Staying Healthy As We Reach 40 Plus

The key to staying healthy and active no matter what your age

healthy lifeI don’t believe for a moment that ageing, and the ‘symptoms’ that come with it, is inevitable. You can stay healthy, energised, flexible and sharp into your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond, I am living proof of this!

There are many things you can do to protect your body, mind and skin from the passing of time, but there is one proven thing you simply must do – it’s my number one tip for staying healthy and active, and here it is: fight inflammation.

An unhealthy inflammatory response in the body is linked to many health conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, varicose, veins and autoimmune disease. It also causes our bodies, minds and skin to age faster than it should.

Maintaining a healthy inflammatory response body-wide is the single most effective way to keep your body and mind functioning optimally as you get older.

The one thing you must do for a health body and mind

what are free radicalsFree radicals are oxidised toxins that accelerate the aging process, and they’re everywhere. Free radicals are in the air we breathe and the water we drink. They’re in the food we eat. Alcohol and cigarettes are absolutely loaded with damaging free radicals.

Then there’s stress, toxins from personal-care products, pesticides and chemicals, lack of exercise… All of these increase levels of these health-demons.

In other words, you are under constant attack from the inside out.

Not only do free radicals make you look and feel older, they disrupt your body’s healthy inflammatory response and contribute to everything from joint problems, to heart issues, to cognitive decline, to deteriorating vision. Free radicals also damage the mitochondrial cells – your body’s energy “power plants” – contributing to fatigue and low energy levels.

I’m sure you’ve seen how an apple begins to turn brown soon after having its skin peeled? Well, this degeneration of the apple’s cells is called singlet oxidation. This same degenerative process turns metal into rust – and that’s what’s happening to your body when it is loaded up with free radicals.

Defy your age by doing this one thing

carotenoids-for-longevityUnquestionably, free-radical-fighting antioxidants are the key to promoting a healthy inflammatory response. However, some antioxidants prove to be better than others.

I personally focus on specific carotenoid molecules, as these are some of the most powerful antioxidant available anywhere on earth. These naturally occurring pigments give fruits and vegetables their vibrant colours and have names like lycopene (found in red tomatoes) and beta-carotene (found in orange carrots), lutein, canthaxanthin (the gold in chanterelle mushrooms), zeaxanthin in capsicums, kiwi fruit, corn, grapes, and oranges.

This is it: my number one anti-ageing anti-inflammatory tip.

heart healthHaving a rich source of these powerful antioxidants in your diet, through supplements and in your skincare ensures you are winning the war against free radicals and will be able to have fun and play with your grandchildren right into your 70s, 80s and even 90s!

At LifeCell Australia we are dedicated to providing you with both. Powerful Superfoods to provide the nutritional boost you need and toxin free, organic skincare to allow you to avoid that free radical bombardment. Partner with us and enjoy these products.

Yours in good health,

Judy and the LCA Team.

Food Addiction and the Effects on Our Brains

For sometime I have wanted to share a little more about what is happening to our food before we go to purchase it. As you all are aware a lot of our food is changing and certainly becoming less nutritious all the time. But now I want to share another aspect food addiction and what is happening to our brains.

Master-Trainer Tim Brown says… “Food addiction is more of a problem than most of us realize, or at least bigger than I ever thought…

food choicesRecent studies have shown that food can trigger the same “pleasure” centres in your brain as addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin. When these “pleasure” centres are activated they stimulate the release of dopamine, which can override other signals like fullness and satisfaction. Long story short, some of the foods that you may be eating are actually forcing you to feel the need to eat more, even when you’re not hungry! Although this undoubtedly plays a big role in the rising obesity rate around the world, the thing that actually caught me off guard is the number of “normal-weight” people that struggle with food addiction.

natural foodFor most of us it’s hard enough to motivate ourselves to stick with a strict exercise and nutrition program, but this is just the icing on the cake when your brain is actually fighting against you…. Yes, I’m saying that might be out of your control when the whole bag of chips, or entire package of snack size candy bars, vanishes before your eyes.

Food addiction is definitely a growing problem, but it’s definitely not the only bad “lifestyle” habit that’s easy to pick up and really tough to get rid of. Wouldn’t it be great if it were that easy to pick up good habits?”

proper nutritionI have to agree with Tim and never have felt stronger about how essential it is to be adding the right nutrition to your daily regime.

What I personally know is when I found the right blend of nutrition for my body most to all cravings were gone and the desire to over eat dissipated. So I’m here to say, it can be done.

Your future health is in your hands – choose well!
Judy and Team

Important measure for skin health

nutrition for skin health

I consider the most important measure for skin health to be nutrition. Since the skin is in a constant state of renewal it needs powerful nutrients to speed up the regeneration process, that is, cell renewal. It also needs the phytochemicals in certain foods to slow down free radical damage, to help protect from sun damage, and to ward off inflammation. No one food is a magic bullet, but all the foods on my list will contribute something to the maintenance of good skin.

Yogurt – Well, maybe this food is a magic bullet. Get the plain low fat yogurt with the National Yogurt Association (NYA) seal on it. This means that this yogurt has “live and active cultures.” Avoid the yogurts whose labels say “made with Active Cultures.” These yogurts are probably heat-treated after fermentation. If this is the case, all the good bacteria are dead. Get Gary B. Huffnagle’s The Probiotics Revolution at the library to find out why this real food is good for the skin, hair, and general health.

foods for healthy skinOlive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat. It’s also a source of vitamin E and beta-carotene, nutrients essential for healthy skin. Dr. Andrew Weil says, “The monounsaturated fat in olive oil appears to be protective against heart disease, some cancers, and other chronic diseases while saturated fats such as butter and other animal fats and polyunsaturated vegetable oils are associated with increased health risks.” These are added benefits. Dr. Weil also says that not all extra virgin olive oils are created equal. The cheap ones, even though “virgin olive oil” is on the label, might not be the real thing

Green Tea – The phytochemicals in tea, called polyphenols, are good for hair as well as for skin. They offer some protection against the inflammation one gets from prolonged exposure to the sun. The rays of the sun can activate a type of enzyme that degrades collagen and elastin, molecules that give a youthful appearance to the skin. These polyphenols with their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties protect the skin from many environmental abuses.

Walnuts – I put them in oatmeal in the morning. I sometimes add blueberries to the mix also. Walnuts have high concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid (ALA). These two nutrients keep the skin soft and smooth. Walnuts are also rich in trace minerals that are beneficial to the skin.

Sweet Potatoes – The canned potatoes are probably just as nutritious as the fresh ones, but the baked fresh ones taste great with some olive oil on them. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C and E, but they are a powerful source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A when it is digested. Only the amount of vitamin A that the body needs will be made, though, so you cannot get an overdose. (You have to be careful about getting an overdose of vitamin A in supplements. This can cause hair loss.) An adequate amount of vitamin A is important for healthy skin because it fights against the free radicals that cause wrinkles. Without adequate vitamin A in the diet the skin often looks dry.

Tomatoes – Lycopene is another phytochemical that may help reduce the damage from sun exposure. Perhaps it does this by neutralizing free radicals. Canned tomatoes and many tomato products are rich in this nutrient. (It’s hard to absorb lycopene from fresh tomatoes.) Other fruits and vegetables like watermelon and grapefruit also contain lycopene but not as much as tomatoes.

Fish Oil Capsules – Other omega-3 fatty acids are EPA and DHA. These inflammation fighters found in tuna, salmon, and mackerel are good for the complexion, but one hears so many warnings about mercury in fish that it’s probably a good idea to get these nutrients from fish oil or fish oil capsules. And it’s best to buy these supplements from a reputable company who has been in business for more than a few years. I think Vitamin World is such a company. And, by the way, cod liver oil is an excellent source of vitamin D, a nutrient that works with calcium to maintain strong bones and teeth.

Broccoli – This vegetable is a nutrition powerhouse, full of beta-carotene and an excellent source of fiber. It is also full of vitamins B1 and C, and has substantial amounts of calcium, sulfur, and potassium. Almost half the calories in broccoli are protein, molecules necessary for building all cells of the body including skin cells. Aside from its skin-enhancing properties, there is a substance in broccoli called inderol-3 that emulsifies estrogen, reducing the risk of breast cancer in women.

Cucumber – A fruit of the vine of the gourd family, this cool vegetable contains 40% potassium, 10% sodium, 7% calcium, 20% phosphorus and 7% choline. It is an excellent source of silicon. These vitamins and minerals contribute to skin and well as hair health.

Vitamin E – This vitamin with strong antioxidant properties does many positive things for the skin – lessens sun damage, helps maintain the skin’s barrier function – but it’s hard to get enough of this nutrient from the foods we eat. So supplementing is beneficial.

beautiful skinNotes – The vitamins and phytochemicals in this group of foods and supplements work synergistically with each other – that is, the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual nutrients. This is one of the reasons why you should include many of the foods listed above in your skin-healthy diet. There is no one “marvelous” food that gives you all the nutrients you need for healthy skin.

Those people who have studied nutrition will notice that none of the foods I listed are good sources of iron. Women, especially premenopausal women, need about 18 milligrams of iron each day. Men need about 10 milligrams. Lean meat is the best source of absorbable iron. Women who do not get sufficient iron often experience a form of diffuse hair loss called telogen effluvium. A woman can have the most radiant skin on the planet but if her hair is getting thin, she won’t like her image in the mirror.

 

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