It’s nutrition, not our chronological age, that determines health and how youthful we look and feel.
Healthy foods are whole foods from mother Nature’s Table. Certain food-less foods we eat wreak havoc not just with our health, but with how youthful we look and how well we age in every category. The old saying “you are what you eat” is very true. Unhealthy eating habits do worse than make you fat and tired, they age you from the inside out. Research has demonstrated that it’s obesity that increases our risk for aging prematurely while processed foods, stress, inflammation and addictions are the causes of disease!
So what is it that allows the body to thrive? By using food, exercise and water (FEW) as medicine for our blood and as information, energy, light and nourishment for all our cells.
Healthy habits improve gut bacteria and immunity, help prevent cancer, & repair and rejuvenate skin.
As humans, we go about out day choosing whether we are proactive or reactive. A proactive personality manages daily activities with less outburst, works through stress efficiently, makes time for exercise, and maintains a positive outlook. A proactive person has an easier time hiring employees that help him make his business successful.
A reactive person generally loses control over little things, suffers from anger issues, road rage, addictions and/or malnutrition. I know a wealthy real estate tycoon who rents out apartments and condos that are always getting complaints by tenants. This businessman refuses to make simple repairs himself or hire a maintenance person that would lessen his stress. Unfortunately, he frequents fast food restaurants and can be heard screaming whenever he’s on the phone. It’s no wonder that his business, his marriage, and his life are always in chaos.
The process of toxic foods.
* American processed breakfast foods include frozen waffles, donuts, pop-tarts, cereals, bottled OJ, processed egg sandwiches, lattes, muffins, bagels and more. Imagine your day beginning with pain and inflammation caused by your relationship with sugar. Daily sugar consumption leads to increased stress, poor energy reserves, poor gut microbiome, depression, and fat gain by sugar moving into our cells and padding our waistline. Why is this important? “Altered cellular metabolism is a hallmark of cancer.” 
Sugar not only facilitates disruption in metabolism, but it also creates wrinkles, sagging skin, and ill health. A process called ‘glycation’ takes place with the introduction of sugars into the body, and this chemical reaction renders our bodily tissues inflexible or damaged. Which cells are most vulnerable? Collagen and elastin which keep our skin firm and youthful. As for the heart, sugar is toxic to the lining of the blood vessels, explains Dr. Karet. “It produces nitrous oxide which creates irregularities in the arteries, roughening them up, which in turn attracts plaque.”
* Trans-fats exert an inflammatory effect within the body that creates a stiffening of the arteries and constricted blood vessels. The average human life-span can be cut short with Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) in the diet from fried, processed, and junk foods.
Consuming trans-fats even harm mitochondria function and cause us to lose energy. Why is this important? Mitochondria play a key role in energy balance and apoptosis. Changes in mitochondrial function may contribute to heart failure and cancer.
Our skin is damaged from trans-fats. Trans-fats leads to less blood flow to the skin leaving skin older, stiffer, and seriously wrinkled. Trans-fats can be found in pie crust, popcorn shrimp, french fries, margarine, canned frosting, non-dairy creamers, and much more.
* Alcohol can speed up aging in the form of premature wrinkles, loss of collagen and elasticity causing dehydration and puffiness. Nutrient depletion, liver inflammation, mood swings, and hormonal imbalances are the culprits when too much alcohol is ingested.
Refined carbohydrates (wheat & white flour) trigger an excess of insulin. Just like sugar that creates a caramelization effect inside of your body, refined carbs are sugars in disguise. Once these carbs hit the bloodstream, they behave just like sugar. Signs can range from brain fog to digestion issues. An abundance of insulin prevents fat loss, and slows or prevents lean muscle growth. In addition, excess insulin also leaves us hungry 30 minutes after eating. Brain decay is related to insulin resistance, chronic sugar use, and hormonal imbalances.
* What depletes our vitamin D levels increases aging! The process of obesity, sugar, sodas, and caffeine have been shown to negatively affect our vitamin D levels and decreases bone mass. Synthetic vitamin D doesn’t solve the problem.
Gut-Liver Axis
“The liver is a source of activated immune cells present in the blood.” About eighty percent of our immune system is in our gut. When we experience “intestinal inflammation,” we may also experience a toxic liver. A toxic liver and toxic emotions are the results of alcohol abuse and poor food choices which can lead to intestinal barrier dysfunction, poor overall health, disease, brain fog and toxic skin.
To rid the bloodstream of “toxins,” the body releases it through the skin. Rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema can be linked to a toxic liver and gut which may be labeled as Leaky Skin! The gut leaks from years of abusive habits. Certain foods will cause more problems than others, with wheat and pasteurized rBGH milk at the top of the list.
Exercise
If we don’t have time for exercise, our mind, bones, skin, and digestive system suffer. Exercise improves metabolism, mitochondria function, bone density, skin health and brain activity. Daily exercise decreases stress levels.
Water keeps us alive
Dehydration influences our moods and cognitive function. Water assists with hormone activity, and detoxification of the bowel, kidneys, and skin. Why is this important? All our organs need pure clean water to run optimally including our skin. The skin receives one-third of all the blood circulated in the body, and it’s responsible for one-quarter of the body’s detoxification each day.
The dark side… when we ignore our responsibility in disease, pain and inflammation.
The dark side. It’s a process that takes years of toxic exposures.
So picture this: The Wizard surgically cuts out our inflammation in the form of cancer tumors. Yet, we have difficulty eliminating toxic exposures that may be causal in spreading cancer.
After cancer treatments and surgery we celebrate by going back to our toxic habits. I’ve witnessed first hand with friends celebrating at restaurants ordering a plate of fried foods and washing it down with alcohol, claiming they beat the odds! Hmm.
Things that increase our risk for inflammatory reactions within the body include vaccines, chemical exposures, pesticides, stress, cigarettes, sugar, diet sugars, alcohol, drug addiction, trans-fats, gluten and more.
Two years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a very successful entrepreneur at the height of her career. Today she runs on caffeine, cigarettes, diet sugars, pizza, and alcohol. She suffers from insomnia, headaches, IBS, a toxic liver, depression, obesity, and premature aging. She has lost many customers because she doesn’t always feel well. She reached out to me about her addictions to gluten, diet sugars, and alcohol consumption in relationship to anxiety disorders, headaches, and social phobias. But she couldn’t take a bite size step toward change. Can you relate?
If we don’t change what causes inflammation we continue to live on the dark side.
Poor habits can affect our body’s ability to handle stress and make changes. Stress accelerates heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and causes the nervous system to negatively react through the digestive system, increasing our risk for disease.
Even stress from childhood traumas can be linked to IBS, heart disease, cancer, and premature aging. Stress has been proven to block decision-making skills at the same time hindering blood circulation and disrupting cellular energy, increasing oxidative stress. A path that leads us to again seek the advice of a Wizard! At our appointment- the Wizard orders an antidepressant that keeps us sick, fat, toxic and depressed. We continue to spiral out of control losing our well-power along this yellow brick road.
It’s so important to understand that our gut is the center of our universe. Our job is to provide the correct fuel (FEW) to keep all organs including the liver and gut running optimally.
What can we do now?
Our internal environment needs some housekeeping. Remember, there’s no place like home.
Outdated is the Wizard silencing the power and voice of the patient. New Technology is about healing oneself by removing toxic exposures. The solution lies within you. Only you can un-process your life!
Connie Rogers is a Certified Health Coach & Brain Health Coach.
She is the author of Memory Stealers on Amazon and video.
Connie believes health and wellness are established with proper nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness. Connie takes a natural and holistic, common sense approach to rebuilding wellbeing from the ground up.
