Inside Out
Erasing your age
By Cory Quirino
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:07:00 02/11/2008
“It takes a long time to become young.” — Pablo Picasso
MANILA, Philippines—Time and its passage should treat you right. But you have to make it happen.
You cannot simply sit back and do nothing. That may have been the case with our grandparents and even parents. But that is not for us—unless you want the ravages of time to show on your body.
It may be something like this—at age 30, excessively dry and wrinkled skin; at 40, stiffness in the joints; at 56, high cholesterol and borderline diabetes; at 60 heart disease or osteoporosis (brittle bones).
Some basic facts
Exercise delays aging, especially the onset of arthritis and osteoporosis. Dr. Williams J. Evans, doctor of nutrition and metabolism at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said, “There’s nothing that science can do for you that could be of more benefit than exercise.” He said low level exercise like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking short distances even if for only 10 minutes twice a day could be good.
Staying out of the sun prevents wrinkles.
Relaxation and meditation are stress-busters and can prevent disease.
High-vegetable diet is packed with enzymes and connected to better health. Eat high-octane foods like leafy green veggies, carrots, broccoli that are heavy on beta carotene (vitamin A).
Doing crossword puzzles and regular reading can delay/prevent memory loss.
Type A personalities (active, outgoing, pressure-driven individuals prone to anger) may age faster than calmer types.
Eating compulsively and obsessively will lead to diseases—obesity, diabetes, heart disease.
Get nutty. Do not worry about uric acid because you will not take a gallon of nuts like soy, macadamia, almonds, walnuts. Nuts are rich in antioxidants.
Go fruity. Nutrient-packed fruits give your body power. Try to observe your energy level after a serving of bananas, papaya, apples, kiwi, star apple. You will feel an instant lift that sweet cravings like pastries cannot give.
Boost youth hormones
You can actually return your body to its youthful look. Here is how:
Spike up the hormones. The forever-young hormones are human growth hormones that are converted by the liver into anti-aging hormone insulin growth factor and dehyroepean erosterone (DHEA). As you grow older, production of these hormones slows down.
Therefore, increasing their production can delay aging. Is it hopeless? Not at all. Diet plays a key role.
The mission: Boost hormones via a high-nutrient diet. Why? Aging is caused by free radical damage to the cells. One must contain/stop the damage through clean, toxic-free food.
The choice is simple. Eat your mango-topped cheese cake or eat a fresh mango.
Keep your blood sugar level steady. Any sudden rise can trigger cortisol (a stress hormone) release. High insulin and cortisol reduce your DHEA output. Go easy on white temptations (high glycemic food) like white rice, bread, pastries, pasta, crackers. Always combine them with low glycemic food—veggies, beans, protein, soy.
Never gorge on a huge slice of cake or dessert without eating a healthy meal. This ought to contain your sugar levels.
Contain the fat. A high-fat diet literally turns off your hormone factory. Saturated fat from animals can do a lot of damage to your health and youthful look.
Age-defying trivia
Load up on spinach and strawberries. Their high levels of antioxidants can boost your brain.
Steam, do not boil, your veggies to preserve the vitamins. Better yet, eat your food raw.
Add more tomatoes to your meal. Lycopene in tomatoes strengthens your immune system and makes your skin glow.
Affirmation for the day
“A tomato a day keeps the doctor away, a carrot a day keeps the wrinkle away.”
Love and light!
Reference: “Age-Erasing Secrets” by Kevin Ireland
Living Food Seminar by Cheloy Ignacio, a seminar and detox program, is on Feb. 16. Call 6871121 or 0915-2959582.
Celebrate life with Cory Quirino. Join the amazing wellness race at SM Mall of Asia on March 8. Call 3718197.
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