We are what we eat. Eat well. Live well. If you want to slow down the aging process develop an anti aging nutrition plan.
How Our Ancestors Ate
A healthy anti aging nutrition plan should promote optimal metabolic processes. Our Paleolithic ancestors ate nutrient dense foods low in calories. Today we tend to eat calorie dense foods devoid of much nutritional value.  Our ancestors ate what grew from the ground, fell from the tree, swam in the water, and flew in the sky. Today we mainly eat anything in a bag, box, can, or jar. See the difference in how we eat between yesteryear and today?
Our ancestors did not consume packaged foods treated with preservatives and laced with sugar, saturated fats or trans fats. They did not eat meat from animals fed corn and treated with hormones and antibiotics.
Our bodies have not had enough time to adjust to this unnatural and unhealthy way of eating. We now suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other diseases, which are all diet related. Here’s why. In the past 40,000 years the human gene pool has changed less than 0.02%, but our diets have changed dramatically, and our bodies have not yet quite adapted well enough.
Anti Aging Nutrition: Paleo Diet
Anti aging nutrition is time tested. Our ancestors ate what we now call a low glycemic diet. The glycemic index measures the effect of a carbohydrate on blood sugar levels using a scale from 0 to 100. Consume foods that have glycemic index of 55 and preferably less.  Low glycemic foods are slowly digested and absorbed. This keeps insulin levels to a minimum. High insulin levels are unhealthy. High levels are inflammatory and prevent us from burning calories from fat stores.  By keeping insulin levels low you will lower your risk from many chronic diseases – a major goal of anti aging nutrition. Go to www.glycemicindex.com for more information on the glycemic index of many foods.
Eat All the Colors in the Rainbow
Eat as many different colored foods each as possible. Colorful foods are high in phytochemcials that have many health benefits. Phytochemicals reduce inflammation, and inflammation is at the heart of many chronic diseases. Colorful foods are also high in antioxidants that fight free radicals. Free radicals contribute to the aging process and many diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Eat Natural Foods
Anti aging nutrition is based on eating foods in their natural state. Most meat comes from animals that are corn-fed, and not free to roam or move around. Corn-fed animals produce higher levels of unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids compared to animals that are free-range and grass-fed. Grass contains healthy omega-3 fatty acids that help fight inflammation. So, when you eat meat from grass-fed animals you get the benefit of these omega-3 fatty acids.
Organic fruits and vegetables are of free pesticides. Pesticides increase the free radical load on our bodies. Excess free radicals accelerate the aging process so try to avoid pesticide treated fruits and vegetables. Be careful to wash all fruits and vegetables even if they’re organically grown.
The Harm of High Fructose Corn Syrup and Trans Fats
Foods containing high fructose corn syrup or trans fats should be avoid in the anti aging nutrition plan. The obesity epidemic parallels the increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the US. High fructose corn syrup is used in many food products as a sweetener. It has a long shelf-life and is inexpensive. High fructose corn syrup is converted into fat by the liver. It also reduces production of hormones that tell us to stop eating because we are full. This leads to obesity.
Watch this video by Robert Lustig, MD who discussed the harms of sugar.
Trans fats, also called partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, is used in food to extend its shelf-life and because they are inexpensive to make. Trans fat increase the LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol increasing the risk of heart disease. In addition, trans fats make our cell membranes less permeable limiting important nutrients from entering the cells, while limiting the removal of metabolic wastes from the cell.
Water, Water, Water
Water makes up 70% of our body and drinking plenty of water and fluids is essential to good health. Water facilitates blood flow and the removal of toxins from our bodies. A good rule of thumb is to drink in ounces one half your body weight in pounds per day. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, try to consume 80 ounces of water daily.
Follow these anti aging nutrition guidelines and live a healthier life longer.
See also Anti Aging, Low Glycemic Foods, Meal Movement: Great Tasting Healthy Food Delivered to You, and Anti Aging Supplements.
