IS YOUR PIZZA AGING YOU?

by mary schook
As microscopist Rick Panson says our bodies are one big chemistry set. It is the chemical reactions that happen within the body that determine how much control we have over our aging. Yes, according to the anti-aging experts I have spoken to only 25-30% of your aging is attributed to your parents. The rest is up to you.

I posted this video on diabetes and insulin because sugar as well as the food our bodies convert into sugar directly affect aging in the skin. This is not a fat person's problem. It is EVERYONE's problem. More specifically eating refined carbohydrates, fast foods, processed foods, sodas, artificial sweeteners, trans fats and saturated fats can cause a process called glycation.

According to livingto150.com 'Glycation is a process where sugar and protein molecules combine to form a tangled mess of tissue. Glycated tissue is tough and inflexible, leading to wrinkling not only of the skin, but also of important internal organs.' In other words glycation leads to wrinkles!!

Some of the effects of glycation can be arthritis, allergies, headaches, asthma, weight gain. In aging these 'sugars' that cause glycation break down the collagen, which holds up the scaffolding in our skin!

Even if you didn't care about how old you look you should care about how sugar affects the cells. Sugar can weaken the cells (sadly as some of my clients have recently found out) thus fueling cancer. It makes the cells prone to free radicals as I explain in this past tuesday tip.

Sugar, refined carbs, and processed foods aren't the only culprits causing glycation. Foods cooked past 250 degrees Fahrenheit can also cause an inflammatory response thus causing aging. This means it is much better to steam or sautee than grill or bake at hight temps. There's a great article on it in Sheknows.com.

I've listed some helpful links to source for finding low glycemic foods below, but if you don't have time to make any sense of this staying away from processed foods and 'eating 10 servings of fresh and relatively uncooked fruits and vegetables , mixed fiber, monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, cold water fish and high quality vegetable proteins can prevent premature shortening' according to Dr. Joel Lopez, M.D. I understand that Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt follow the South Beach Diet which follows a low glycemic regimen.


Thanks again for following and sharing Tuesday's Tips!

THIS LINK is great because it easily charts where many foods rate on the glycemic index scale.

THIS LINK is from the University of Sydney and allows you to look up any food and how it rates.

THIS LINK is the Wikipedia entry for Glycemic index.

THIS LINK is the Wikipedia entry for the Insulin index.


P.S. Kirstie Alley is actually losing weight off of eating organic and stabilizing her insulin through a drink that has chromium.