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Think of it this way - 100 days from now you can be 100 days older but at least 100 days biologically younger. Many of your everyday habits help Father Time claim your youthfulness. This article will show you how to transform your habits into choices. It has worked for me and many of my patients. So with great pleasure, I share longevity information in a 10-step youth potion that will keep you a-Glow for a lifetime.
Scientists Know About It
A group of scientists believe, and are trying to convince the government, that the real answer to the health-care dilemma would be to slow the aging process, delaying the onset of age-related diseases by studying the biology of aging and thus saving trillions of dollars now spent on health care.
It may take more than these scientists or this article to convince the government. But I believe that change happens one person at a time, and that is how I practice nutritional medicine, reversing aging one patient at a time. So far more than 5,000 people have reversed their aging process by following the 10 suggestions below. Will you make it one more?
1. Aging Begins With Inflammation
Most aging begins with inflammation in the digestive tract. This makes perfect sense when you consider that about 80 percent of your immune system is in your stomach. When inflammation is present, you cannot properly digest the foods you eat or the vitamins you take. The result is
a system-wide breakdown of metabolic processes. Being aware of what causes inflammation and how to avoid it is key to staying young and healthy.
To reduce inflammation in the gut and turn back your aging clock, begin by cutting down on the foods that ferment in the stomach — foods like simple carbohydrates — (those made with white flour and sugar), even fruit. Alcohol and vinegar are also culprits, so substitute lemon juice for vinegar when you can, and drink wine (preferably red) when you
have eaten protein, not on an empty stomach.
Supplements are very valuable in preventing gut inflammation. Here are the most important:
Digestive enzymes predigest food in your upper stomach, making it easier to metabolize and absorb nutrients. There are many on the market. Choose one that contains enzymes that digest proteins, carbohydrates and fats, such as Solgar’s Super Enzyme Caps. Begin with one at each meal. If you are suffering from indigestion, increase the dosage to three. Digestive enzymes are much more effective than antacids. They are also healthier, because they are not drugs and do not contain aluminum or produce side effects.
Pre- and Probiotics. There is a lot of buzz about pre-and probiotics, and for good reason. Your food supply, the air you breathe, and the water you drink are replete with harmful bacteria that enter your digestive tract and wreak havoc there.
Pre- and Probiotics are healthy bacteria that can destroy the bad bacteria in your stomach, restore proper GI balance and promote digestion.
Probiotics prevent systemic yeast infections that can devastate your immune system.
Which ones to take? The product you select must contain billions of good bacteria. Buy, or at least use as a benchmark, Culturelle (Lactobacillus GG; one a day on an empty stomach) and Florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii lyo; one a day). You can get these at your health food store.
If indigestion persists, please see a physician.
2. Restrict Calories
Numerous studies have been done on the antiaging effects of calorie restriction. These studies have shown that even short-term calorie restriction will slow your aging process and extend your life span. What’s more, even in older people, many of the life-extending effects of calorie restriction happen rapidly (easily within 100 days).
What does calorie restriction mean? It means counting the calories that you eat in an average day and cutting them by 15 to 30 percent (depending on the weight you are when you begin). If your weight is normal, begin by cutting 15 percent of calories. If you are more than 10 pounds overweight, cut by 30 percent.
Also, the type of foods you eat will probably have to change to ensure that you take in adequate nutrients. You will be eating high-impact calories—vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meats, whole eggs, poultry, fish, fruit and at least two tablespoons a day of monounsaturated fats such as olive and macadamia oil. (You may think of this as a Mediterranean-type diet.)
For more information on calorie-restricted diets and aging,
go to http://www.crsociety.org
3. Reduce Sugar Intake
Life is sweeter—and you are younger—without sugar, which causes premature aging and death. Let me share some of the ways sugar affects your body’s aging process and give you a reference to even more.
Sugar causes skin to wrinkle and lose elasticity through a natural process called glycation. Glycation happens when the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules of advanced glycation called AGES (“advanced glycation end products”). The more sugar you eat, the more AGES you develop. “AGES damage adjacent proteins in a domino-like fashion,” explains Frederic Brandt, M.D., a dermatologist in private practice in Miami and New York City and author of 10 Minutes/10 Years. “Most vulnerable to damage are collagen and elastin, the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic. In fact, collagen is the most prevalent protein in the body.Once damaged, resilient collagen and elastin become dry and brittle,leading to wrinkles and sagging.”
Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.
Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected to the development of breast, prostate, ovarian, rectal, pancreas, lung and stomach cancers.
Sugar can weaken eyesight
Sugar can cause inflammation in the digestive tract, producing indigestion.
Sugar can cause insulin resistance, leading to Type 2 diabetes.
Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances.
For a list of the ways that sugar can affect your health and
how you age, complete with scientific references, check out
4. Get Your Blood Tested
Ask your doctor to do the following aging-related blood tests in addition to those she/he usually orders. Then make certain to ask for a full explanation of the test results and how they relate to your longevity.
- AP test for cholesterol
- Hemoglobin AIC (measures gylcation—see above)
- Fasting glucose
- Fasting insulin levels
- C-reactive protein (inflammation)
- Fibrinogen (inflammation)
Hormone Tests
- The three estrogens
- Progesterone
- DHEA
- Free testosterone
- T-3 , Free T3 and reverse T-3 (thyroid)
- T4 and Free T4 (Thyroid)
- TSH (thyroid) TRH test if available
- Fasting Insulin Levels
- D-3 (25 Hydroxy D3)
5. Sleep Eight to Nine Hours a Night
Lack of sleep rapidly accelerates aging. If you are having difficulty falling and staying asleep, here are intergatine l reversing your aging process in 100 days. Here are some suggestions.
- Go to bed at the same time each night, and avoid naps.
- Wake up at the same time each morning.
- Exercise will help you sleep better, but not near bedtime.
- Make sure your bed and room temperature are comfortable.
- Keep your bedroom completely dark.
- Keep noise levels low.
- Use the bedroom for sleep and intimacy only.
- Place the alarm clock where you cannot see it during the night.
- Don’t try to force sleep. If you don’t fall asleep in half an hour after you go to bed, get up and listen to soft music until you feel tired.
- Don’t drink caffeinated drinks for 12 hours before bedtime.
- Take a warm bath before bed.
- Avoid eating sugar at dinner.
If all else fails try my sleep secret. One hour before bed, I take 3 mg of time-release melatonin, 1,500 mg of calcium, 1,000 mg of magnesium and 400 IUs of vitamin E (all to relax muscles).If I feel tense, I take 200 mg of L Theanine (an amino acid that reduces anxiety). Then I take a warm bath. I sleep like a baby.
6. Maintain a Positive Attitude About Aging
Research shows that how you perceive aging affects how long you will live. In a study of 660 people, those with more positive perceptions
of their own aging lived an average of 7.5 years longer. This effect remained after other factors such as age, gender, income,
loneliness and health status were controlled.
Since aging is inevitable, why not enjoy the journey and live
longer?
Reversing Your Aging Process in 100 Days
A Work Sheet
by Fran Gare, N.D..
Fran Gare is a clinical nutritionist and naturopathic physician who has coauthored six best-selling books including Dr. Akins' Diet Revolution, Dr. Aktins' New Diet Cookbook and The Mandells' It's Not Your Fault You're Fat. Dr. Gare was the Director of Nutrition at the Atkins Center for Complementary Nutrition, New York City, and Director of Natural Medicine at Miami Heart Hospital. She is a media personality who has appeared frequently on national TV and radio and print, offering expertise on health and diet issues.
She is the Nutrition Director at the Gelb Center in New York City and is also a contributing expert to Glow Beauty Magazine .
Dr. Fran Gare
220 East 57th Street, 16G
New York, NY 10022
Cell: 917-445-3942
Fax: 775-703-4172
Office: 635 Madison Avenue
19th Floor
NY, NY 10022
212-752-1662
FREE 1/2 hour anti-aging or weight loss consultation with Dr. Gare. Call her office and tell her you're a tomato.
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An Interview with Fran Gare on Tomatoes in the Trenches. Listen in.
