Heading For An Early Grave?
Test Reveals Your Fate From
eDiets - The online diet, fitness, and healthy living resource
You think your golden years are ahead of
you, but that isnt necessarily the case, especially if youre making the wrong
food moves.
It’s hard to swallow, but the food on
your plate can actually take years off your life.
Thats right. What you eat influences how
long you live, and how healthy you will be. OK, so maybe you think youve heard
this all before. Sure, we all know those high fat foods have caused obesity to
run rampant in our society, where more than 61 percent of adult Americans and
14 percent of children are overweight. And we all know that obesity and being
overweight leads to heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes, all conditions
that can affect your longevity (READ: Death).
But maybe you haven’t gotten the whole
story when it comes to diet, lifespan and how what you do or don’t or what
you eat and don’t eat means the different between long life and death.
eDiets Director of Nutrition Susan Burke says consuming the wrong foods on a
regular basis is like drinking from a fountain of “age.” Instead of
subtracting years from your life, you’re aging yourself… by years or
even decades.
“The fact is: you aren’t going to
live as long as your healthier counterparts if you don’t follow a
well-balanced diet, and include plenty of antioxidant-rich foods,” says
Burke. “The more fatty foods you eat, the less likely you are to live a
long, healthy life.”
Still not convinced? Your biological age
might be 33, but unhealthy habits like eating too much red meat, smoking
cigarettes, not exercising or drinking excess amounts of alcohol may put your
body age at 44. So how do you know what kind of toll your lifestyle is taking
on your age?
The Polar BodyAge™ System was
developed by Polar HealthFirst USA and was developed in
conjunction with all of the leading research organizations. The test looks
closely at your health, well-being and lifestyle.
Not only does it use scientific research to
determine your body age, the telling test specifically explains how to put the
brakes on the aging process with simple common sense steps.
It may be increasing your activity level.
It may be eliminating that extra glass of red wine at dinner. Or it may be
cutting out those unhealthy foods that lead to deadly diseases.
According to Burke, there are plenty of
perpetrators out there that could be costing you years. Here’s a
sample:
- Bacon, sausage and ham are high in
saturated fat which raises “bad” cholesterol that leads to coronary
heart disease. High-fat food is also high in calories which contributes to
obesity. A diet that contains regular amounts of high sodium can also lead to
hypertension and fluid retention.
- Sugary cereals lack good nutrition,
are high in calories and contribute to weight gain. Of course, being overweight
or obese leads to other ailments that can drastically affect your lifespan.
- Whole milk is high in saturated fat
and cholesterol which contributes to increased blood cholesterol, and increases
your heart disease risk.
- Donuts, muffins or other pastries
contain excess amounts of sugar, and are usually made with hydrogenated oils or
trans fat, which increase the risk of heart disease at a greater rate than the
intake of saturated fats. That's because trans fats lower HDL, or good
cholesterol, as well as increase LDL or "bad" cholesterol.
- Bagels, english muffins or other
processed bread products are refined white bread with the bran and germ
segments removed thereby lessening the redeeming nutritional value.
- Red meat is another food high in
saturated fat. The Nurses’ Health Study shows that people who eat red meat
most often double their risk for developing lung and colorectal cancer over
those who eat red meat less often.
- Your love of fried chicken, french
fries and potato chips also takes years off your life. Deep-fried processed
convenience and fast foods contain excess amounts of unhealthy trans fat. Diets
high in trans fat are linked to an increased risk for coronary heart disease,
and may increase the risk for cancer.
“One single food will not kill
you, nor cure you!” Burke says. “Eating a hamburger occasionally will
not necessarily contribute to heart disease, and if you’re a total vegan
and eat no animal products at all, there are no guarantees that you will live
longer.
“That said, yearly new research
confirms the fact that populations who eat more plant foods, and less red meat
and saturated fat live longer and suffer less from diseases including heart
disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Think of the modifications you can
make in your diet.
“Can you remove skin from your
poultry? Or switch to a broiled chicken breast with lettuce and tomato instead
of a cheeseburger and fries? Or drink nonfat or 1% milk instead of whole milk?
Make simple modifications that pay off in huge dividends, and enjoy a healthier
life.” |
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