Stay Younger, Smarter, Healthier: How to Add 10 Good Years to Your Life

by Deborah Mitchell

Overview

Stay Younger, Smarter, Healthier

Deborah Mitchell

What is the secret to looking and feeling younger?

Which foods can help improve my health and longevity?

How can I boost my energy and sharpen mymind?

What can I do today to enjoy a better life tomorrow?

If you'd like to add 10 good years—in 10 easy steps—then jump-start your life with thisrevitalizing program for your body, mind, and spirit…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466825857
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Publication date:	09/25/2012
Series:	Healthy Home Library
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	582 KB

About the Author

Deborah Mitchell is a widely published health journalist. She is the author or coauthor of more than three dozen books on health topics, including seven books for St. Martin's Press's Healthy Home Library (The Family Guide to Vitamins, Herbs, and Supplements,52 Foods and Supplements for a Healthy Heart, 25 Medical Tests Your Doctor Should Tell You About, A Woman's Guide to Vitamins, Herbs, and Supplements,The Complete Book of Nutritional Healing; How To Live Well with Early Alzheimer's, and The Concise Encyclopedia of Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health) as well as The Wonder of Probiotics (coauthored with John R.Taylor, N.D.), Foods That Combat Aging, Your Ideal Supplement Plan in Three Easy Steps, and What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Back Pain (coauthored with Debra Weiner, M.D.).

DEBORAH MITCHELL is a widely published health journalist. She is the author or coauthor of more than three dozen books on health topics, including eight books for the St. Martin’s Press Healthy Home Library series, as well as THE WONDER OF PROBIOTICS (coauthored with John R.Taylor, N.D.), FOODS THAT COMBAT AGING, YOUR IDEAL SUPPLEMENT PLAN IN THREE EASY STEPS, and WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT BACK PAIN (coauthored with Debra Weiner, M.D.).

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

STEP 1

Make Age-Defying Food Choices

Would you be willing to change your eating habits today, right now, if you knew the modifications you made could extend your life by ten healthy years or more? Okay, no one can guarantee you will live a longer, healthier life if you put down the doughnuts and French fries and go for the fresh fruit and baked potato with fresh herbs. But taking such a step is a terrific start, and one that is supported by lots of research. It's hard to ignore the scores of scientific studies, Internet articles, TV shows, and newspaper reports about the health benefits of a balanced, nutritious diet, even though they do share media time and space with fast-food commercials and stories about people eating deepfried butter sticks and chocolate bars at the state fair. But deep down, you know the former — and not the latter — is the road to a fuller, healthier life.

If you are serious about wanting to live a longer, more physically and mentally active life, then it is absolutely essential that you provide your body and mind with the best fuel possible. You are probably like most people: you have a pretty good idea of what you should be eating, but you could use some encouragement, tips, and guidelines that will make your dietary changes as delicious, convenient, and painless as possible.

You could go to a bookstore or library and peruse the nutrition or diet section. But the sheer volume of options is enough to send anyone running to the nearest fast-food restaurant. That's why this chapter takes a no-nonsense approach and talks about choices that are sensible, doable, convenient, and backed by science.

The age-defying food suggestions in this chapter are ones you can follow for the rest of your life without feeling like you're on a diet, because you won't be: you'll be living with an eating plan that revitalizes you every day. It will also be a program you construct for yourself from the recommendations, so the end result will be Your Plan. If you need to lose weight, then you can combine what you learn here with guidelines from Step 2. If excess weight is not a problem, then you get to skip to Step 3 once you have created your eating plan. Included is a discussion of the pros and cons of calorie restriction, tips on how to eat out sensibly, and some simple, age-defying recipes that you can prepare in ten minutes or less.

SUCCESSFUL AGE-DEFYING EATING PLANS

Of the thousands of eating plans, diet programs, and fad diets out there, only a few have any scientific evidence to back up their claims that they can help you challenge the aging process and the diseases and health conditions typically associated with getting older. I have chosen four approaches that are backed with clinical studies and research: the Okinawa diet, the Mediterranean diet, guidelines from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), and the eating program by Dean Ornish, MD, president of Preventive Medicine Research Institute and author of Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Although these age-challenging eating approaches come from different places around the world, they share common features, which will become evident as you read about them, and these common elements make it easy to use them as a basis to create your own personal eating program. Here are the features of the four eating styles.

• The Okinawa diet is based on the food habits of the Okinawan people, who are among the longest-living people in the world. Although lifestyle (including daily exercise), environmental factors, and genetics also play a part in their longevity, diet is a major factor. The diet consists primarily (about 72 percent) of vegetables (lots of dark green vegetables and sweet potatoes), fruits, and whole grains. Seaweed and soy make up about 14 percent, fish about 11 percent, and meat, poultry, and eggs just 3 percent. Green tea and water are the main beverages, and alcohol consumption is moderate (one drink for women, two for men daily). Dairy products are rarely eaten.

• The Mediterranean diet has been widely studied and noted for reducing the risk of overall and cardiovascular death and cancer and cancer death and lower incidences of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Similar to the Okinawa diet, it focuses on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains as the main portion of the diet, but it also includes beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and olive oil as major items. Fish and seafood are recommended at least twice a week, while poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt are recommended in moderate amounts daily to weekly and meat and sweets less often.

• The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) advocates a primarily plant-based eating approach and has a program called the New American Plate, which encourages people to look at their plate and change the proportions of food as well as the portions. The goal is to create your plate so that it is composed of two-thirds or more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and/or beans and one-third or less animal protein. The AICR's expert report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, found that a primarily plant-based diet may reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases and also help manage weight.

• The eating program proposed by Dean Ornish, MD, is based on a large amount of research indicating that diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol increase the risk of heart disease and that following his eating plan can reverse heart disease. The plan is based on eating 70 to 75 percent of calories as complex carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent as protein, and 10 percent as fat (primarily polyunsaturated fat). You can indulge in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes in unlimited amounts, avoiding all meat and dairy products except egg whites, nonfat milk, and nonfat yogurt, strictly limiting plant foods high in fat (e.g., nuts, seeds, avocados, vegetable oils), and consuming salt, sugar, and alcohol in moderation.

Before you put together your own age-defying eating plan, here's a quick explanation of the main components of these four eating approaches and why each is important as part of an age-defying plan.

WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS

Antioxidants and Other Nutrients

Perhaps the most important feature shared by all of the four eating plans is the abundance of foods rich in phytonutrients (nutrients from plants) and antioxidants, including vitamins and minerals. Antioxidants are substances that attack and destroy free radicals, the oxygen molecules that play a key role in the aging process and in the onset of diseases associated with aging, such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

As you get older, your body becomes more susceptible to attack by free radicals, which results in oxidative stress, meaning you have too many free radicals that can damage your cells. To fight those free radicals, you need to maintain a high intake of antioxidants. Antioxidants can help slow aging at the cellular level by helping your cells avoid or minimize damage from free radicals and reduce the effects of aging.

Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of antioxidants, and the fresher the better. You are encouraged to choose organic produce over conventionally grown, and frozen over canned. Because fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can range quite widely in their antioxidant power level, eat a big variety. (See the "Antioxidant Power Food List" below.)

Antioxidant Power Food List

The antioxidant values of foods are expressed in units called ORACs (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacities), which were developed by the National Institute on Aging. The values are based on a 100-gram (3.5-oz.) sample, and the higher the value, the stronger the antioxidant capabilities of the food. However, it is important to remember that the ORAC value is just one measure of a food's value for your health. Foods contain vitamins and minerals besides antioxidants, as well as carbs, protein, and fiber.

Spices are generally exceedingly high in ORAC value. I have only included a few spices, because chances are slim you will consume 3.5 ounces of spices as part of a meal. However, because spices have very potent antioxidant powers, it is a great idea to include them in your eating plan to not only liven up your food but also give a real boost to your fight against free radicals and aging.

Foods That Fight Inflammation

An effective antiaging eating plan includes not only lots of antioxidants but a good amount of anti-inflammatory foods as well. Conveniently, many foods that are high in antioxidants also fight inflammation, especially fruits and vegetables, as well as coldwater fish, which are an excellent source of the healthy fat called omega-3 fatty acids. (See "Fats.")

Inflammation speeds up the aging process and is also a contributing factor in heart disease, autoimmune disorders, cancer, and other serious conditions associated with aging. Therefore, you want to focus on foods that have anti-inflammatory properties rather than those that promote inflammation. Since the four eating plans stress anti-inflammatory foods and recommend you limit or avoid those that can promote inflammation, such as red meat, full-fat dairy, processed foods, and sugars, basing your eating program on this approach will ensure you get plenty of anti-inflammatory foods.

Some of the most potent anti-inflammatory foods are:

• Vegetables in the Allium genus: garlic, onions, chives, shallots, and scallions

• Barley

• Beans and lentils

• Nuts and seeds

• Sprouts

• Yogurt and kefir

• Berries

Proteins

Proteins are a macronutrient and the building blocks necessary for the production of cells, organs, muscles, and other tissues. Proteins also have roles as enzymes, hormones, and antibodies.

Your ability to generate new protein and to absorb protein from food may decline as you get older, depending on your health. If you have a chronic disease, such as arthritis or heart disease, then your protein needs may be greater than if you were in better health. However, that does not mean you should arbitrarily increase your protein intake, because excess protein can stress the kidneys and cause a problem with kidney function. Your best bet is to talk to a knowledgeable health-care professional about your specific protein needs based on your health status.

Generally, adults need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of body weight per day to maintain health. That translates into 48 grams of protein daily if you weigh 132 pounds and 60 grams daily if you weigh 165 pounds.

Each of these eating plans focuses on plant protein rather than animal protein, although the latter does play a role. The most common question about plant protein is, "Don't I have to eat certain foods together to make sure I get complete protein?" The answer is no: your body is "smart" enough to combine complementary proteins that you eat within the same day. That means the amino acids in the quinoa you eat for breakfast, the chickpeas in your salad at lunch, and the soy burger at dinner will "get together" and make the protein you need. (See "Sources of Protein.") Animal protein takes a backseat in an age-defying diet, although it is still in the car if you want it to be!

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are another macronutrient and the main source of energy for your body. The digestive system transforms carbohydrates into blood sugar (glucose), which is used by your cells, tissues, and organs. Simple carbohydrates include sugars found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk, but sugar is also added to many foods during processing, and this is the type of simple carbohydrate you want to avoid.

All four eating plans focus heavily on complex carbohydrates, which are found in whole grains and whole-grain products, cereals, starchy vegetables, beans, and legumes. Many complex carbohydrates are also excellent sources of fiber, as well as a wide range of phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Fats

Fats are an often-misunderstood macronutrient, frequently characterized as "bad" when there are actually both healthy and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats include monounsaturated fats, found in foods such as olive oil and avocados, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in cold-water fatty fish (e.g., salmon, herring), walnuts, and flaxseed. These healthy fats are the ones you will want to include in your program.

Fats in the unhealthy category are those you want to avoid as much as possible and are found mainly in animal foods such as beef, cheese, and pork, and trans fats, which are synthetic fats found in some processed foods and can be identified on product labels as "hydrogenated oil," "partially hydrogenated oil," and "margarine" and may also be shown under the "Fat" area of the ingredient panel. Both saturated and trans fats are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and possibly cancer as well, while omega3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats are linked with fighting a variety of health concerns, ranging from depression to heart disease, arthritis, and macular degeneration, among others.

Fiber

What role does fiber play in antiaging? Plenty! Maintaining a high-fiber diet helps support brain and bone health, helps reduce the risk of colon cancer, lends a hand in regulating blood pressure, aids in removing cholesterol from the body, and assists in maintaining a healthy weight. Eating foods high in fiber also helps normalize blood glucose levels and bone strength and maintains a healthy digestive tract. Overall, keeping a high level of fiber in your eating plan is a great protective step against many of the health issues that come up as you age. The recommended amount of fiber in your diet is 25 to 30 milligrams daily. (See "High-Fiber Foods" below.)

YOUR AGE-DEFYING EATING PLAN

Your task is to create your own age-defying eating plan based on the principles of the four approaches discussed while incorporating your individual likes and dislikes and taking into consideration any health conditions discussed with your health-care provider (e.g., heart disease, diabetes). When choosing your foods:

• The majority should be vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Most of these foods are high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and nutrients. Beans and legumes are excellent sources of protein, as are some whole grains. (See "Sources of Protein.") Picture a plate: about 75 percent of the space should be covered with these foods at each meal.

• A low to moderate amount of fish, soy, seaweed, hormone-free meats and poultry, egg whites, olive oil, and nonfat dairy.

• Zero to very low amounts of sugar and alcohol — consider them a treat.

• Green tea and purified water freely every day.

So, what's on your age-defying menu? Let's say your current typical day begins with coffee and Danish, followed by a microwaved processed soup or fast-food burger for lunch and fried chicken and coleslaw for dinner. A new antiaging eating plan might look like this (items with asterisks have recipes that appear at the end of the chapter):

DAY ONE

Breakfast

Quinoa and oatmeal with blueberries
Lunch

Spinach salad with tomato, black olives, cucumber, red onion, red pepper, chickpeas, and an olive oil and vinegar dressing (you can vary the veggies)
Dinner

Baked salmon with lemon and cilantro Baked sweet potato topped with sautéed onions and garlic Steamed asparagus drizzled with olive oil and slivered almonds Vegetable juice

DAY TWO

Breakfast

Oatmeal with walnuts and cinnamon
Lunch

Whole-wheat pita stuffed with black bean spread and veggies*
Dinner

Tempeh with veggies Barley pilaf Green salad with tomatoes, grated beets and carrots, red onion, and cucumber, olive oil and vinegar dressing

DAY THREE

Breakfast

Nonfat yogurt with fruit
Lunch

Veggie burger on whole-grain bun, with vegetable topping Whole fruit (apple or pear with skin)

Dinner

Baked chicken breast seasoned with oregano and turmeric Twice brown rice Spinach salad with orange sections, walnuts, lemon juice, drizzled olive oil Vegetable juice

DAY FOUR

Breakfast

Omelet made with egg whites, mushrooms, and bell peppers Hash-brown potatoes seasoned with turmeric (use spray-on oil in pan)
Lunch

Split pea soup Carrot sticks and broccoli florets with salsa Herbal tea

Dinner

Lentil chili Steamed kale or mustard greens with stir-fried onions, garlic, and bell pepper Baked apple with cinnamon

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Stay Younger, Smarter, Healthier"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Lynn Sonberg.
Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
Introduction,
Step 1: Make Age-Defying Food Choices,
Step 2: Lose Weight to Add Years,
Step 3: Exercise for Fun and Energy,
Step 4: Take Control of Your Health Care,
Step 5: Keep Your Brain Young,
Step 6: Choose Supplements Every Body Needs,
Step 7: Connect with Your World,
Step 8: Clean Up Your Act,
Step 9: Less Stress, More Life,
Step 10: Make Your Money Last,
Appendix,
Endnotes,
Suggested Reading,
Books in the Healthy Home Library Series from St. Martin's Paperbacks,
Copyright,