The TRUTH on AGEING

How we all look is by our lifestyles. We all want to stay and feel young. Well you can. Before I tell you how, here are the top five (in order from most damaging to least damaging) things that age you.

5. TOBACCO SMOKING/TRAFFIC CONGESTION

I have put smoking as the most damaging and ageing thing a person can do. Traffic and exhaust fumes are another. But sometimes that can't be helped. Second hand smoke (exhaust and from cigarettes) are the most damaging when it hits oxygen and hydrogen. To combat the ageing effects of these, eat more leafy greens, carrots, beetroot. You can also drink green tea and enjoy the tastings of Miso soup. Take plenty of vitamin C (minimum of 2,000mg per day) and eat apples.

4. SUGAR (also in the form of Cane Sugar (Sucrose))

Sugar is the most addictive and ageing food. It is more addictive then heroin (according to The World Health Organisation), and is the most used ingredient in food manufacturing. Cane Sugar (sucrose) is damaging to the body. It increases the insulin response and the pancreatic actions. It ages the cells in the body. Sucrose (Cane Sugar) is food for cancer and candida. It is acidic, and is detrimental to all parts of the body's systems. However, a teaspoon of 'raw sugar' cleans the liver, but this is only a small amount compared to the 500ml of can sugar an average person has per day. If people started to cut down on their sugar intake, it would make them more youthful and decrease the chances of getting diabetes. So the next thing is to switch to an artificial sweetener? No, that is worse. If you have to have sugar, go for honey, sultanas, and organic cane sugar (1 teaspoon minimum). Most of the sugar in processed foods is bleached and too processed for the body to recognise it as 'cane sugar'. To counterbalance the effects of sugar, drink Green Tea.

3. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS (ASPARTAME, EQUAL, NUTRASWEET)

Aspartame was created accidentally in a laboratory between two amino acids. The scientist tasted this new powered substance, and noticed it was sweet. Many decades later, it is used in millions of products around the world, mostly in 'diet' foods and drinks. Aspartame is a neurotoxin (a neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells(neurons), usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels). Aspartame if heated can turn into formaldehyde (a known carcinogen). It is an ageing ingredient and can cause headaches, brain tumours, nervous disorders etc. The jury is out on aspartame, but it is not hard to find the millions of studies and papers on the negative aspects of it. If you want to counterbalance the aspartame, don't have it. If anything is sugar free, it probably has aspartame in it.

2. SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE/SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLS)

SLS is used as a sudsing cleansing agent in body and face cleansers. It strips the good oils of the skin, and can make it dry. Some medical people think it plays havoc with the kidneys, as it does go to the bloodstream. SLS is ageing for the skin, even though it is used in anti-ageing products. There are natural based cleansers out on the market that are not so ageing and don't contain SLS.

1. MINERAL OIL

Mineral Oil is made from petroleum and is used in skin care products because it is cheap. It is often an ingredient in moisturisers from the cheap to the expensive. Even Sunscreens have mineral oil in it. Mineral Oil acts like plastic. It blocks the pores of the skin, and can cause havoc with the excreting organs of the body. For a nice moisturiser, use the natural ones, or just use Jojoba Oil, which is similar to the skin's own sebum. Much better than putting petrol all over your face.

You may be asking how come I haven't listed the Sun. Well comparative, it's not that ageing, and it is beneficial. But of course, only in moderate amounts.

HEALTH MATTERS