These days we are eating more than we ever have in the past…the result of this indulgence is we are aging more quickly.
The trend toward calorie restriction, which has a near cult like group of devoted believers following it, has as its foundation a belief that eating fewer calories, a person will live longer. Research has shown that a reduced caloric intake will mean a healthier and extended existence. A new study of late using monkeys as test subjects displayed that monkeys on a restriction diet over a twenty year period did much better from a health perspective than their peers who were allowed to eat essentially the same balanced diet only without any restraint.
Those monkeys on a restricted diet ate around thirty percent less calories daily than they had been prior to the study. The food restricted monkeys not only stayed alive longer, they did not have any brain deterioration or age associated illnesses such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease. The restricted primates even looked younger. The research scientists are expecting that the trial monkeys on restriction will survive ten to twenty percent longer because of it.
An assumption could easily be made that those individuals who were working toward a longer life, though they were already at an acceptable weight level, must certainly be eating a starvation diet, but this is not the case at all. Based on averages, thirty percent less calories consumed by normal folks in the U.S. means a consumption rate of just below two thousand calories for men and the average for women being 1877 calories, thirty percent less would work out to 1300 calories for women. Experts have been challenging women for many years to stay with a 1200 calorie diet as a suggestion for losing weight. These days, calorie reduced diets are a more individualized number for each person.
What is interesting concerning women is that the CDC states they are eating twenty two percent more calories each day than they ate in the 1970’s. The majority of these added calories are in carbohydrates. We can assume the 1970’s woman was not starving herself so it is believed to be a shift in cultural thinking.
If a person had to speculate, it could well be there is greater convenience with food and it is easier to access. This scenario may well be shortening our lives. Greater volumes of junk food are more available now than they were thirty or forty years ago. Schools and institutional offices and companies have cafeterias, vending machines etc. stocked with poor food choices. These snack food and sugar based items, sweet soda pop, pizza days, donuts at work, drive thru fast food – all contribute to a fatter society. Years ago, when dinner was finished, there was no grazing in the kitchen in search of a sugar fix or something to quell a stomach pang. Where is the discipline today to not over do it when eating? Kids used to walk to school and they are driven to and from school, sports, all activities seem to involve a car ride these days. Eating out was a special event and today many order takeout regularly or eat in a restaurant whenever they don’t feel like making a meal at home.
The risk of calorie restriction is it can cause malnourishment. However, her are numerous diet plans available that provide the user with a balanced diet and plenty of proper nutrition. There are also copious numbers of health supplements available today to fill in any nutrient gaps the diet misses. In addition, there are supplements on the market to deal with fundamental points of over eating and weight gain like carb blockers that can thwart the digestion of carbohydrates up to forty percent at regular usage rates. These carbohydrates are quite likely the devilish food being overindulged on.
There is no need to become anorexic just to lose weight and become healthier. There is no reason why you must be overly thin to live longer either or to maintain proper cerebral function into later years. What you should be doing is watching closely what you consume each day. Lower fat intake, sugar, and white flour are out of all meals, and more often than not, ignore the hunger indicators with a bit of will power. Try and make your own meals at home, eating out all the time means less control over what you are consuming.
Calorie restriction does not come with a set number of calories you need to ingest on a daily basis. Try writing out everything you eat over the course of a week and then begin to reduce some of what you eat, starting with useless calories. You may be eating far more than you realize! If you slash calorie intake by thirty percent, you would drop to just above two thousand calories daily, this is plenty of nourishment when picked out carefully.
When it comes to anti aging, do not consider calorie restriction like it is some extreme diet sport to be tackled if you want to live longer. It should quite simply be about eating less and only what your body requires to lead a healthy daily routine with vigor. You could be astounded when you realize how good you feel when just cutting out the useless calories. You should speak to your health care provider before you begin a calories restricted diet. Get some blood work and use them to compare against in a month or two to measure improvement. If your numbers have gotten better, your goal of aging at a reduced rate is working. When you control your weight by eating less and exercising more, staying active and moving about on your own more often, you will achieve better overall extended health.
Sat, Sep 26, 2009
Health And Aging, Longevity