The five food felons for our health are:
1.White Sugar
2.Simple Carbohydrates
3.Corn Syrup
4.Saturated Fat
5.Trans-fat
By systematically eliminating these sugar and fats from the diet, we can get rid of the majority of poisons in our food supply which wreak havoc on our metabolism by switching on signals of disease and distress. These food felons pull the trigger to start cascade of diseases: all related to weight and metabolism and manifested by obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and strokes.
Even though sugar is the primary energy currency of the body, we would still be fine by getting rid of all the white sugar in our diet. In addition, by getting rid of simple carbohydrates (starchy foods with a high glycemic index which are quickly converted to sugar in the body), we can reduce the damaging effects of blood sugar spikes which affects the way cells communicate with each other in the body.
High fructose corn syrup or corn sugar is even worse than white sugar because of the way it overrides the satiety signals and switches on disease processes. This is found in most sweetened foods and beverages because it is inexpensive to produce and has a long shelf life.
Saturated fat and trans-fat are found in red meat and in fried snack foods which are so common in our environment. It would be easy to eliminate saturated fat and trans-fat by cutting down our intake of fast food such as hamburgers and french fries which are staples of our “modern” diet of highly processed, manufactured, inexpensive and convenient food.
The issue is that our body does not even recognize these sugar and fats in our diet and does not know how to process or discard it. So the best prevention is not to include these felons in our diet in the first place. Other than regular exercise, this is the best strategy for slowing down the aging process and age gracefully. This is the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth!
Be Well,
Pankaj Vij MD FACP