Eating Well for Graceful Aging

Mercola 2014 For a comprehensive guide on healthy eating, please see my optimized nutrition plan. Generally speaking, you’ll want to focus your diet on whole, unprocessed, ideally organic foods (vegetables, grass-fed meats, raw dairy, nuts, and so forth). In terms of foods to avoid, processed foods and beverages of all kinds top the list, as they’re chockfull of sugar, refined fructose, and grains—all of which promote insulin and leptin resistance when eaten in excess. Insulin/leptin resistance in turn is at the heart of most chronic disease, from obesity to arthritis, cancer, and dementia. A sugar-rich diet is also a major cause of accelerated cellular aging, breaking down your body well before its time. According to Professor Cynthia Kenyon, whom many experts believe should win the Nobel Prize for her research into aging, carbohydrates (glucose) directly affect the genes that govern youthfulness and longevity. Her research suggests you may actually be able to extend your life and stay fit throughout your old age with a simple dietary change that switches on your "youth" gene. Kenyon's research with C. elegans roundworms showed that decreased carb intake can lead to significant life extension and improved long-term health. One of the most interesting details of her findings is that not only did the roundworms live up to SIX TIMES longer than normal, but they kept their health and youthful vigor until the end—and isn't that what "healthy aging" is really all about? Besides being high in sugar/fructose, processed foods also contain a wide variety of other harmful substances that can wear down your health, including synthetic chemicals (colors, flavors, preservatives, stabilizers, etc), genetically engineered ingredients, and pesticides, just to name a few. Exercise Is an Excellent ‘Anti-Aging’ Tool Besides diet and maintaining a positive mindset, exercise is perhaps one of the best “anti-aging” interventions available. It’s worth noting that exercise has also been shown to have a positive effect on depression, and may in fact help you see the sunnier side of life. Staying active is particularly important for the elderly. I recommend incorporating a variety of exercises into your regimen, but strength training may be particularly beneficial if you’re older. A 2010 study published in the journal Mechanisms of Aging and Development7 confirmed the "anti-aging" effect of high-intensity training, which forms the foundation of my Peak Fitness regimen. Strength training can be turned into a high intensity exercise by slowing down your movements, and it also tends to be safer than conventional weight lifting or sprinting exercises. One of the key benefits of high-intensity exercises is that it boosts human growth hormone (HGH) production, which is important for optimal health, strength, and longevity. To boost the “anti-aging” benefits of high intensity exercise even further, consider combining it with intermittent fasting. This may in fact be a revolutionary way to keep your body biologically young. The combined effect of intermittent fasting and short intense exercise may help you to: Turn back the biological clock in your muscle and brain Boost growth hormone Improve body composition Boost cognitive function Boost testosterone Prevent depression To Live Longer, Learn to Manage Your Stress and Think Positively Interviews with centenarians across the world reveal that having a positive world view is part and parcel of enjoying a longer-than-normal life. This makes sense when you consider how potent a component your emotions are for your health. Your emotional state plays a role in nearly every physical disease -- from heart disease and depression, to arthritis and cancer. And as demonstrated in the featured research, just associating aging with positive stereotypes instead of negative ones has the power to affect your ability to perform physical tasks. Having effective coping mechanisms to deal with everyday stressors are a major longevity-promoting factor in part because stress has a direct impact on inflammation, which in turn underlies many of the chronic diseases that kill people prematurely every day. Meditation, prayer, social support, and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain emotional and mental equilibrium. I also strongly believe in using simple tools such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to address deeper, oftentimes hidden, emotional problems. In short, living a long life boils down to an overall healthy lifestyle, where mind, body, and spirit all get the appropriate attention.