Age Accelerators: Steer Clear of these Foods

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Do you notice how many magazines aimed at both men and women have teases on their covers about anti-aging products and foods which help you stay young? The focus is on food that can help you look and feel younger and stay healthy. That's great but did you know there are foods that may speed up the aging process or what's called age accelerators? A broad definition of age accelerators is foods that are empty calorie, meaning that they contain calories but have zero nutritional benefits for your body. Age accelerator foods tend to be loaded with unhealthy fats such as many fried foods or are processed foods which contain a lot of sweeteners including corn syrup or sugar, unhealthy fats and additives and preservatives.

What are some of the age accelerator foods that you want to stay away from as much as you can?

1. Full fat diary.
   Now is the time if you haven't already done so, to switch from full fat dairy products to low fat or fat free. Dairy products offer a plethora of health benefits from protein plus calcium and vitamin D for your bones to minerals that help lower blood pressure. What is it about full fat dairy that is an age accelerator? It's the saturated fat that is found naturally in the full fat products. Remember that saturated fat builds up or clogs your arteries leading to heart disease and stroke. Clogged arteries also increase blood pressure. Talk about aging you. One question I am often asked is if low fat dairy products are as nutritious as full fat ones? Absolutely, you are only removing the unhealthy fat along with a lot of unneeded calories.
2. Fried foods, particularly when eaten away from home.
   Why fried foods? Typically in a restaurant setting, fried foods are cooked in shortening or oil containing trans fat. Remember trans fat is the other unhealthy fat along with saturated fat. Just like saturated fat, it's closes off arteries, raises your cholesterol level and can pack on the pounds. Be sure and check the ingredient label on your packaged foods for trans fat as well. Do you remember the words that mean the same as trans fat on a label? That's right….partially hydrogenated. So look for ‘no added trans fat' on the front and then check the ingredient listing to be sure you don't see partially hydrogenated fat….the alias for trans fat.
3. Refined carbs. I'm going to toss soda, most processed foods, white flour, and no fiber in this category.
   When I use the term refined carbohydrate, I'm talking about a processed food that mainly consists of corn syrup or sugar, white flour, no fiber or whole grains and typically very little nutrition. The scary part is that the grocery aisles are filled with these types of products. These are the products I laugh and say never existed in nature before, like apples or pears, but have been created and processed of mainly white flour and sugar. Refined carbs are age accelerators as they are linked to macular degeneration and metabolic syndrome which is a cluster of symptoms including high blood fats called triglycerides, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and belly fat…you know the spare tire look. We are now seeing metabolic syndrome in overweight kids.

This information came from a good article called The Anti-Aging Diet in the August 2008 issue of Family Circle magazine if you want to read more about it.