerobic training. Choose from activities that fit your interest and abilities, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, biking, tennis, racquetball, jazzercise, or use exercise equipment such as a stationary bike, treadmill, rowing machine, or stair stepper. Begin and end each 20 to 30 minute aerobic session with five minutes of stretching, and strive for five sessions per week. Talk to your doctor about the best training program for you.
Strength/resistance training. Strength training helps you build and maintain muscle strength, as well as helps lower blood sugar levels, maintains bone density, reduces cortisol (a stress hormone) levels, strengthens ligaments and tendons, and increases the production of testosterone (read more about the importance of this hormone in “Balancing Hormones”). Two or three 10-minute sessions of strength or resistance training per week is usually recommended.
Other ways to avoid boredom include exercising with a friend or in a group, exercising to music or while watching TV or a video, and alternating your activities. Having a dog that needs to be exercised is a good way to get you out of the house. Don’t have a dog? Offer to walk or jog with a neighbor’s dog.
Your brain may not be a muscle, but you can work it like one to help prevent memory loss and other cognitive difficulties associated with aging. As your brain ages, it loses the ability to fight against substances and processes that can harm it, including free radicals and inflammation. Aging brain cells also gradually stop communicating with each other, which affects memory and thought processes. Research shows that B vitamins, including folic acid and niacin, are critical as low levels of this vitamin group are associated with a decline in brain function. Studies also show that a high-fat diet is bad for memory and learning, and that a low-calorie diet helps preserve them.
What You Can Do Now
Along with wise dietary choices, you can keep your brain cells in shape by challenging them daily: do crossword and word puzzles, study a new language or take a class in something that challenges you intellectually, join a book discussion group, volunteer for a cause you believe in, help teach illiterate children to read, attend lectures offered in your community, read a variety of newspapers and magazines from around the world on the Internet, or keep a daily journal.
Although it’s not clear exactly how much brain exercises can prevent memory loss and other cognitive difficulties, the results of several large studies provide much promise. In the landmark Nun Study from the 1980s, researchers tested the cognitive ability of 100 nuns who had written their autobiographies fifty years earlier. The scientists found that those who had lower language abilities were at greater risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Another study of more than 800 Catholic clergy found that reading newspapers and engaging in other brain-stimulating activities reduced the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Don’t wait. Stimulate those brain cells today!
As you age, your body’s biochemistry changes, and one of the most significant changes is the decline in the levels of hormones that have a major impact on aging. Specifically, those hormones are the sex hormones—estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone—as well as the mother of all these hormones, DHEA, and a few others, including melatonin, thyroid, and growth hormone.
One of the primary roles of hormones is to transmit messages to the body’s cells so they can perform their various functions. Hormone levels begin to decline when people are in their twenties, which means the amount of information that is shared among the cells declines as well. Because hormone levels typically fall slowly, the impact of their decline often isn’t felt until people reach their forties or fifties. That’s also about the time that women experience another hormonal change—menopause—and men also have a decline in sex hormone production, known as andropause. All of these hormonal changes taken together are associated with symptoms of aging and also increase your chances of developing disease and infection.
Anti-aging medicine promotes hormone balancing using bio-identical hormone therapy as a way to fight aging. The concept is simple: take hormone supplements that are similar to the ones your body produces—not artificial or synthetic hormones— as a means to restore and maintain your levels to where they were when you were in your twenties. Achieving healthy levels and balance of hormones slows the aging process and promotes health and well-being. Generally, hormone balancing offers the following benefits.
Helps prevent bone loss and osteoporosis.
Promotes muscle strength and tone.
Enhances heart functioning.
Helps maintain a healthy immune system.
Improves the texture, tone, and elasticity of the skin.
Improves sexual function and desire.
Helps maintain mental functioning.
Promotes tissue repair and regeneration.
Improves mood and emotional stability.
Helps keep blood pressure and cholesterol levels down.
What You Can Do Now
Hormone balancing is not an approach you should take on your own: you will need tests to determine your hormone levels and a professional to customize your hormone restoration program. Although most of the hormones are available over the counter, a few require a prescription (testosterone, thyroid) from your physician. A physician should also reevaluate your hormone levels yearly and make any dose adjustments as needed.
What makes some people go to pieces when there’s a two-hour traffic jam and other people take it in stride? A key element is how people decide to manage the stress, and not the fact that a stressful situation has occurred.
Your emotions and thoughts have a significant impact on your health. Stress weakens the immune system, depletes the body of nutrients, disrupts digestion, and causes organs to overwork, increasing the risk for illness and disease. Thus you may eat a nutritious diet, but if you do not manage stress in a healthy way, your body will not benefit from those positive foods. Generally, people who have learned how to manage stressful situations in a healthy way are rewarded with better overall health.
Effective stress management can and should be enjoyable, and there are many techniques you can try and incorporate into your lifestyle to help you better manage stress. Don’t limit yourself to just one approach! Exercise is certainly a stress reducer, and so are meditation, tai chi, yoga, playing or listening to music, writing poetry or journaling, or watching humorous movies.
Of course, potentially stress-reducing activities alone won’t help you if your attitude is negative. Nurture a positive mental attitude about life and situations as they come. It may sound simplistic, but the truth is that a simple approach is often the one that works, with practice. Only you can decide: is the glass half full or half empty? When you get up in the morning, will you look for the positive in every situation—or the negative?
So far we’ve given you a good idea of the types of foods that offer the best defense against aging and some of the other lifestyle factors that have a direct or indirect impact on those food choices. But if you want to get the most from the food you choose for yourself and your family, you need to know how to select, store, and prepare them. Certain fruits and vegetables, for example, quickly lose their nutritional value if they are stored incorrectly. Some foods, depending on how they are prepared, can accelerate the aging process. For example, deep frying nutrient-rich red onions is far from the best way to enjoy these important vegetables. Meats, poultry, and fish must be handled, stored, and prepared in specific ways to ensure you and your family remain free of food-borne illnesses. It’s also important for you to understand how to read nutrition labels and ingredient panels on packaged foods so you can make the best food choices.
All this information and more is discussed in this chapter. Our hope is that you will take the guidelines offered in these pages and use them along with the information provided in the nutrition counter at the back of this book.
So far we’ve discussed many different foods that fight aging—foods that provide essential vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, calcium, quality protein, and good fats. But if you really want to reap the most benefits from these anti-aging food choices, you need to think clean—no pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial colorings, flavorings, or preservatives. On the surface that may sound like a big order, but if you take it one day at a time, even one food item at a time, before you know it you’ll dramatically reduce the amount of damaging toxins you consume through food and beverages.
Experts continue to debate about the benefits of eating organic food. Many studies show, for example, that produce grown under organic conditions have higher levels of nutrients than those grown conventionally. Not every study shows the same degree of benefit, nor that all nutrients are elevated. One recent study of organic and conventional tomatoes, for example, found that organic tomatoes had higher levels of vitamin C, carotenoids, and polyphenols, but when the tomatoes were made into puree, the carotenoid levels were similar between the organic and conventional tomatoes.
A review of 41 published studies in which the nutritional values of organically grown fruits, vegetables, and grains were compared with conventionally grown items found that overall, organic crops had 27% more vitamin C, 21% more iron, 29% more magnesium, and 14% more phosphorus. The review also stated that organic products had 15% fewer nitrates than their conventional counterparts.
Further proof comes from a study conducted by the Organic Materials Review Institute and Consumers Union, which used data from the US Department of Agriculture. The researchers found that 73% of conventionally grown foods sampled had pesticide residue compared with only 23% of organically grown samples of the same crops.
What Is Organic?
According to the US Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program, “organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality… . Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.” To meet the requirements to be certified organic, foods must be produced without using most conventional pesticides and fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge. Ionizing radiation and bioengineering are also prohibited. A certified inspector checks organic farms to ensure the food is grown to meet USDA organic standards, and all companies that handle organic food before it reaches the marketplace must be certified as well.
Organic labeling comes in three forms. The name of the certifying agent must appear on all packages:
“100% Organic”: must contain 100% organically produced ingredients, not counting added water and salt.
“Organic”: must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients, not counting added water and salt. Must not contain sulfites. May contain up to 5% non-organically produced agricultural ingredients.
“Made with Organic Ingredients”: must contain at least 70% organically produced ingredients, not counting added water and salt. Must not contain sulfites. May contain up to 30% non-organically produced agricultural ingredients.
CHOOSE AND USE HEALTHY FATS AND OILS
In Chapter 1 we looked at good fats and bad fats and identified what some of those fats are and the health impacts—both beneficial and damaging— of each type of fat. We also suggested some general ways you can reduce the amount of bad fat and include more healthy fats in your diet.
Now it’s time to discuss more specific tips you can use when you go to the supermarket and in your kitchen.
When choosing oils for cooking and as a condiment, look for cold-pressed oils. These oils are healthier than conventionally produced oils, which are heated, treated with solvents, and bleached. These processes introduce toxins into the oil and also remove much of its nutritional value. Cold-pressed oils are not heated or treated, and so retain their nutritional value. They also contain a higher level of the important antioxidant vitamin E.
Oils and fat can turn rancid very quickly if they are not stored properly. Rancid fats not only taste terrible, they are carcinogenic as well and have been linked with atherosclerosis and heart disease. The higher the percentage of polyunsaturated fat in an oil, the faster it will go rancid (see chart). To help prevent your oil from going rancid, you should: (1) Refrigerate oil once you open it. Unopened cooking oils have a shelf life of about one year. Unopened oils can be kept unrefrigerated in a cool, dark place. (2) Keep oil in a glass or metal container. If you buy it in a plastic bottle, transfer it to a more suitable container. (3) Buy only as much oil as you think you’ll use within a few months’ time. (4) Refrigerated oil may turn cloudy, but it will return to normal, unharmed, once it reaches room temperature.
Avoid use of solid hydrogenated shortening (e.g., Crisco, among others).
Not all oils are best for every use. Those best as a condiment are olive, hazelnut, sweet almond, sesame, canola, and soy. The first four are also suitable for baking and stir-fry.
Margarine and vegetable oil spreads. By law, margarine must contains at least 80% fat. Vegetable oil spreads may be reduced-fat, reduced-calorie, or diet (these contain no more than 60% oil); light or lower-fat (contain no more than 40% oil); or fat-free (contain less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving). Both margarines and spreads are made from vegetable oils, with the healthiest ones (those highest in monounsaturated fat and lowest in saturated fat) being olive oil, flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, and canola oil.
It’s no secret that fruits and vegetables are a critically important part of an anti-aging diet; after all, they are a super source of age-defying antioxidants, fiber, and other nutrients; they are low in fat and sodium, and they have no cholesterol. Add to this list the fact that there are dozens and dozens of choices from which to choose, and you can’t go wrong.
Or can you? The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables are greatly diminished or eliminated if the produce isn’t selected or stored properly, or if it is prepared in unhealthy ways. Although every fruit and vegetable has its own unique characteristics, here are some general guidelines for purchasing, handling, and eating produce so you can enjoy and reap the health rewards they have to offer.
Wash all produce, whether conventionally or organically grown, just before serving or cooking, not before you store them. Cool water is all that’s necessary; commercial produce washes offer little or no advantage over plain water.
Check the PLU stickers on your produce. Conventionally grown produce has a four-digit number (e.g., 1234); organically grown, five digits prefaced by the number 9 (e.g., 91234); and genetically modified produce, five digits prefaced by the number 8 (e.g., 81234).
Discard the outer leaves of leafy vegetables because pesticide residues tend to accumulate there.
Use a produce brush to clean firm produce (e.g., carrots, potatoes, turnips).
Immediately refrigerate any produce that you cut and do not plan to eat right away, as bacteria grow very quickly on cut fruits and vegetables.
Wash fruits and vegetables that you peel (e.g., melons, oranges, pineapples) because when you cut them, your knife transfers contaminants from the peel into the pulp.
Do not buy or use produce that is moldy, badly bruised, shriveled, or slimy. Minor blemishes are usually safe; in fact, organic produce sometimes has minor blemishes because it is not colored, waxed, or has not undergone attempts to make it look “perfect.”
Do not store fruits and greens together, because fruits give off ethylene gas, which causes greens to decay.
Always cook dehydrated vegetables thoroughly, as they are susceptible to contamination by various microorganisms and can cause food-borne illness.
To freeze most vegetables, steam blanch them (see blanching guidelines at http://www.ext.colo state.edu/PUBS/FOODNUT/09330.pdf). Blanching stops the enzymes from breaking down the nutrients in the vegetables. Cool and then store blanched vegetables in freezer bags or containers.
Nutrition Facts labels and other labeling on food packages can provide much important information when choosing age-defying foods, but they can also be confusing. So we try to sort it out for you.
Nutrition Facts Labels
Nutrition Facts labels are required for most foods (except meat and poultry) and have standardized categories, which we explain here.
Serving Size and Servings Per Container: If the serving size is 1 cup and there are 2 servings per container, then the package contains 2 cups. If you eat two servings rather than one, you must remember to double the values of the calories, nutrients, and % daily value figures below this line on the label.
Calories and Calories from Fat: these values are per serving.
% Daily Value: These percentages are based on the Daily Value recommendations for important nutrients, based on a 2,000 calorie daily diet. You may eat fewer or more than 2,000 calories daily, but you can still use this figure as a reference point. The % DV helps you determine if a serving of a food is low or high in a specific nutrient. Each nutrient is based on 100% of the daily requirements for that nutrient. A value of 5% or less is considered low; 20% or more is considered high.
Total Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Sodium, and Cholesterol: These substances are ones you want to limit because they are associated with accelerated aging and disease. Therefore, preferred foods contain a % DV of 5% or less.
Sugars: No % DV has been established for sugars. The sugars listed on Nutrition Facts labels include naturally occurring sugars (e.g., those in fruit and milk) and added sugars. Added sugars will appear on the ingredient portion of the label and may be listed as sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, honey, fruit juice concentrate, and maple syrup.
Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron: These nutrients are among those you want to see in the high range: % DV of 20% or more.
Protein: Manufacturers must give a % DV only if the food claims to be high in protein or if the food is meant for infants and children younger than 4 years old.
“Percent Daily Values” Footnote: The following statement must appear on all Nutrition Facts labels. “Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.” The remaining information does not need to appear if the package is too small. When the information does appear, it is the same on all products, because it is general dietary advice for all Americans.
Light, Low, Free, Lean: What’s It All Mean?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established definitions and guidelines for terms that can appear on food packaging. Here’s a sample.
Free: the product contains no amount of, or only a trivial or “physiologically inconsequential” amount of one or more of these substances: fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and calories.
Low fat: the product contains 3 grams of fat or less per serving.
Low saturated fat: 1 g or less per serving.
Low sodium: 140 mg or less per serving.
Very low sodium: 35 mg or less per serving.
Low cholesterol: 20 mg or less and 2 g or less of saturated fat per serving.
Low calorie: 40 calories or less per serving.
Lean and extra lean: when describing meat, poultry, seafood, and game, “lean” means it contains less than 10 g of fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g. “Extra lean” means it contains less than 5 g fat, less than 2 g saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol per serving and per 100 g.
High: means the food contains 20% or more of the Daily Value for a specific nutrient.
Good Source: means that one serving of the product contains 10 to 19 percent of the Daily Value for a specific nutrient.
Light: can mean one of three things: (1) the food contains one-third fewer calories or half the fat of the reference food. If the food provides 50% or more of its calories from fat, the reduction must be 50% of the fat. (2) The sodium content of a low-calorie, low-fat food has been reduced by 50%. (3) The term describes color, texture, or another property of the food, but the label must explain the term, such as “light brown sugar.”
Fresh: the FDA defines this term when it is used for foods that are raw or unprocessed. Thus “fresh” can be used only on raw foods, ones that have never been frozen or heated, and contain no preservatives. “Fresh frozen,” “frozen fresh,” and “freshly frozen” can be used for foods that were rapidly frozen while still fresh.
Eggs are a good source of protein, low in fat (if you limit yourself to the whites), and relatively inexpensive, so it is often on an anti-aging menu. Proper handling and preparation are critical, however, especially since it is estimated that 1 out of every 10,000 eggs (about 4.5 million eggs per year) are infected with Salmonella enteritidis, which causes food poisoning. Because contaminated eggs do not look or smell any different than non-contaminated eggs, it isn’t possible to know if any of the eggs you purchase are affected.
The notion that “free-range” eggs are healthier and produced in less cruel conditions than conventional eggs is largely untrue. In most cases, free-range egg producers keep their hens uncaged but confined to overly crowded facilities that have very limited access to the outdoors, or they are confined to cages that are larger than those used to hold conventionally raised hens. There are no government laws that regulate the meaning of “free-range,” so unless you personally see the conditions under which your eggs are produced, you cannot be sure that the higher prices you pay for free-range eggs are supporting a healthier product produced in less cruel conditions.
Choosing and Preparing Eggs
If possible, buy your eggs from local producers (with a facility that you can visit). They may sell from their farm or at a farmers’ market.
Purchase eggs that are refrigerated at 40°F or lower.
Do not purchase eggs that are cracked.
When you get the eggs home, immediately place them in the coldest part of the refrigerator (in the rear), not on the door.
If you accidentally crack an egg before you are ready to use it, break the egg into a clean container, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it. Use it within 2 days.
Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Do not eat lightly poached or soft-boiled eggs.
Never eat raw eggs or foods that contain raw eggs (e.g., eggnog, Hollandaise sauce).
Do not leave eggs unrefrigerated for longer than two hours.
Proper handling and preparation of meats, fish, and poultry are critical because the potential for contamination and food poisoning is high. Contamination can occur at several levels. According to the Humane Farming Association, only a small percentage of the meat processed in U.S. slaughterhouses is tested for toxins (e.g., dioxins, PCBs, pesticides) that get into the meat supply either through the animals’ feed and/or water, or through direct means (injections of antibiotics, hormones). Contamination or compromise of meat, poultry, and fish can also occur anywhere during processing, from packing and shipping to the market and finally your kitchen. Therefore, consider these important guidelines.
Meat and Poultry
Buy organically produced meat and poultry. Compared with conventionally produced items, they expose you to significantly fewer age-accelerating and disease-causing substances.
Cook meat and poultry thoroughly and always check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Different meats and cuts have different safe temperatures, so be sure to check the cooking instructions. (See www.foodsafety. gov/~fsg/fs-cook.html for safe cooking temperatures.) Do not depend on the color of the meat to determine if it has been cooked adequately.
Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator, which can take eight or more hours. If you need to defrost it more quickly, place it in a sealed plastic bag and immerse the bag in a pot of cold water for an hour.
Wash your hands with soap and hot water before and after handling raw meat.
Marinate meat and poultry in the refrigerator. Once the food has been marinated, discard the marinade because raw juice from the meat or poultry may contain bacteria.
Do not eat the organs (e.g., brains, livers, kidney) of livestock, because poisons accumulate in them.
Fish
Buy only fresh fish and seafood that is refrigerated or frozen.
Frozen fish should be in a package that is transparent so you can see sign of crystals or frost. If you do, the fish has been thawed and re-frozen.
Refrigerate or freeze fish immediately when you bring it home. You should also transport it in an ice chest in the car.
Do not buy shellfish that has a strong “fishy” smell, because it may be spoiled.
Rinse and rewrap fish when you get it home. Place it on paper towels, put it in a tightly covered container, and place it in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
Throw away any fat drippings from boiled or poached fish, as toxins accumulate in the fat.
Before cooking fish, remove skin and fatty tissue from the sides, belly, and along the top of the back. This is where many toxins accumulate. Mercury, however, accumulates mainly in the muscle, so it can’t be removed. To minimize your exposure to mercury, choose fish that typically contain low levels of mercury (e.g., salmon, herring, sardines, anchovies, tilapia). The U.S. FDA maintains a website that lists mercury levels in fish and seafood at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html.
Cook fish and seafood until the internal temperature is at least 145°F; for stuffed fish, at least 165°F. (See www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fs-cook.html for safe cooking temperatures.)
We have loaded you up with lots of important information about how food and optimal food choices and preparation can help you fight aging. Now we’re going to pull it all together into a manageable 10-Step Anti-Aging Diet Plan that’s based on recommendations from leading health experts and health organizations, including the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.
As a general guideline, you should hold your total fat intake to 25 to 30 percent of calories, and no more than 10 percent of total caloric intake should be from “bad” fats—saturated and trans fats. Trans fat should be held to 3% or less. The remaining 15 to 20 percent of total calories that are reserved for fat intake should come from “good” fats— monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids.
Watching your fats is easy if you follow a few simple guidelines.
If you eat dairy products, choose no-fat and low-fat varieties.
When considering protein foods, choose fish, lean cuts of meat, egg whites, and skinless poultry. Plant-based protein is generally much lower in fat than animal foods. Choose dried beans, lentils, tempeh, peas, or tofu in place of meat.
Use olive oil (extra virgin if you can), which is especially rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants, both of which protect against aging, coronary heart disease, and cancer. Use it for stir-fry or as a salad dressing. Second best choices are flaxseed, canola, and peanut oils.
Avoid trans fats: read ingredient labels and look for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oil or margarine. Also look at the nutrition label for the amount of trans fat in a product. Even if the nutrition label says zero trans fat per serving, food manufacturers are allowed to say zero if one serving contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat.
You should be nuts about nuts, and here’s why. Several very large studies that included tens of thousands of participants from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Physicians’ Health Study, and others, found that the risk of coronary heart disease is 37 percent lower among people who eat nuts more than four times per week compared with those who never or seldom eat nuts. Experts believe the reason is that most nuts are high in monounsaturated fats, which help lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Nuts are a rich source of B vitamins, which are good for the heart and brain. They also contain healthy fats, which also benefit the heart and circulation, as well as the collagen and elastin in the skin, helping it maintain elasticity and resiliency.
Because nuts are high in calories, small portions are advised. The best way to enjoy the flavor and benefits of nuts is to eat them as a snack in place of chips or another “junk” food, or sprinkle them on cereal, salad, or in stir-fry.
STEP 3: ENJOY AN ABUNDANCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS
We’ve mentioned the impact that free radicals have on aging, so you need lots of antioxidants to fight off these nasty damaging molecules. The accumulated harm to cells, tissues, and organs caused by free radicals is a key contributor to aging and many diseases associated with growing older. Great sources of antioxidants are fresh fruits and vegetables, which are generally rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Phytonutrients (“phyto” means “plant”) are chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their color. Carotenoids, flavonoids, indoles, and catechins are just a few of the many different types of phytonutrients.
Phytonutrients and other antioxidants are especially helpful in the fight against aging and in promoting wellness. Aim to eat one or more servings daily from each of the following groups of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in phytonutrients.
Green: dark green, leafy vegetables (romaine lettuce [skip the iceberg!], spinach, kale, mustard greens, swiss chard), green peppers, broccoli, peas, avocado, celery.
Yellow/orange: carrots, yellow peppers, apricots, peaches, pineapple, oranges, yellow squash, pumpkin, yams and sweet potatoes, acorn squash, spaghetti squash.
Red: red peppers, tomatoes, blood oranges, cherries, cranberries, strawberries, red leaf lettuce, red apples.
Blue/purple: blueberries, eggplant, raisins, plums, blackberries, purple cabbage.
White: cauliflower, mushrooms, turnips, apple juice, parsnips, white onions, white peaches, garlic.
STEP 4: STOP INFLAMMATION WITH EVERY MEAL
Inflammation doesn’t just affect the joints and cause arthritis; it can occur anywhere along the miles of blood vessels in the body. In fact, recent research shows that chronic inflammation of the blood vessels is an important factor in aging and age-related diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. A major contributor to that inflammation is the Standard American Diet (SAD).
That means you can begin to fight inflammation right now by making some dietary changes. You can also learn to what extent your blood vessels are affected by inflammation by asking your doctor to order a C-reactive protein test. The higher your value on this simple blood test, the greater your level of inflammation and your risk for these diseases.
You can slow down the aging process and reduce your risk for disease when you choose foods that fight, reduce, or prevent inflammation. Here are some tips.
Be sugar smart. Foods that raise blood glucose levels also promote inflammation. Choose complex carbohydrate foods—whole grains, beans, lentils, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds— and avoid or limit your intake of sugar and sugary foods, highly processed cereals and baked goods, white rice, white potatoes, white bread, and high fructose corn syrup (found in many processed foods).
Watch your protein. A high-protein diet can boost blood vessel inflammation, as high as 62% according to one study, and worsen coronary artery disease as well. Keep your protein intake to about 20 percent of your total caloric intake per day.
Eat cold-water fatty fish. Fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, and tuna contain a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which suppress the substances that cause inflammation in the body. Include these fish two or three times a week in your diet.
Include powerhouse anti-inflammatory foods daily. Many foods have been identified as possessing anti-inflammatory powers. Make sure to include as many of them as you can in your daily diet. They are as follows: members of the Allium family—onions, garlic (which also helps reduce cholesterol and blood pressure), chives, shallots; barley; beans and lentils; buckwheat; blueberries; yogurt and kefir (a fermented milk beverage); curry powder; acai fruit.
Turn down the heat. Foods that are prepared using high cooking temperatures contain advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, which trigger inflammation. When preparing meats, poultry, fish, and vegetables, healthy cooking techniques include steaming, poaching, boiling, slow-cooking (in a crockpot), and stir-frying. Limit the amounts of food that you fry, broil, grill, or bake.
STEP 5: MAKE FRIENDS WITH FIBER
It’s not hard to make friends with fiber if you follow steps 3 and 4, because they include plenty of fiber-rich foods. The Institutes of Medicine recommend the following daily fiber intake (soluble and insoluble) for adults: for men 19 to 50 years, 38 grams per day; older than 50 years, 30 grams. For women 19 to 50 years, 25 grams per day; older than 50 years, 21 grams. You can use the nutrition counter in the back of the book to help you identify how much fiber you are getting now and which foods can help you meet your goals if you fall short, as most Americans do.
The best sources of fiber are whole grains, legumes, beans, fruits and vegetables (with skins on when possible), nuts and seeds, and high-fiber cereals. If you need to increase your fiber intake, consider the following.
Add high-fiber foods gradually. If you eat 8 to 10 grams per day now, for example, increase to 13 to 15 grams for a few days, then add another 5 grams for several more days, until you reach your goal. Too rapid an increase may cause stomach upset, cramps, or bloating.
Increase your water intake as you increase your fiber to help your body adjust to the change and to prevent constipation.
Pure water is essential for hydration of the skin and muscles and to promote healthy circulation and organ system functioning, especially the gastrointestinal system. Keeping yourself properly hydrated can also significantly reduce your chances of getting cancer. Studies have shown that women who drank more water (eight glasses or more daily) had less than 50% the risk of developing colon cancer and 80% less chance of developing bladder cancer than women who drank less.
The general consensus is to drink 8 to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water per day, and this is a good starting point. However, everyone’s needs are different. The temperature of your environment, your current state of health, how much exercise you do, whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding, and how much water you get from your food (20% is the average) are all factors to consider when deciding how much water you need to consume daily.
You are probably drinking enough fluid if you eliminate between 32 and 64 ounces of colorless or slightly yellow urine daily. Darker urine usually indicates that you need to increase your water intake. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink water: by that time, you may already be slightly dehydrated. The ability to identify dehydration becomes more difficult with age because the body is less able to send the brain signals that it is thirsty. To help ensure you are getting enough water:
Drink one glass of water before each meal and one between meals. These should be taken slowly, not gulped down.
Drink water before, during, and after you exercise.
Brighten your water with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
If you increase the amount of fiber in your diet, you will likely need to add 1 or 2 more eight-ounce glasses of water daily.
Substitute a glass of sparkling water for alcohol at social events.
STEP 7: OPTIMIZE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE
Protein deficiency is one dietary problem most Americans do not have, but getting too much protein—and suboptimal protein—is. To this fact add another one: as you age your ability to create, transport, and break down proteins decreases. The combined result is a loss of muscle tone, the appearance of wrinkles, loss and graying of hair, less energy, joint stiffness, and a host of other difficulties. Excess protein can be converted into fat, and it also places stress on the liver and kidneys as these organs try to rid the body of unwanted by-products of metabolism. Too much protein can also cause dehydration and your kidneys to excrete calcium in urine, which increases your risk for osteoporosis.
To optimize the anti-aging power of your protein intake, first calculate your protein needs: the RDA for protein for adults is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Therefore, if you weigh 150 pounds, your protein requirement is 150x0.36 = 54 grams. Remember, 0.36 g/lb is an average.
Choose lean cuts of meat from animals that were organically raised.
Avoid processed meats, including hot dogs, smoked meats, bacon, sausages, ham, and cold cuts. These foods are usually high in saturated fat, sodium, and artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives, including cancer-causing nitrates and nitrites.
Include plant-based protein in your diet. Beans, legumes, veggie burgers, tempeh, and soy-based “meats” often have just as much protein, if not more, than a comparable amount of animal protein, and without the saturated fat (soybeans do contain some fat).
Eat protein with carbohydrates. (A turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread or tofu with brown rice are examples of this nutrient combination.) Protein takes longer to digest than carbs, so it slows down the release of glucose into your bloodstream. The result is that you will feel more energetic.
Eggs and egg whites are a good source of protein. Some brands are from animals that have been fed fortified feed that enhances the omega-3 fatty acid content of the eggs.
STEP 8: COOK THE ANTI-AGING WAY
It’s not always what you eat but how you prepare it that can subtract years from your life. That’s why you need to prepare your food in ways that do not promote the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), those nasty substances that accelerate aging, cause inflammation, and contribute to dozens of diseases and illnesses. Healthy cooking methods include poaching, boiling, stir-frying, slow-cooking (crockpot), and steaming; avoid baking, grilling, broiling, and microwaving. The same holds true for meals you order at restaurants.
STEP 9: STRIVE TO BE TOXIN FREE
You are surrounded by substances that cause and contribute to aging and disease, and that includes the food and beverages you consume every day. Fortunately there are ways you can avoid or minimize their harmful effects.
Avoid sugar and sugary foods. If you don’t think something that tastes so good and sweet could be so bad, think again. Sugar and refined carbohydrates cause inflammation, especially of the blood vessels; are associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, and ultimately the complications associated with diabetes; promote the formation of AGEs; hinder the absorption of calcium, which contributes to the development of osteoporosis; suppresses the release of growth hormone, which is responsible for the repair and regeneration of cells and tissues and maintaining bone strength, brain function, and muscle tone; and causes or contributes to dozens of other health problems. And not all sugars are created equally: fructose, for example, promotes glycation at a rate nearly seven times that of glucose. Fructose is found naturally in unrefined foods such as fruits and vegetables, but processed foods often contain added fructose.
Choose organic fruits and vegetables to help avoid exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and other agricultural poisons.
Choose hormone-free meats, poultry, dairy, and eggs. Better yet, regularly substitute plant-based protein foods for animal-based ones, as they are naturally hormone-free.
Avoid highly processed foods, especially processed meats such as bologna, sausage, smoked meats, and hot dogs, which often contain cancer-causing nitrates and nitrites.
Avoid or seriously limit consumption of refined, processed foods, as they contain artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives.
Eat fish that is as mercury-free as possible. All fish and seafood contain at least a small amount of mercury and/or other toxins, especially large fish because they usually live longer and eat other fish that are contaminated. Those with a minimal amount of toxins generally include sardines, herring, cod, pollock, salmon, and anchovies.
Unlike black and oolong tea, green tea is not fermented, so its active ingredients are not changed. Some of those ingredients include polyphenols, potent antioxidants that appear to help protect against various cancers. Green tea is also credited with helping regulate blood glucose levels, lowering cholesterol levels, and helping promote weight loss. The polyphenols in green tea are also believed to stimulate the production of immune system cells and to directly inhibit glycation. Studies in both humans and animals suggest that green tea may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, promote oral health, lower blood pressure, protect the nervous system, and have antibacterial and antiviral properties.
To reap the anti-aging benefits of green tea, drink at least three cups daily. Green tea does contain some caffeine, but at a much lower level than in coffee: an eight-ounce cup of green tea has about 20 to 30mg of caffeine, compared with about 100mg in a cup of coffee. Decaffeinated green tea is also available.
To help you get started on your anti-aging eating plan, here is a three-day menu complete with recipes. The menu and recipes incorporate the information and guidelines that appear in chapters 1 through 3. Menu items that have a recipe are in italics. All of the recipes follow the sample menu plan.
Day 1
BREAKFAST
Oat bran with walnuts and raisins
1/2 grapefruit
1 cup green tea
MID-MORNING SNACK
1 cup vegetable juice with lemon
LUNCH
Favorite Bean Chili Whole-grain crackers
Fresh pear, apple, or banana
Seltzer water w/lemon
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
8 ounces 2% milk or soy milk
DINNER
Poached Salmon
Veggie Rice Casserole
Avocado Salad (red leaf lettuce, avocado, red
pepper, tomato, olive oil, and vinegar)
1/2 cup blueberries
Day 2
BREAKFAST
Scrambled Delight
½ whole-grain bagel
1 cup green tea
MID-MORNING SNACK
1 banana or ¼ cantaloupe
LUNCH
Red, Green, and Bean Salad
Whole-grain rye crackers
1 cup low-fat milk or soy milk
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
8-ounce container low-fat plain yogurt with 1/4 cup blueberries or strawberries and 1 tbs wheat germ
DINNER
Festive Fettuccine
Brussels Sprouts in Orange Sauce
1 cup green tea
Day 3
BREAKFAST
Sunrise Quinoa with fresh fruit
1 slice whole-grain bread with all-fruit jelly
1 cup green tea
MID-MORNING SNACK
Mango Smoothie
LUNCH
Split Pea and Veggie Stew
½ whole-wheat pita
Iced herbal tea
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
Raw vegetables with Eggplant dip
DINNER
Chicken, Veggie, and Cashew Stir-fry
Brown rice
RECIPES FOR DAY 1
OAT BRAN WITH WALNUTS AND RAISINS
1 serving
⅓ cup oat bran
½ cup apple juice
½ cup low-fat soy milk
1 tbs wheat germ
1 tbs raisins
3 walnut halves, chopped
Combine the bran, juice, milk, and wheat germ in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat until the mixture boils and stir constantly. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover; let stand 1 minute. Stir in the raisins and walnuts.
FAVORITE BEAN CHILI
Serves 4-6
1 cup each chopped onion, diced carrot, diced celery
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chopped red, green, or yellow pepper
½ tbs chili powder
½ tsp cayenne
2 tsp mustard
2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes (save the juice)
5 cups of cooked beans—your favorites in any combination—pinto, black, garbanzo, soy, kidney; lentils are good, too
Salt to taste
In a large saucepan, simmer the onion in 1 cup water over medium heat for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic, carrot, celery, pepper, chili powder, tomatoes, and cayenne. Simmer and stir until well blended, then add the beans. Lower heat and simmer low for 30 minutes. Add the mustard and salt, stir, and serve.
POACHED SALMON
Serves 1
1 salmon fillet
¼ cup white wine
¼ cup water
Several thin slices of red onion and green pepper Dash of dill
Put the wine, water, dill, onions, and pepper in a sauté pan and simmer on medium heat. Place the fillet in the pan. Cover and cook until done, about 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet. Do not overcook.
VEGGIE RICE CASSEROLE
Serves 4
1 large clove garlic, peeled
Handful of fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup chopped onion
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
1 cup short grain brown rice
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
Place the garlic, cilantro, onion, and 1/2 cup broth in a food processor and process until finely chopped. In a medium-size pot, bring the remaining broth to a boil and add the chopped mixture. Slowly add the rice, green pepper, and shredded carrot, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 35 to 45 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Garnish with parsley.
RECIPES FOR DAY 2
SCRAMBLED DELIGHT
Serves 2
½ green pepper, chopped
½ red pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
½ cup spinach, chopped Water for steaming
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 eggs
Dash of salt and pepper
In a skillet, steam all the vegetables and garlic in a few tablespoons of water until moderately soft. Add oil to the pan and mix to make sure the vegetables and pan are coated. Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add them to the pan; add salt and pepper and cook until desired consistency is reached.
RED, GREEN, AND BEAN SALAD
Serves 4
1 head romaine or red-leaf
lettuce
¾ cup chickpeas
¾ cup black beans
1 cup shredded bok choy
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1/3 cup grated low-fat or non-fat cheddar cheese
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs red wine vinegar (or other vinegar)
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Wash, drain, and tear the lettuce into small pieces. Place in a bowl and add the cabbage, beans and chickpeas, bok choy, and cheese. In a small bowl beat the oil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Pour the dressing onto the salad, add the nuts, and toss lightly.
FESTIVE FETTUCCINE
Serves 4
10 oz whole-grain fettuccine
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb cubed firm tofu, or 1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (you can also use canned chopped tomatoes)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
¼ lb asparagus, cut into one-inch pieces
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/3 cup cooking liquid. In a large skillet, heat the oil, and lightly sauté the garlic, asparagus, and tofu for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and peas and reserved liquid (and chicken if using chicken). Cook for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Remove from heat and add the basil, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS IN ORANGE SAUCE
Serves 4
1 lb brussels sprouts
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
¼ cup orange juice
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/8 cup slivered almonds
Cut a cross into the base of each sprout. Steam the sprouts until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch and orange juice. Heat over low heat stirring constantly until thickened. Add the orange sections and cook until bubbly. Pour over the sprouts and serve with cilantro and almond garnish.
RECIPES FOR DAY 3
SUNRISE QUINOA WITH FRESH FRUIT
Serves 4
3 cups cooked quinoa
3 apricots, chopped
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Combine all ingredients except the nuts in a bowl and chill for 1 hour or overnight. Top with nuts before serving.
MANGO SMOOTHIE
1 serving
1 banana
1 mango (peeled and pitted)
8 ounces orange juice
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Or, you can mash the fruits, place them in a jar with a tight lid, add the juice, and shake vigorously.
SPLIT PEA AND VEGGIE STEW
Serves 4
1 cup dry green split peas
3 cups water
¼ lb each green beans cut into 1-inch pieces, chopped zucchini, and sliced mushrooms
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp mustard
Place split peas and water in a large pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 hour. Steam the vegetables until tender. Combine the cooked split peas and vegetables, stir in soy sauce and mustard, and serve.
EGGPLANT DIP
Makes 1 ½ cups
1 large eggplant
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tbs lemon juice
10 black olives, pitted and chopped
Peel the eggplant and cut it into quarters. Place the pieces into a steamer and steam until tender, about 10 minutes. When cool, press the liquid out of the eggplant. Place the cooked eggplant and all the remaining ingredients except the olives into a blender and blend until smooth. (If you want a chunky dip, you can hand-mash the ingredients.) Add the chopped olives and chill before serving.
CHICKEN,VEGGIE, AND CASHEW STIR-FRY
Serves 4
½ lb chicken breast, poached and cut into 1/8-inch wide, 3-inch long strips
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup sliced carrots
½ cup sliced onion
½ cup sliced green pepper
1 cup bean sprouts
2 cups zucchini, cut into thin strips
¼ cup cashew pieces
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs cornstarch
¼ cup water
Heat oil in a skillet and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add the carrots, onion, green pepper, and soy sauce, cover, and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add zucchini, bean sprouts, and cooked chicken and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water until smooth. Pour it slowly into the chicken and vegetable mixture, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened and the mixture is well coated. Toss in cashew pieces and serve with brown rice.
THE ANTI-AGING NUTRITION COUNTER
Foods That Combat Aging is a one-stop guide to common, everyday foods and nutrients that can help you fight the aging process with every meal. In the nutrition counter you’ll find information about calories, portion size, total fat, good fats, bad fats, fiber, calcium, sugars, the antioxidants vitamin C and beta-carotene, and the B vitamins. We hope you will use this information to help you make informed, healthy choices as you purchase, prepare, and enjoy your meals.
All food items are arranged alphabetically. For example, if you want to find peppers, turn to the nutrition counter and look for “peppers.” Under “peppers” you will see that there are several types of peppers, and you can easily compare the nutritional values of each.
Some foods have been placed in categories. One of the food categories is “Frozen Dinners and Entrees.” Dinners represent entire meals, which generally are packaged to include an entrée (e.g., lasagna, meatloaf, fish fillet), a side vegetable, and a dessert. An entrée is packaged to contain the main food item only (e.g., pasta, chicken breast, fish fillet).
No nutrition counter would be complete without a fast food category, and ours lists foods alphabetically for many of the most popular fast food establishments in the United States. You already know that you need to limit or avoid most fast foods and other treats such as cookies, candies, and doughnuts and that you should look for nutritious alternatives instead. That’s why we have included healthier versions of these treats whenever possible. The counter makes it easy for you to compare the helpful and harmful nutrients in similar foods so you can make an informed choice.
NOTE: The DRI (Daily Recommended Intake) is an expansion of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) designation, which is being phased out. It’s important to understand that RDA and DRI values are based on the minimum amount needed by healthy individuals to maintain an adequate amount of the given nutrient in the body. These values are not sufficient for people who are already deficient in any one or more nutrients and/or anyone who has a medical condition or is exposed to conditions that make higher levels of the nutrient desirable. Basically, the DRIs and RDAs are too low for nearly everyone, and especially if you want to fight aging, so they should be used as a guideline only.
HOW TO IDENTIFY ANTI-AGING NUTRIENTS
Each of the food entries in the nutrition counter has information in the following categories: food name, portion size, calories, total fat, good fats, bad fats, fiber, sugar, beta-carotene, calcium, vitamin C, and B vitamins. Let’s look at each of these categories more closely.
Portion Size
This is the standard amount of food suggested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the food industry. Always check the serving size: it may be smaller or larger than you think.
Calories
This is the amount of energy provided by one serving of a food or beverage. You can use this value to help you plan your meals if you are trying to lose weight or restrict your total daily caloric intake.
Total Fat
The figure in the total fat category is the sum of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. We break down these four types of fat into two subcategories (bad fats and good fats) in other columns.
Overall, your daily fat intake should be 20 to 25 percent of your total daily calories. Based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, that translates as 2,000 calories × 20% (or 25%) = 400 (or 500) ÷ 9 (calories per gram of fat) = 44 (or 50) grams, which = 396 (or 450) calories. You can use this column to find foods that are low in total fat. Generally, such foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, soy foods, fish, some poultry, and low-fat dairy. Highly refined or processed foods, meats, whole-milk dairy, baked goods, and snack foods typically have higher total fat (and usually high bad fat) content.
Good Fats
The “Good Fats” category includes the known values of monounsaturated and/or omega-3 fatty acids in the food or beverage. These are the healthy fats that benefit the heart, help lower cholesterol, and protect against insulin resistance. This value can help you choose foods that provide these advantages. Your intake of good fats should be 10 to 15 percent of your total daily calories. Based on the 2,000-calories-per-day model, your good fat intake should be 200 to 300 calories, as follows: 2,000 calories × 10% (or 15%) = 200 (or 300) ÷ 9 (number of calories in a gram of fat) = 22 (or 33) grams.
Bad Fats
This category contains the sum of saturated and trans fats in the food and beverages in the counter. These are the artery-clogging, heart-stopping fats, and the ones that you want to limit in your diet. Foods typically high in saturated fat include meats, butter, tropical oils, full-fat dairy products, margarine, and some processed foods. Trans fats are found in margarine, many processed foods such as snacks and crackers, packaged dinners, and fast foods.
Saturated and trans fat together should not exceed 10 percent of your total caloric intake per day. Given the standard 2,000 calories-per-day model, your daily intake of bad fats should not be more than 200 calories (2,000 calories × 10% = 200 ÷ 9 (number of calories in a gram of fat), or 22 grams. A quick look at the “Bad Fats” category will give you immediate information on the bad fat content of the foods and beverages you are considering and help you make healthier choices.
Fiber
This no-calorie nutrient plays many important roles in an anti-aging diet; for example, it helps reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, fight obesity, prevent constipation, reduce risk of intestinal problems, including colon cancer, stabilize glucose levels, and remove toxins from the body. If you are between the ages of 19 and 50, you should strive to get 38 grams of fiber daily if you are male, and 25 grams if you are female. If you are older than 50, the National Academy of Sciences, Food and Nutrition Board recommends 30 grams for men and 21 grams for women.
You can scan the fiber column to find foods that contain a good fiber content (at least 2.5 to 3 grams per serving). Foods that typically fall into this range or higher include fruits and vegetables, cereals, grains, nuts, seeds, and some soy-based foods.
Sugar
Sugar refers to simple sugars, the ones that are especially harmful because they cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels and lead to insulin resistance, both of which increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and many other serious medical conditions. High intake of simple sugars can also lead to weight gain.
Keep in mind that the “Sugars” category includes both naturally occurring sugars (like those found in fruit, fruit juices, milk, and some vegetables) as well as those that are added to foods and beverages. You can find added sugars on the ingredient lists on food packages.
You can use the “Sugars” category to help you limit the amount of added simple sugars in your diet and to ensure you get enough of the good sugars (complex carbs). When looking at foods that often have added sugars, such as breakfast cereals and cookies, you can scan the “Sugars” category for those that contain low amounts (between 0 and 5 grams of total sugars).
Beta-carotene
Beta-carotene is the most studied of the more than 600 different types of carotenoids that have been identified in plants. Carotenoids are pigments that give fruits and vegetables their color, and beta-carotene is an especially potent carotenoid. The role of beta-carotene in nature is to protect dark green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables from the damage caused by solar radiation, and it is believed it also helps protect the human body as well. The colors give you a clue as to the fruits and vegetables that contain high levels of this antioxidant, and they include yellow squash, cantaloupe, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green leafy vegetables.
Calcium
As you know, calcium is critical for strong bones, and an insufficient amount of calcium in the diet significantly increases the risk of osteoporosis and with it, an increased risk of fractures from falls. Therefore you should make every effort to make sure you are getting enough calcium in your diet (l,000mg for men and women age 19 to 50 years; l,200mg for older adults). You can use the nutrition counter to help you identify the foods that are rich sources of this mineral. Some of those sources include dairy products, canned sardines, green leafy vegetables, yogurt, and soybeans.
Vitamin C
This potent antioxidant is an important member of the arsenal you should assemble in your fight against free radical damage and aging. Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is water soluble and is found in all body fluids. Because the body cannot store this antioxidant, it’s very important to replenish your supply daily. When you use the nutrition counter, you will see that the best sources of vitamin C are fruits and fruit juices, vegetables and vegetable juices, and products that are enriched with vitamin C, including cereals.
In the nutrition counter, the vitamin C content per serving is given in DV. The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI, formerly RDA) is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men; for smokers, 110mg for women and 130 mg for men.
B vitamins
The B vitamins are essential to help preserve and maintain optimal function of the central nervous system and the production of neurotransmitters, which are critical for brain function because they carry signals from cell to cell. Generally, B vitamins help fight the signs and symptoms of an aging brain: for example, slowing of reflexes, difficulty recalling names or words, increasing bouts of forgetfulness and confusion, and episodes of mental “fog.” B vitamins also play a critical role in the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose (to provide energy), and in the maintenance of muscle tone in the gastrointestinal tract.
The vitamins that make up what is commonly called the “vitamin B complex” include thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folic acid (B9), and cobalamin (B12). Each of these vitamins has distinct characteristics, but they also have many similar properties and are found in many of the same common foods. At one time, this fact led researchers to consider them as one substance. For the sake of simplicity, we treat the B vitamins as a single entry for each food or beverage item and rate the vitamin B content as “0” for none or insignificant; “+” for a moderate amount, and “++” for a high amount.
Because the B vitamins are water soluble, they do not stay in the body very long (except for B12) and therefore need to be replenished regularly, preferably daily. You can use the information in this column to help you identify foods and beverages that contain these essential vitamins.
The information in the Anti-Aging Nutrition Counter was compiled from many sources, including but not limited to organizations within the United States government (Food and Drug Administration, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database), individual food labels, food manufacturers, fast-food restaurants, and various Internet sources, including Nutritiondata.com. It’s especially important to note that fast-food restaurants are constantly making adjustments to their menus, and so you may wish to ask about specific items to see if their nutritional content has changed.
This nutrition counter provides you with a wealth of information you need and can readily use to fight aging with every spoonful you take. Bring this book along with you to the supermarket, restaurants, farmers’ markets—anywhere food is sold!
Here are the abbreviations and symbols you will see in the nutrition counter.
cont = container
g = gram
mcg = microgram
mg = milligram
mL = milliliters
Na = not available; the product may contain this substance but the manufacturer or company does not list this information on the label
oz = ounce
pc(s) = piece(s)
pkg = package
serv = serving
tbs = tablespoon
tsp = teaspoon
w = with
w/o = without
percentage DV = percent Daily Value, the recommended intake of a nutrient based on a 2,000 calorie diet
0 = none, zero, or an insignificant amount of B vitamins (<10% of two or more B vitamins) + = moderate amount of B vitamins (at least 10% of two or more B vitamins) ++ = high amount of B vitamins * = the figure given is an estimate and based on similar, generic food items for which levels have been provided by the FDA. We provide this information because food manufacturers typically do not reveal beta carotene and B vitamin content on their labels. The specific brand-name food may contain the same or different amount of the nutrients.
CHAPTER 1
Institutes of Medicine website: http://www.iom .edu/Object. File/Master/21/372/O.pdf.
National Institutes of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases website: http://www.niams. nih.gov/bone/hi/overview.htm.
Quadri, P, et al. Homocysteine and B vitamins in mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Clin Chem Lab Med 43(10):1,096-1,100, 2005.
Snowdon, DA, et al. Linguistic ability in early life and cognitive function and Alzheimer’s disease in late life. Findings from the Nun Study. JAMA 275(7):528-532, 1996.
Vlassara, H, et al. Inflammatory mediators are induced by dietary glycotoxins, a major risk factor for diabetic angiopathy. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99(24):15,596-15,601, 2002.
Wilson, RS, et al. Participation in cognitively stimulating activities and risk of incident Alzheimer’s disease. JAMA 287:742–748, 2002.
CHAPTER 2
Asami, DK, et al. Comparison of the total phenolic and ascorbic content of freeze-dried and air-dried marionberry, strawberry, and corn grown using conventional, organic, and sustainable agricultural practices. J Agric Food Chem 51(5): 1237-1241, 2003.
Caris-Veyvat, C, et al. Influence of organic versus conventional agricultural practice on the antioxidant microconstituent content of tomatoes and derived purees; consequences on antioxidant plasma status in humans. J Agric Food Chem 52(21):6,503-6,509, 2004.
Fife, Bruce ND. The Detox Book (Colorado Springs: HealthWise, 1997).
Food Additives and Contaminants, May 8, 2002.
Worthington, V. Nutritional quality of organic versus conventional fruits, vegetables, and grains. J Altern Comple Med 7(2):161-173, 2001.
CHAPTER 3
Albert, CM, et al. Nut consumption and decreased risk of sudden cardiac death in the Physicians’ Health Study. Arch Intern Med 162(12):1,382-1,387, 2002.
Cabrera, C, et al. Beneficial effects of green tea—a review. J Am Coll Nutr 25(2):79-99, 2006.
Dandona, P, et al. Inflammation: the link between insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes. Trends Immunol 25(1):4-7, 2004.
Dills, WL. Protein fructosylation: fructose and the Maillard reaction. Am J Clin Nutr 58 (Suppl):779-875, 1993.
Fleming, RM. The effect of high-protein diets on coronary blood flow. Angiology 51(10):817-826, 2000.
Haas, Elson M, MD. Nutritional program for anti-aging. At http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.asp?ID=1272#2.
Kelly, JH Jr., Sabate, J. Nuts and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological perspective. Br J Nutr 96 (Suppl 2):S61-S67, 2006.
Maher, JH. Phytonutrients, lifelong Wellness and the theories of aging. JAAIM. At http://www. aaimedicine.com/jaaim/oct05/phytonutrients2.php.
Mayo Clinic. Water: How much should you drink every day? At http://www.mayoclinic. com/health/water/NU00283.
Nakagawa, T, et al. Protective activity of green tea against free radical- and glucose-mediated protein damage. J Agricul Food Chem 50(8):2418-2422, 2002.
Owen, RW, et al. Olive-oil consumption and health: the possible role of antioxidants. Lancet Oncol 107-112, 2000.
Sabate, J. Nut consumption, vegetarian diets, ischemic heart disease risk, and all-cause mortality: evidence from epidemiologic studies. Am J Clin Nutr 70(Suppl 3):500S-503S, 1999.
Shannon, J, et al. Relationship of food groups and water intake to colon cancer risk. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention 5(7):495-502, 1996.
Simopoulos, A. Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases. J Am Coll Nutr (6):495-505, 2002.
Books Authored or Co-Authored by Deborah Mitchell
FOODS THAT COMBAT AGING
THE BOTOX MIRACLE
THE BROCCOLI SPROUTS BREAKTHROUGH
THE DICTIONARY OF NATURAL
HEALING REMEDIES AND TECHNIQUES
THE HOME HEALING ALMANAC
MSM: THE NATURAL PAIN RELIEF REMEDY
NATURAL MEDICINE FOR BACK PAIN
NATURAL MEDICINE FOR DIABETES
NATURAL MEDICINE FOR PMS
NATURAL MEDICINE FOR SUPER IMMUNITY
NATURAL MEDICINE FOR WEIGHT LOSS
NATURE’S APHRODISIACS
NATURE’S PAINKILLERS
PEAK PERFORMANCE
SAFE FOODS
THE SAM-E SOLUTION
THE TRANS FAT REMEDY
YOUR IDEAL SUPPLEMENT PLAN IN 3 EASY STEPS
EAT FOR LONGEVITY-YOU’RE ONLY AS OLD AS YOU FEEL!
• Being carb and sugar smart
• Balancing good and bad fats to
slow down your body clock
• Making fiber your friend
• Calcium and antioxidants—
everything you need to know
• Exercising your brain and your body
• What to eat—and delicious ways to eat it!
• An essential, age-defying
nutrition counter… AND MORE!
FOODS THAT
COMBAT AGING
HARPER
An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Copyright © 2008 by Lynn Sonberg
ISBN: 978-0-06-134620-0
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