Four Common Anti-Aging Enemies
These four foods are deadly because they speed up ageing in cells
All the advice we get from health and nutritional experts has always been on foods that enhance our health. The ones we should eat more often probably. No one has indicated more pronouncedly the ones to AVOID, the ones that are deadly and detrimental to our health.
I now want to discuss four of these foods, so that we should avoid them like plague if possible, and completely eliminate them in our foods:
Processed Foods-Because Of High Salt Content
Processed foods have become more popular due to the fact that people have little time to prepare their foods. Years ago, I was surprised to see in a cousin’s freezer in Minneapolis four compartments of ready foods labelled BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER & SNACKS.
This lady has three young children, so you can imagine what she was feeding them. I asked why she never bothers to prepare foods, she said she didn’t have the time, neither is her husband. And she made it easier for the kids to eat whenever either of the parents is not around.
As far as she is concerned, she is doing the best for her kids. She told me she tried to buy as many varieties as possible to give the kids adequate choice and dietary needs.
What she doesn’t know is that ready foods are processed to give a long shelf life, so they are usually fortified with vitamins and minerals, (which is not bad in itself) but have too much salt and other preservatives. Salt is mostly used in preserving foods because bacteria cannot thrive in salt.
The fact that many are prepared at the same time because the manufacturers are the same supply chain to most known supermarkets. They have to make it last longer than the ‘’Sell-by-date’’ inscribed on the package.
High preservatives and salt intake is a risk in high blood pressure, cardiovascular, stroke and heart attacks. The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) of salt for an adult is merely six gram. (Around one teaspoon a day). And researchers say cutting this into half is beneficial, as it gives us a further reduction of about twenty-two per cent in stroke and sixteen per cent in a heart attack.
The body needs a small amount of salt to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles and maintain the proper balance of water and minerals.
There is hidden salt in most foods we buy over the counter like bread, stock and common breakfast cereals.
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are mainly solid fats from animal origins, like beef, pork, and poultry. They are bad because they raise the level of bad cholesterol in the body and tend to give way to increased risk of heart attacks and poor circulation. This is because saturated fats tend to block arteries and clog pores.
But you may wonder, not all fats are bad. The advocate of Keto Diet, (High fat, low carb) will tell you that they use fat as a source of energy instead of glucose from carbohydrates. We need fats for some vitamin metabolism, (Vitamins A, D & E).
Fats are needed to build cell membranes and the sheath around nerves. It is necessary for muscle movement and blood clotting.
Major saturated fats foods are kebab, burgers, chips, pizza, sausages, salami, bacon, hotdogs, cakes and biscuits.
Refined Carbohydrates
Refined carbohydrates as the name suggest, are carbohydrates that have undergone processing and have been stripped of the essential germ, fibre, nutrients, and antioxidants. Examples are white flours, white rice, pasta and pizza dough. There are whole grain examples of these foods as well.
Wholegrain carbohydrates contain every part of the grain and have been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, obesity and certain cancers.
Refining the grain stripped them to the barest minimum that only gives high glucose calories and nothing else. This form of carbohydrates gives a peak in blood sugar thereby releasing insulin. High insulin in the blood is linked to Type 2 Diabetics, heart disease and some form of cancer.
Refined Sugar
Refined sugars are white sugars, (mostly) that have been extracted from sugar cane, sugar beets and corn and have undergone processing and bleaching. Refined sugars are used mostly in food processing. One reason to stay clear of processed foods.
Refined sugars in processed are often disguised under different names such as fructose, glucose, and high fructose corn syrup. They lack any nutritional value and damage the body by raising blood glucose level, mitigating the secretion of insulin.
The Problem Of Metabolism Of Refined Sugar is the main reason why nutritionist advised against it. Refined sugar is able to react with the protein in the body, a process called glycosylation. As the level of the sugar in the blood increases, so the does the rate of glycosylation. If this continues uncontrolled, it can lead to hardening of the arteries and or kidney damage.
Glycosylation disrupts the connective tissue (in the skin) in a process known as cross-linking, making the skin to be less elastic and prone to wrinkles.
Foods that contain refined sugars like cakes, ice cream, desserts, yoghurt, fruit juices and most fizzy drinks can make the blood sugar level to rise giving cause for glycosylation.
High blood sugar triggers the production of adrenalin and cortisone hormone, which then suppresses the body’s immune system, making one susceptible to infection.
Too much sugar in the bloodstream on a regular basis can cause damage to kidneys, nerves, eyesight, immune system (as stated above) and arteries.
Be wary of the low-fat varieties of processed foods and desserts, as they usually contain more sugars than others.
