ANTI-AGEING DIET STRATEGIES

ANTI-AGEING DIET STRATEGIES

Feeling and looking young is more within our control than most people believe. You might be surprised to learn that much of what we’ve assumed as the natural outcome of ageing, loss of looks, wrinkles, Alzheimer’s, an escalating risk for heart disease and osteoporosis are more the consequences of lifestyle and dietary choices we make than from the natural ageing process.

So let us not risk ageing prematurely just because you don’t eat adequate antiageing foods. There are powerful antidotes to ageing, which can add many more years to your life, boost your immune system and reduce risk of cardio vascular disease. Unhealthy habits are other generators of free radicals. Over a period of time this build up of cellular damage in our body, precipitates various diseases, which further accelerate ageing. Your addiction to chocolates, pastries and the like could harm you far more than by just increasing your weight. If your bloodstream is loaded with sugar, which is a sticky substance, its molecules attach themselves to the proteins which further crosslink and form a new chemical structure which kick-starts the degeneration process within the body which could trigger cataracts, sagging of skin, stiffening of joints and even cancer which primarily occurs due to cell malfunction.

Diabetes ensures the circulation of glucose attached protein molecules in the blood stream and has adverse effect on the blood fats, which explains why diabetics are particularly susceptible towards heart disease. Surplus sugar in the blood stream could be extremely damaging to major body organs like the heart, kidney, blood vessels, eyes, skin and nerves. Any wonder then why very few diabetics live to be centenarians?

How does fat make you age? When it comes to ageing many of us get concerned only about the outward manifestations of growing older. We worry about weight gain, wrinkles, graying of hair etc. Whilst this is unquestionably important to our self esteem, fats major role apart from making us obese is in making our insides age faster.

It stimulates production of millions of free radicals, making your cells cancerous and dysfunctional. The body cannot cope up with so many free radicals and the cellular destruction that follows, precipitates as age. Fats get rancid or peroxidized. These lipid hydroperoxide molecules are the ugliest free radicals on the face of the earth.

Once inside the body, they go on rampages of cell destruction. They ignite one cell after the other in a chain reaction turning your body cells into malfunctioning junk. They attack the fatty membranes all over your body. Imagine your brain cells being attacked by free radicals on a daily basis due to consumption of rancid fats.

Anti-ageing diet strategies

* Eat at least five uncooked or lightly cooked meals in a week.

* Choose fresh fruits and vegetables over canned ones. Choose deeply coloured fruits and vegetables.