Age Management Medicine is about prevention and
optimizing your health. Optimal health begins with
whole foods. Why eat whole foods? Because foods
that are closest to their natural form are rich in
nutrients. In contrast, processed foods are so modified
-with cooking, preservatives and other artificial
means-they get stripped of most of their nutritional
content.
All food has a macronutrient content made up of some
combination of protein, carbohydrates and fats. This
might seem pretty basic, though it gets more
complicated when you're trying to determine exactly
how much and what types of each you should
consume. Some popular diets tell you to avoid fats,
while others tell you to avoid carbohydrates-but
which diet will give your body what it needs for
optimum health?
The easiest approach to this topic is to remember that
protein, carbohydrates and fats each have a specific
purpose-which makes them all necessary.It is also
important to understand how each of them affect the
hormone insulin, the fat storing hormone. Instead of
trying to avoid consuming any of these outright, you
should choose the best proteins, carbs and fats
possible-in balanced proportion to each other. The
best balance to keep insulin levels low throughout the
day and optimize body fat burning is the ratio of 40%
good carbohydrates/30% lean protein/30% good fats.
It's a common misconception that animal protein is the
optimal form of protein because it's the most complete.
Plant-based proteins have many benefits: easy to
digest and alkaline-forming, plant-based proteins are
also low in saturated fat and promote a healthy body
weight. In contrast to proteins from meat or dairy
sources, your body is very efficient when digesting
plant-based protein. In fact, plant-proteins digest so
efficiently that you actually net higher total energy by
virtue of this conservation-instead of burning extra
fuel digesting animal-based protein.Plant-proteins are
also free of the antibiotics, growth hormones and
steroids found in conventionally farmed animal
protein, or the mercury and heavy metals found in
certain fish.
Complete protein is comprised of ten essential amino
acids. By definition, essential amino acids cannot be
made by your body-you have to get them through
dietary sources. Contrary to the protein myth, there are
actually several complete plant protein sources, most
notably hemp and chlorella.
Quality plant-based proteins include:
Hemp protein (one of the most complete amino acid
profiles of any plant-based protein);
Yellow pea protein;
Brown rice protein;
Flaxseed (also high in Omega-3s);
Chlorella (a microscopic, freshwater green algae from
Japan);
Almonds, other nuts and seeds (preferably sprouted,
since sprouting pre-digests the proteins in seeds,
making the amino acids more available to your body);
Legumes;
Pseudograins (including quinoa and buckwheat).
While many of these sources offer a complete amino
acid profile, it's to your advantage to consume several
complementary sources of protein on a regular basis.
For example: hemp, yellow pea and brown rice protein
combined make up a superior amino acid profile that
rivals any created in the animal kingdom.
Why Isn't Soy Protein on This List?
In spite of its popular use as a vegetarian alternative to
animal proteins, soy has several faults you might not
be aware of. Soy is often difficult to digest; counter-
intuitively, it contains enzyme inhibitors that actually
halt protein digestion!
Soy undergoes high-tech processing methods to
extract its proteins and concentrates; however, this
same process fails to remove naturally occurring
toxins present in soybeans and can also leave behind
carcinogenic residues.
With a pH of 5, soy protein is acid-forming in your
body. In addition, soy is a common allergen, causing
symptoms which are challenging to identify and often
go unrecognized.
You want to avoid the "bad fats" (trans fats and
saturated fats especially) but the fact is: your body
needs the "good fats" (mono and polyunsaturated fats)
to function properly. All hormones are made from fat.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs: a long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acid) are the only fats your body
cannot produce on its own-that means that, like a
complete, balanced spectrum of amino acids, you
need to consume them to achieve and maintain
optimum health.
You've probably heard a lot lately about Omega-3s-
so what's the big deal? EFAs (including Omega-3 and
6) support the healthy function of your body's critical
systems. Your cardiovascular, immune and nervous
systems all rely on EFAs. Want to build a younger
body? EFAs play a crucial role in your health at the
cellular level-EFAs help your cells repair and
regenerate, receive nutrition and eliminate waste-all
key to vitality at any stage of life.
Exciting new research proves that EFAs not only
nourish your nervous system-they help combat
depression, low-energy and stress, while improving
mental clarity and attention span. Studies have shown
that EFA supplementation in children diagnosed with
ADD/ADHD can reduce hyperactivity, aggression and
impulsiveness.
Essential Fatty Acids lower total cholesterol and LDL
cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while they help
increase HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Achieving the right ratio of these plays a huge part in
your long-term cardiovascular health.
If you're determined to build a younger body, you'll be
pleased to learn that a diet rich in EFAs doesn't just
work on your inside-it also helps reduce the visible
signs of aging. A balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6
reduces wrinkles and gives you healthy skin, hair and
nails. You'll also enjoy better joint health-and thus a
longer active life as you age-since EFAs help reduce
inflammation and keep your joints lubricated.
Where will you find these amazing EFAs? You can
build them into your new healthy-eating plan with:
Nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans and most other
nuts);
Seeds (hemp, flax, pumpkin, chia);
Cold-pressed seed oils (hemp seed, flaxseed,
blueberry seed, green tea seed and pomegranate
seed are full of antioxidants, too!);
All hemp-based products (oil, protein, flour and seed);
Salad dressings are the perfect vehicle for getting
more plant-based EFAs into your diet-as long as
your base consists of a cold-pressed hemp or flaxseed
oil, you're off to a great start.
Try this basic, Essential Fatty Acid rich salad dressing
recipe:
4 Tablespoons cold-pressed oil/EFA blend of your
choice-flax seed oil; hemp seed oil-look for these in
the refrigerated section in the organic section;
2 Tablespoons agave nectar (or maple syrup);
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar;
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard;
Salt and pepper to taste.
Use this recipe as your base and be creative.
I have written an e-booklet that is available in the
Member Center of my website that addresses how to
avoid Nutritional Stress by eating High Net Gain
Foods. I also have an e-booklet covering the super
foods that are lower in calorie and nutrient dense.
These foods will provide your body with the nutrients
that
it needs to optimize health and lower nutritional stress.
Nutrition is extremely important in an Age Management
Medicine program. If you exercise and do not take in
High Net Gain foods, then all that you are doing is tearing
your body down. Your body needs the right amount of
nutrients to build itself back up after exercise and
constantly on a daily basis.
One of the problems with eating a high calorie, low net
gain diet or a low calorie, low net gain diet is that your
cortisol level- the stress hormone increases. This leads to
accelerated aging and storage of body fat. This is the
reason that some people have a high percentage of body
fat despite exercising on a regular basis.
I encourage you to read the e-booklet on Nutritional
Stress and the other e-booklets that I have written and
incorporate the method that I describe into
your program. This method is specifically designed to
optimize your health through high net gain nutrition
that
provides more energy and decreases your risk for
disease.
