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| By Jon Herring - Editorial Director | Friday, December 4th | |
15 minutes is all it took... I started this morning like I often do. Two eggs scrambled and a few slices of avocado. There is nothing like protein and healthy fats in the morning to boost your brainpower, fire up your metabolism and turn off the hunger switch. For a mid-morning snack, I grabbed an organic apple from the fridge and left for the office. Later on, I had taken two bites of the apple when the phone rang. When I got off the phone, just 15 minutes later, the fruit had already turned brown – the result of oxidation. The constant process of oxidation happens all around you. It causes a fallen tree to slowly rot. It causes a swing set to rust in the rain. It causes an apple to turn brown. And it happens rapidly, when you strike a match. Necessary to life and destructive at the same time... Of course, oxidation happens within your body as well. And it is not always destructive. Your immune system can use the oxidative process to destroy pathogens. And cellular energy is also produced through the process of oxidation. Without it, you couldn't live. But oxidation also produces unstable molecules called "free radicals." These molecules are missing an electron. To make themselves "whole" they rob electrons from surrounding tissues and compounds. This can cause a cascade of cellular damage, like a series of dominoes falling, one after another. If this chain reaction is not controlled, it can lead to DNA damage and cellular mutation. It can cause the skin to loosen and wrinkle. It can cause the beta cells of the pancreas to stop producing insulin. It can cause the brain to deteriorate. It can cause heart disease and cancer. Oxidative stress dramatically accelerates the aging process. The good news is that it can be controlled. That means the rate at which you age can be up to you! So how do you control oxidative stress? Controlling oxidative stress is a two-step process. The first step is to limit those things that cause oxidation. That means you should avoid environmental toxins and artificial ingredients in your food. You should also avoid excessive exercise and sun exposure. Both of these things are necessary and healthful in moderation, but too much (like marathon running or getting a bad sunburn) can cause damage. When it comes to foods, you should eat a low sugar, low-glycemic diet. And you should avoid unhealthy fats (like vegetable and seed oils and hydrogenated fats). These fats are highly unstable and prone to oxidation. This will dramatically reduce the oxidation that occurs within your body. But this is only half of the equation. The other half is to boost your antioxidant defenses. Antioxidants: The Aging Antidote Antioxidants are your body's natural free-radical fighters. Many of them are produced by your tissues and organs themselves. Others occur within the foods and nutrients you consume. Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and enzymes can all function as antioxidants. But your antioxidant system declines with age. That means the harder you live and the more stress your body is under, the more overwhelmed your antioxidant defense will become. The solution is to consume a diet rich in fresh, colorful, organic plant foods. Use herbs, spices and cocoa whenever possible (these are actually much higher in antioxidants than most foods). And you should adopt an aggressive regimen of antioxidant supplementation. For this very purpose, Total Health Breakthroughs has developed a multi-antioxidant blend that we will be releasing in just a few weeks. It is a bright purple powder, brimming with polyphenols, anthocyanins, pterostilbine and resveratrol. Just mix it with a bit of water, and you have a veritable fountain of youth in a glass. Before we release the product to the public, we are inviting a small number of readers to test it (and receive a significant discount!) If you're interested, you can put your name on the list here. In Monday's issue of the newsletter, I will let you know about some of the breakthrough ingredients in this blend... and I'll highlight some amazing studies proving just how powerful they are. Stay tuned for that. Feedback Friday: Sugar is Sugar is Sugar... On a recent visit home, my stepmother offered me a cup of coffee with breakfast. "Here is some sugar, if you want it. It's organic," she proclaimed proudly. I didn't comment at the time. But her idea that "organic" sugar is a healthier choice struck me as funny. It reminds me of one of my friends who used to shop at the health food store, loading his cart with ice cream, waffles and potato chips. Just because it's "organic" doesn't mean it's healthy, especially if the food in question spikes your blood sugar. Interestingly, two THB readers wrote to me about sugar last week. SL asked, "You have written numerous times about refined sugar, but you rarely say anything about natural sugar. Is the latter okay?" Another reader asked, "What are your thoughts on using honey as a substitute for sugar?" The truth is that ALL digestible food – not just carbohydrates – can be converted to glucose to be used as energy. The distinction should be: how quickly does this happen? High-glycemic foods or liquids are converted to glucose very quickly, causing a sharp increase in blood sugar and a corresponding increase in the production of insulin. In the absence of frequent vigorous exercise, chronic consumption of high-glycemic foods and drinks can be a recipe for weight gain and a substantial increase in your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and a host of other ailments. So it doesn't matter one bit if the sugar you're consuming is refined, natural, or organic. It doesn't matter if it comes from honey or fruit juice or mashed potatoes. If you frequently consume foods and drinks that rapidly break down to glucose, you're risking your waistline and your health. That is why you should stick to foods that are low on the glycemic index, like above-ground vegetables, naturally-raised meats, nuts, beans, seeds, berries and whole fruits. You should generally limit your consumption of grains and starches, white potatoes, fruit juices, sweets, and desserts. And look out for hidden sugars (like evaporated cane juice) on nutrition labels. If you want to sweeten your food or drinks without the calories or glycemic load, consider using a sweetener such as stevia or erythritol. In fact, several companies have now combined these two ingredients to produce excellent natural sweeteners that won't spike your blood sugar – Truvia and PureVia are two that you might consider. And avoid artificial sweeteners – I don't know of a single one not associated with substantial health risks. Until next time, may your internal "apples" stay fresh, To Your Great Health,
Limited Release for a Select Few Fast Actors... The health experts at THB have come up with a "Fountain of Youth" formula that could add years to your life by giving your long-term health a real boost. This life-enhancing elixir is not yet available to the general public. But a small group of fast actors will get their hands on it first - and at a 50% discount. Get the details here. | ||
To ensure that you never miss an issue, please whitelist our email. Important: THB is dedicated to bringing its readers the newest, most hopeful and most trustworthy information and advice about natural health research, findings and products. Because we are a for-profit publication, we include advertising copy in each issue (readily identifiable by shaded boxes) and send our readers advertisements we approve of. When our editors like and use advertised products we talk about their features and benefits in our editorial. Readers should be assured that although we may have a financial interest in a product we talk about, we will never recommend anything we don’t believe in. Copyright © 2009 Fourth Avenue Health Group, LLC, located at 245 NE 4th Avenue, Delray Beach Florida 33483, is a subsidiary of Early to Rise. Total Health Breakthroughs may be republished with its links intact by non commercial entities. Total Health Breakthroughs may not be republished for commercial purposes without written permission. | ||
Friday, December 4, 2009
THB: 15 minutes is all it took...
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