Did you know that the food you eat can make you age prematurely? Science has made some surprising discoveries in nutrition over the past decade. We should really pay attention to what we put in our mouths because more than ever, "we are what we eat". Do you know the effect of what you are eating? Maybe not. It's time to find out because overindulgence in certain types of food causes premature aging of the body.
Would you like some more free radicals with your lunch? These days it is often mentioned of free radicals and how they are constantly attacking the body, causing potentially serious damage.
A free radical is the name of a molecule that has an unpaired electron. They are a normal byproduct of metabolism, and without them, you would die.
Simply put, it is the over-production of free radicals that cause damage to the body. Nutritionists advise us to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
This is because they are rich in antioxidant phytonutrients... substances that neutralize free radicals and therefore help protect the body.
One of the essential functions of free radicals is to produce energy from the food you eat. Every time you eat, free radical activity intensifies. The more food you eat, the more free radicals are created, and the more antioxidants your body needs to neutralize them. Big food is big trouble!
Effective antioxidants include vitamins A, C, E; Minerals such as selenium, zinc, and herbs such as aloe vera and grape seed extract.
The reality of carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are root vegetables, pasta, rice, breads, cereals, fruits, pastries, cakes, biscuits, crisps, sweets, etc. They are easy to prepare, filling, delicious and cheap. Most meals are dominated by carbohydrates, as most of us are 'full' on them. When you eat carbohydrates, you are eating a type of sugar.
Carbohydrates are converted by our body into glucose, which is either used immediately for energy, or stored in fat cells. Carbohydrates make up an excessive proportion of the diet, adding together lack of exercise and excess sugar, and the inevitable result is excess weight.
By reducing your overall carbohydrate intake and reducing the size of your meals, you reduce your body's exposure to free radical activity, and by the amount of food added to the meal, you reduce your body's exposure to free radical activity. And excess amount of food, which gets stored as unwanted fat. A double bonus!
Big Meals Are Too Much Stress.
Food is in abundance - look around the supermarket shelves at Food Mountain! Fill your trolley, take it home and fill your kitchen cupboard - fill your plate and fill your belly until you can barely walk. How many times in a week do you overeat? How many free radicals are attacking your body, and speeding up the aging process? You can choose to eat less.
Think about your meals from last week.
Better still, keep a food diary for the next week, dividing each meal into a plate to record how much protein, carbohydrate, fat, vegetables and fruit you eat at each meal/snack. After a week, you will be able to see for yourself how much sugar you are consuming.
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