Take care of your health

A new look at nutrition

“We age much faster if we eat an unbalanced diet,” says Alevtina Oranskaya, a nutritionist at the European Medical Center. “This is easy to explain: problems with digestion, metabolic processes, blood vessels, nervous tissue instantly affect the well-being and condition of the body.” Diversify your diet, give preference to seasonal and natural products, eat less – so we can protect our body and compensate for the effects of time. It is enough to follow a few simple rules.

Choose natural foods to meet the need for protein, calcium and other micronutrients. “With age, the bones become more fragile,” explains Alevtina Oranskaya. “So we need foods rich in calcium, like sesame seeds or cottage cheese.” Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, they help us protect against cancer and maintain mental capacity. In addition, berries, green tea, herbs and spices that contain antioxidants are useful; legumes (lentils, soybeans, peas), rich in vegetable proteins and carbohydrates; nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios) – they contain not only antioxidants, but also omega-3 fatty acids. In order for the products not to lose their useful properties, it is necessary to subject them to minimal heat treatment.

Simply eat less: this reduces inflammation in the body, which is one of the causes of oxidative stress, and hence cell aging. No wonder the daily diet of the main centenarians of the planet, the Japanese from Okinawa, has only 1500 calories! “In addition, we eat to get energy, but with age, energy consumption for movement decreases, which means that the volume of food and its caloric content should be reduced,” comments Alevtina Oranskaya. “In addition, food should be easily digestible.” If it is not possible to reduce our meals by 25-30%, we can try to go without a supplement, not stick to the “three-course meal plus dessert” formula at all costs, and heed the advice of psychotherapist and nutritionist Gerard Apfeldorfer (Gerard Apfeldorfer) : Eat your fill, but only when you are hungry.

Reduce meat consumption – this is how we reduce the risk of certain cancers (rectal, pancreatic and possibly prostate cancer). Neuropsychologist David Servan-Schreiber, author of the book “Anti-Cancer” (RIPOL classic, 2010), suggests that instead of beef, pork and lamb, if possible, choose poultry, accompany a small piece of meat with a plate of vegetable garnish, and not a solid beef steak with a spoon vegetables and give in to your carnivorous instincts no more than two or three times a week.

Eat more fish: it is clearly not enough in our diet, although fish rich in proteins and minerals is a dietary product with a low cholesterol content, which is good for our heart and blood vessels. “Fish contains a large amount of proteins that are involved in the construction of cells and the synthesis of steroid hormones in our body,” comments Alevtina Oranskaya. Particular attention should be paid to salmon and trout, mackerel, herring and other types of small oily fish, as they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that we need. Including fish in the diet two to three times a week can halve the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, heart attack and cerebrovascular accident, and omega-3 fatty acids are important in preventing cancer and generally have a beneficial effect on our body.

Movement in joy

Half an hour of physical activity a day is enough to reduce the likelihood of osteoporosis and heart attack (at any age). And also to feel a few years younger and improve the quality of life. “Muscles and tendons tend to be renewed through work,” explains kinesiotherapist Alexander Shishonin. – We squat, pump the press, bend over, and our muscles experience a load: old muscle fibers disintegrate, and new, young ones form in their place. If there is little movement, the muscles get old.” Strong muscles, oddly enough, can protect us from diabetes. The fact is that nerves and blood vessels go from the spine to the internal organs. “The well-developed back muscles are less susceptible to tension and spasms, which affect those organs that do not receive a nerve impulse, such as the pancreas,” says Alexander Shishonin. To strengthen the muscles, the kinesiotherapist advises to do squats, push-ups, exercises for the press, and also include regular walks or jogs in your regimen: “So we “walk” stress, removing the stress hormone adrenaline from the body, which, if nothing is done, can circulate in the blood for weeks.” Physical activity also stimulates the endocrine glands, helping us protect ourselves from osteoporosis in old age. “Muscle work improves blood flow, and useful substances nourish bone tissue more actively,” explains Alexander Shishonin. “That is why proper nutrition (especially calcium-rich foods, such as cottage cheese) combined with physical activity helps prevent disease.”

Freedom from cigarettes

Among the factors that increase the aging and deterioration of the body, smoking is in the first place (see also the box on p. 150). A smoker looks, on average, five years older than his non-smoker peer. Cigarettes reduce the supply of oxygen to all organs, including the skin, which gives the face a grayish tint. In addition, Japanese scientists have found that smoking causes wrinkles by disrupting the mechanisms of skin regeneration: substances contained in tobacco smoke increase the synthesis of enzymes that destroy the main component of healthy skin – collagen. Moreover, the intensity of aging directly depends on the number of cigarettes smoked*. Lung cancer, which is 90% caused by smoking, affects about 50 men each year**. Women who smoke are more likely to suffer from infertility and are also at risk of developing cervical cancer***. By quitting smoking, on average, we increase our life expectancy by as much as eight years!

* NewScientist, 15 Apr. 2000.

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