YOUR FOOD MAY BE MAKING YOU FEEL TIRED AND OLD

    Easy fixes may turn back the clock.  Perhaps the fountain of youth is right in our own kitchens.  The foods we eat – or don’t eat may speed those processes along, aging us before our time.  According to David Katz, MD, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center, “We eat too many processed foods.  They are often high in calories and low in nutrients such as vitamin B12 and omega-3s, so we end up with islands of deficiencies in a sea of excess.  These deficiencies can result in symptoms we tend to assume are due to aging.  Your doctor can determine whether adjusting your diet or adding a supplement can help you look and feel younger.

    Vitamin B12 helps regulate the metabolism and energy production and nervous system and is the key to maintain a healthy brain.  “Fatigue is a sign of B12 deficiency that usually occurs in people who eat very little animal protein.” says Danine Fruge, MD, associate medical director of the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Miami.  Chewing a lot of antacids to relieve heartburn can lead to a B12 a deficiency and absorption.  Having two servings of non-fat dairy foods such as non-fat milk or yogurt and up to 3 or 4 sources of lean protein daily, including sea foods such as fish, clams, oysters and mussels, chicken or lean beef or fortified cereal are required.

    If your joints ache, more manganese and copper may be needed to maintain joint cartilage and flexibility.  According to Dale Petersen, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Wellness Center in Sapulpa, “The body can actually repair a significant amount of damage if given the proper support.  Using a simple blood test, your doctor can easily determine whether your joint pain is related to garden-variety wear and tear or a more serious inflammatory disease,” says Dr. Petersen.  Good food sources are nuts, spinach and beef so you might opt for a supplement.

    If your mind is forgetful you may need more Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids.  “These are part of the brain’s building blocks,” explains Andrew Weil, MD, director of the Center for Integrative Medicine, at the University of Arizona.  Inflammation is how the body heals but it can also do damage when it doesn’t end when it should and can raise the risks of heart attack, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.  “Processed foods, especially refined soybean oil, sugar and wheat flour increase inflammation.  Coloured vegetables and fruits, antioxidants in olive oil, ginger, turmeric and special fats in oily fish guard our tissues and organs,” says Dr. Weil.