Nutrition For Longevity

How to slow down aging while maintaining strength, vigor and clear thinking for many years is a question that worries many. The well-known nutritionist Oksana Skytalinska claims that lifestyle and our diet are powerful antiaging factors.

How to slow down aging while maintaining strength, vigor and clear thinking for many years is a question that worries many. The well-known nutritionist Oksana Skytalinska claims that lifestyle and our diet are powerful anti-aging factors.

People cannot see how their internal organs wear out over the years. However, it is impossible not to notice the signs of skin aging (loss of elasticity, wrinkles, age spots), hair thinning and thinning.

Scientists confirm that the use of certain products, their calorie content, combination and method of preparation directly affects the well-being of the body and the condition of the skin. Food can perform the function of hepatoprotector, and on the contrary, it can make us more susceptible to diseases, not slowing down, but accelerating the approach of old age.

 

How to slow down aging?

Of course, the hereditary factor cannot be discounted. But, according to Skitalinska, it is entirely within our power to slow down the process, to live qualitatively and as long as possible.

Microflora

Our body is a perfect creation of Nature, which has given us great reserves of endurance and amazing defense mechanisms. These include the beneficial microbes that inhabit our intestines. They are able to protect against obesity, various inflammations, liver diseases, type 2 diabetes, various types of cancer, atherosclerosis, premature aging and death.

These microbes also eat the food we eat. And it depends only on us whether we will feed them something useful or vice versa, we will kill them every day with our improper nutrition, becoming more and more defenseless.

You can support your intestinal microflora by consuming chicory (in a drink or as a seasoning), Jerusalem artichoke (salad), bran, and other plant-based products.

Meat products in food

Scientists recommend that representatives of mature age from 40 to 65 years reduce the amount of animal protein consumed in their diet. It can be successfully replaced with vegetable protein found in mushrooms, soybeans and legumes.

There is no need to completely give up meat, replacing it with plant-based food. But reducing the consumption to 2-3 times a week, instead of eating it every day, will be correct.

This especially applies to such types of red meat as pork, veal, beef and lamb. After all, red meat contains certain amino acids that prevent the process of "self-repair" of cells.

As a result, damage accumulates in the cells that make up the organs and systems of the human body, leading to their death. At the same time, a person becomes more susceptible to various diseases, the aging process accelerates, and unfavorable mutations occur in his body, which can start cancer.

 

Sugar

Man has long been jealous of birds because of their ability to fly. But few people know that birds live long enough for their size. It is interesting that birds, like people, eat sweets and their blood contains 5 times more glucose than ours. But they do not have diabetes and do not suffer from premature aging. What is the secret?

In humans, accelerated aging can cause the accumulation in the body of end products of protein glycation - AGEs and molecules that are formed during heavy consumption of sweets, stimulate the formation of protein-carbohydrate crosslinks.

Lovers of fried crusts on meat and browned bakery products have no idea what harm they are doing to their body with these masterpieces of cooking, which contain harmful AGE formations. Birds are luckier than us. Unlike humans, they do not have a receptor for AGEs.

In a person, such a receptor performs the function of a counter and detector, which determines: how much protein and sweet he has eaten during the period of his life. When this severe receptor is detected, it triggers inflammation and aging processes in the body.

As the nutritionist said, the problem is that the same processes occur not only inside, but also outside - in the skin, which is always visible.

"We can't see what's going on with the vessels (although anyone who has seen the aorta at the age of 80 will read the menu twice in a cafe), and you can't hide the skin. In humans, those proteins that live in the body for a long time suffer from glycation. It is mainly collagen, which can accumulate a lot of glycated products in itself during its lifetime. In the skin, where it plays the role of armature, with age it is produced less and less, and the one left from youth is all in rust - in glycation products," says Skitalinska.

Such a change that occurs with the skin of the face is well known to cosmetologists, and even has a name - "sugar face". AGEs negatively affect the skin by reducing its elasticity due to modifications of fibronectin and elastin.

At the same time, there is also a modification of collagen, which causes the formation of fine wrinkles, as well as yellowing of the skin due to the activation of melanocytes. Skin inflammation is the result of cells perceiving AGEs as microbes. And the deterioration of blood flow in it is caused by glycation of the walls of blood vessels.

How to fight glycation and its products in food

To avoid trouble, the doctor advises:

• avoid high blood sugar levels by limiting consumption of sugary foods and drinks;
• reduce consumption of fried meat, especially grilled meat;
• to reduce the formation of AGEs in food, it is better to cook it in an acidic environment (vinegar or lemon juice) and at lower temperatures.

 

How to reduce the damage of a festive feast

On such days, many delicious and tempting dishes appear on our tables, many of which do not differ in usefulness. So that the holiday of the stomach does not become the cause of our aging, the doctor recommends to observe moderation, remembering that:

• even a few days of actively eating a large amount of sweets, fatty meat food will not pass without a trace for your body.

• Inflammation, "breakdowns" in cells, blocking of cell self-cleaning processes, activation of aging of the body due to excessive consumption of culinary masterpieces threatens not only with wrinkles and old age of the body, but also with various hidden diseases.

It is no accident that holiday pastries made from white flour, sugar, refined rice and other products with a high glycemic index (hereinafter GI) are included by nutritionists in the "red list".

GI is used by specialists to separate products according to the rate of increase in blood sugar, which causes the pancreas to produce the hormone insulin. Frequent use of foods with a high GI leads to exhaustion of the pancreas, creates conditions for the accumulation of excess fat in the body, increases the tendency to inflammation, as well as accelerates the aging of the body and other adverse health consequences.

How to lower the glycemic index of dishes

• during cooking or already in the finished dish, add products that have a very low GI (bran, flax seeds, berries, nuts, etc.);
• when preparing buttery pastries, cakes, cheesecakes, pancakes, add a little whole grain / rye flour or oatmeal;
• to slow down the absorption of glucose from food, eat berries and fruits that contain natural fiber;
• a good idea is to end the meal with a chicory drink.

 

A young body must be earned

An excess of calories in food, a passion for sweet and fried foods will make you grow old before time. As a result, already at the age of 40, high blood pressure appears, and insomnia comes at night. At the age of 50, someone is diagnosed with a pre-infarction, and from the 60s it is time to work at a pharmacy.

Why does this happen? It's just:

• everything that contains sugar (drinks, sweets), the adored hot and appetizing skin causes a massive "gluing" of proteins with the formation of end products of glycation (further - CPG) in the body.
• a large amount of CPG spoils the genes of gourmets, provokes inflammation, reduces the activity of hormones and enzymes, makes blood vessels inelastic, causes damage to all tissues of the body, which can later cause a heart attack, stroke, diabetes and increase the risk of cancer.
• the consequence of love for rosy donuts is wrinkles on the skin, deterioration of vision, kidney diseases, shortening of life expectancy and other unpleasant phenomena.

Of course, our body prevents it with the help of natural glycation countermeasures. But even this protective system does not have an unlimited margin of safety. Therefore, your body needs help. For this, the nutritionist advises eating legumes as a source of vegetable protein, adding them to your healthy diet at least 2-3 times a week.

 

Make healthy soups

For example, for lunch, you can prepare ice cream soup of young green peas with carrots, pumpkin, celery, cauliflower and spinach. Vegetables should be boiled over low heat, then add cream, salt and beat everything in a blender.

It turns out very tasty if you add a small amount of thawed or fresh peas to the finished soup together with chopped cauliflower and pieces of avocado.

Another option is a thick tomato soup with the addition of boiled white beans, Turkish peas (chickpeas), olives, raw spinach with parsley and broccoli. A large amount of fiber in legumes helps not to feel hungry for about three hours. If you cook legumes to the maximum softness, then you can not worry about bloating.

It is good to add dry basil, which has laxative properties, to tomato soup at the end of cooking. After, do not forget to drink a drink made from chicory, which will nourish the beneficial microflora of the intestines, which also prevents the formation of gases.

 

How to properly cook meat and fish

Red meat, poultry and fish should not be fried, but boiled, adding oil to the finished dish. To improve the taste, it is useful to prepare fruit and berry sauces. For those who find such food tasteless, the doctor advises to remember the hospital gurney, resuscitation and tears about lost opportunities. And be sure, the appetite will appear!

The doctor recommends marinating fish and meat before cooking, as this will help reduce the formation of CPG. The body can cope if such products, previously marinated and baked in the oven, are not eaten every day. But, if possible, it is better to reduce all CNG to a minimum.

Healthy salads

A dietitian doctor, in addition to moderation in food and reducing the share of unhealthy dishes in the diet, advises to include more plant-based products in your diet.

"Stimulators" of diseases are not in vegetables, but in sausages, sausages, fried (any!) food, sweets and even in honey, when there is a lot of it, or it is used for baking," says Skitalinska.

Salads made of fresh vegetables, fruits with the addition of berries and nuts, seasoned with olive or linseed oil, lemon juice or yogurt will also bring considerable benefits at any time of the year.

Everyone knows the benefits of broccoli. To enhance detoxification of the liver and counteract the glycation process, it is especially useful to eat it raw at least 3 times a week with one to three inflorescences.

 

Carrots

Daily use of salad made from available grated carrots will definitely help improve your health. The useful properties of this vegetable include:

• the ability to normalize cholesterol metabolism, thanks to soluble fibers that absorb cholesterol in the intestines;
• recirculation of harmful toxins in the body and the ability to prevent constipation;
• natural fiber creates a feeling of satiety, which allows you to reduce the use of caloric products when losing weight.
• the presence of the precursor of vitamin A beta-carotene in carrots can improve the condition of the skin. In addition, beta-carotene is a preventive measure against macular degeneration of the retina, improves vision;
• reduces the risk of breast, prostate, colon and stomach cancer;
• polyacetylene (polyacetylenes) contained in the root crop is a good prophylactic against leukemia (blood cancer);
• carrots contain vitamin K1 (phylloquinone), which is useful for strengthening the bone system, as it allows better absorption of calcium from food, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
• vitamin K1 also improves the health of the heart, reduces calcification of coronary vessels and stiffness of arteries. According to the results of scientific research, this vitamin reduces mortality from various diseases, increasing life expectancy by up to 10 years.

 

Nettle

Vitamin K1 is also found in common nettle. It can be added to various dishes and salads, having previously poured boiling water for 5 minutes.

"Nettles contain phytoncides - natural "antibiotics" that heal the intestinal microflora, and together with vitamin K restore a healthy balance, which is often disturbed due to the consumption of sweets, sweet drinks and after antibiotic therapy," says Skitalinska.

For better assimilation of nettle salad, the expert advises adding a teaspoon of oil to it. That's about 40 calories. Washed and boiled salad grass should be finely chopped and mashed before adding to the salad bowl. Even a few leaves a day will bring health benefits.

 

Antiaging desserts

Instead of a three-story cake with condensed milk, butter cream or whipped cream, which represent a real blow to the pancreas and liver, prepare a delicious and healthy fruit dessert.

Jelly with berries and fruits

How to cook::

• Gelatin – 3 bags (pour to swell in warm water)

• Beat the berries (to your taste) in a blender with the addition of water and strain.

• Mix the berry mass with the swollen gelatin, heat it without bringing it to a boil (otherwise it will not harden), add a small amount of sugar, checking to taste that the mass is slightly sweet.

• Finely chop the fruits (apple, orange, pear, banana) and add them to the gelatin-berry liquid, mix and pour everything into a mold for solidification.

• Add berries and fruits in such quantity that the mass is similar to a fruit salad, and put everything in a form to solidify in the cold.

You can also prepare jelly based on low-fat cheese with the addition of yogurt, fruits and berries.

 

What is the difference between the nutrition of long-lived people?

The diet of all known long-lived people has similar features:

1. Differs in a small amount of animal protein.

2. Contains unrefined cereals from healthy cereals.

3. Helps increase the number of beneficial intestinal bacteria (prebiotics, inulin contained in Jerusalem artichoke and chicory).

4. Daily consumption of green leafy vegetables (as an option – 1 broccoli floret 2-3 times a week).

5. Eating berries 2-3 times a week.

6. Consumption of healthy fats (olive oil, seeds, nuts) and fatty substances (choline, phospholipids in egg yolk).

7. Cooking food by boiling and baking (less often).

A sample of such a healthy breakfast:

• Salad - vegetables from 1 tsp. l of oil.

• Buckwheat porridge (2 tablespoons per serving) without butter with a spoonful of hummus.

• Scrambled egg.

• Unsweetened chicory drink.

• Coffee cup of berries.

 

Prolonged sitting shortens life

According to the nutritionist, in order to maintain youth and strength in the body, it is not enough to be picky in your diet, to avoid fried and sweet foods in favor of vegetables and fruits. For a healthy longevity, it is necessary to move a lot and actively. It is better if it is in the fresh air.

Do you sit all day at work? This is dangerous for your health and life! Brazilian researchers, after analyzing data from 54 countries, found that sitting continuously for 3 hours every day increases the mortality of people by 3.8%.

Such a problem is a real threat to the health of many people in the modern world. This especially applies to citizens, an increasing number of whom spend all their working time sitting in front of a computer monitor. At the same time, even doing moderate or intense physical exercises before or after work does not compensate for the possibility of sad consequences. But sitting for less than 2 hours in a row reduces mortality by three times.

Changing habits is not easy, but possible. To motivate such changes, the doctor advises to print out a photo of a beautiful girl or boy, put it in a prominent place and... start moving!

Even when you are in the office, at the first opportunity, get up from your sitting position to drink a glass of water, walk down the corridor, climb the stairs, squat, walk down the street.