Beware of These 4 Silent Thieves That Can Steal Years Off of Your Life

There are 4 stealth thieves out there. Their mission is a nasty one, to steal years off the lives of their unsuspecting victims.

The Good News:

1. Their identities have been revealed.
2. We know that they lurk in processed food and junk food.
3. There are known ways to stop their mission.

The Bad News:

1. It takes a tremendous amount of self control and discipline to avoid becoming a victim of these thieves.
2. The allure of these empty calorie foods is a very strong one.

Millions of dollars have been spent to discover what sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures can be created in a food lab that will super excite our senses, to the point of addiction.

Who are the thieves of longevity:

1. Excessive sugar consumption - Sugar is everywhere. The average American consumes 150 - 170 pounds of sugar a year , which is a 19 fold increase from 300 years ago. That number should be under 20 pounds per year, or a little less than an ounce per day. Primitive humans craved sweet things, which gave them instant energy. Those sweet treats were few are far between during those primitive times. Excess sugar leads to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, cancer and more. Unfortunately, we are still hard wired to crave sweet foods. It is programmed into our DNA.

2. Artificial sweeteners - Artificial sweeteners are toxic. The most abundant as well as possibly the worst is aspartame. People think that they are helping to lose weight and to be “healthy” by using artificial sweeteners, but the exact opposite is true. Artificial sweeteners stimulate the same additive centers of the brain as does sugar and cocaine.

When there is no rapid increase in blood sugar after the sweet treat, there is no feedback to the hypothalamus gland to reduce your appetite. Your appetite is actually stimulated for you to eat more, not less. Many studies have confirmed this.

3. Trans fats are made by hydrogenating oils and breaking up the double bonds between carbon atoms. This makes an unnatural fat, which is a semisolid at room temperature. Trans fats are in most processed foods and cause many chronic diseases associated with inflammation, such as dementia, diabetes, heart disease and hardening of the arteries.

Oxidized fats, from frying food are also a killer. These produce added oxidative stress on the body, which isn’t good for you at all. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed trans fats from their Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list.

Unfortunately, trans fats are being replaced by other vegetable oils that produce toxic cyclic aldehydes when heated. These byproducts appear to be so harmful that they make trans fats look benign in comparison. The bottom line is to stay away from fried foods.

4. A Vitamin D deficiency - Vitamin D3 is one of the least expensive supplements out there, but one of the best for you. Low vitamin D3 levels can lead to heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, lung disease, increased rates of infection, DNA damage, depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and more. It is optimal to have vitamin D3 levels between 50 - 100 ng/ml of 25 Hydroxy D. You should have your vitamin D levels checked yearly, during your annual physical and blood test.

Another thief would be genetically modified foods, or GMOs, but that is a story for another day.

he Reward of a Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Include a Longer & Healthier Life:

Yes, the temptations and allure of junk food and bad eating habits are very easy to fall prey to. These processed food products are addicting, which is what their manufacturers count on.

If you want to live a longer, healthier life, start cooking at home using fresh, whole, unadulterated ingredients, ideally organic. When you make it yourself, at least you know what you are eating!

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