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OVEREATING vs. AGING
Most people look at food
for its entertainment value rather than its nutrient value. Overeating
is a popular pastime amongst the bored and affording people.
Unfortunately, overeating is thought to be the major cause of premature
aging. Although some of us are fortunate to be coded with the right
genes, certain practices and food choices that you make influence how
you look and feel, influence the length of your life, and contribute
significantly to vitality in old age. Forty years of research has shown
that when a nourishing diet is eaten sparingly, aging can be retarded
and you can add years of vitality to your life. This strategy makes
absolute biological sense because most people who overeat are actually
under nourished. Consumption of rich and denatured food (rich gravies,
biryani, cream , sauces, sugar-laden desserts, fried puris, oily
parathas, maida rotis) is responsible for most of our civilized diseases
like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, etc. Overeating causes digestive
upsets, weakness (from lack of nourishing foods) and accelerates aging.
Overeating results from excessive availability of food which has been
mished-mashed', overcooked and denatured to suit our taste-buds. Once we
become slaves to our taste buds, overeating becomes a compulsory habit.
Overeating causes heat in the stomach which itself becomes a cause of
overeating. One feels overtly hungry all the time and cannot bring
himself to stop. You then develop what is known as 'artificial
appetite'.
It is important to break
this overeating-heat-overeating cycle, and bring it down to 'normal
appetite'. This can be done by a process of detoxification which
involves drinking plenty of fluids in the form of vegetables juices and
clean water, and consuming fresh whole fruits, whole grains and pulses.
Consume foods as close to their natural state as possible. This ensures
their nutrient density and satisfies hunger.
Once you achieve normal
appetite', it is easier for you to make the healthier food choices
mentioned below. The age to which you live and health benefits you
achieve out of making correct food choices need not be determined by
your parent's age. Your success on retarding your aging process depends
on your willingness to try out new health guidelines. If you are open to
experiencing good health, you can gain a whole new body from the wisdom
of nutrition and health awareness.
I am sure all of you
agree that health is the greatest of human blessings. Looking after it
will not only retard the aging process but it will also help you to
celebrate life better.
Tips to
beat the biological clock
- Eat up to 3/4th of
your capacity. When you eat less. you produce fewer free radicals
)cell-damaging oxygen molecules) which are known to be the prime
players in accelerating the aging process. Excess calories (in other
words, overeating) are the enemies of youth.
- In case of excessive
appetite ( a sign of excess heat) in the body, balance your appetite
by consuming raw, cooling vegetables like cucumber, celery, cabbage,
radish, lettuce, tomatoes and fruits like watermelon, apple, banana,
oranges, grapefruits, pears etc. Drink a lot of (10-12 glasses) of
tepid water, watery soups and vegetable broths.
- Take anti oxidants
every day in the form of a vegetable juice or wheat grass juice or
by taking an antioxidant vitamin supplement of A.C.E. and selenium.
- Reduce consumption of
stimulants like coffee and colas. avoid tobacco, reduce alcohol and
fried foods, sugar and maida-based foods. These foods are denatured
(robbed of natural vitamins) and trigger production of free radicals
in the body which precipitate the aging process.
- Maintain ideal body
weight. Neither under nor overweight is desirable. Achieving ideal
body weight does provide the basis for attaining good health.
- Eat high fibre foods
like dark, green, leafy vegetables, fruits, whole grains like jowar,
bajra, naachini, brown rice, whole wheat; pulses like rajma, channa,
moth sprouted moong beans, chowli beans, nuts and seeds.
- Take 30 minute brisk
walk at least 5-6 days in a week.
- Stay in the company of
people you enjoy being with, and maintain a position outlook in
life.
- Use the right oils for
cooking. Olive oil is the most beneficial for health. Oils extracted
from till and mustard seeds also have health-promoting properties.
Supplement this by taking 2 table-spoons of flax seeds everyday.
- Take a multi
vitamin-mineral tablet everyday while following a healthful eating
pattern.
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