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7 Steps To Reduce AGEs and Slow aging

October 02, 2015 by Sayan

1.     Eat real food.

a.     Processed foods usually have all of their fiber stlean out of them and are very soft, meaning that your body breaks them down quickly – and uses them quickly, too.

b.     Processed foods also generally have sugar (which binds to proteins to create AGEs) added to them to make them taste better – and boy, are some processed foods delicious as a result! They taste good now, but God forbid you ever get sick when you’re older – you’re going to wish you’d eased up on the GoGurt and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

2.     Stay away from anything that has comes packaged with more than 1 INGREDIENT. Yes I’m serious. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but for the most part you will be much better off if you eat foods in their natural, singular form.

a.     Chicken? From chemical/hormone-free pastures…1 ingredient. GOOD

b.     Beef? From pastured-raised cattle….1 ingredient. GOOD

c.     Chicken Nuggets? Made in a factory. Upwards of 20 ingredients and tons of allergens, chemicals, and “mechanically separated chicken”. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

d.     Hot Dogs? Made in a factory. Bare minimum of 5 ingredients, but usually many more. Heavily processed and full of chemicals, fillers, etc. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

e.     Rice? Made in Rice Paddies….1 ingredient. GOOD

f.     Beans/Lentils? Grows Naturally in Plants…1 ingredient. GOOD

g.     100% Whole Wheat Bread? Made in a factory. Anywhere from 5-35 ingredients….AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

1.     Eat as much as you cook in a broth or soup — or eat steamed, boiled, or raw. a.     There are tons of delicious slow-cooker recipes out there, and many more soups, stews, porridges and other dishes that don’t require you to brown the proteins of the food you’re eating.

b.    The ancillary benefits of eating raw vegetables, fish (or even beef tartare) are many – you don’t soften your food, so your body takes longer to digest it, and you don’t cook any nutrients or enzymes out of your food.

c.     Also, you can significantly lower natural inflammation in your muscles, joints and organs by eating more vegetables and un-browned proteins and less anti-nutrient laden grains like corn, wheat, and processed flours.

d.     Note that the raw veggies we discussed earlier (that are unsafe to eat raw) should be steamed, boiled, or cooked on low heat with a fatty substance like coconut oil or butter to allow for proper absorption of nutrients.

2.     Eat less sugar.

a.     If you’re currently consuming large amounts of sugar – whether through your food (candies, baked goods, too much fruit, etc.) or through beverages (soda pop, juice, beer and wine) – you’re taking in too much sugar, and your body is being forced to produce too many AGE products.

b.     Your body will use as much sugar as it can for energy, but at some point, it won’t be able to use the rest.

c.     These free-floating sugars in your bloodstream will find themselves a nice, unassuming protein to latch on to and turn into an AGE product. This is in addition to the fact that extra sugar that cannot be used for energy is likely to be stored entirely as fat.

3.     Eat fewer carbohydrates. Carbohydrates – even whole grains – are broken down into sugar by your metabolism.

a.     Your body will however much carbohydrate it can and the rest will turn into fat and/or attack your proteins.

b.     On a somewhat relieving note, the more complex a carbohydrate, the longer it takes your body to digest it.

c.     Because these carbohydrates break down slowly, it gives your body a chance to use them as energy as they become available (assuming you’re active), which will produce less waste AGE products.

4.     Drink less coffee or swap it completely for tea. Yes, it’s hard to believe anyone could suggest this, but it’s true (especially me…I LOVE coffee). Coffee is roasted. At a high heat. Which means it’s loaded with AGE products.

a.     If you’re also the type of person that adds in AGE-loaded creamer, milk and/or sugar, then for you, “the best part of waking up” may actually be a steaming cup of poison.

b.     For starters, drink your coffee black! I personally am a walking zombie without coffee, so I have 1 cup in the morning and make sure I don’t add any sugar or allergy-inducing milk. Besides the benefits of less AGEs, one cup of “clean” black coffee ensures that I’m not adding unnecessarily to my waistline. (I’ll occasionally mix with coconut oil and/or grass-fed butter if I’m fasting in the morning.)

c.     On the same token, have ONLY 1 cup a day, just in the morning to get you going. The rest of the day, drink one of the many varieties of tea. You’ll still get some caffeine, but you won’t be pumping yourself full of AGEs (and furthering your caffeine addiction).

d.     I personally used to have upwards of 3 cups a day, but I now feel much better, relaxed, and focused with 1 morning cup and then 1-2 healthy cups of tea. Try it for yourself…it works.

e.     Make the switch to green tea All teas are generally healthy for you, but green tea has tons of added benefits. Not only is it a well-known superfood (it seems like scientists are discovering something amazing about green tea every other week), it’s also an excellent natural fat-burner.

i.     Best part? It’s been shown that green tea slows your body’s natural glycation process, which means you create less AGEs during your metabolic process.

ii.     There’s green tea leaf extract in the InvigorateNOW supplement so you should be covered...but extra green tea can’t hurt, and it tastes awesome, so go for it!

5.     Avoid food cooked on high heat. I’ll admit, BBQ chicken, wings, and cajun-blackened Salmon are some of life’s greatest pleasures. But food cooked at that high of a heat – anything seared, blackened, braised, etc. – is overflowing with AGE products. Have these only on special occasions (in other words, when your mom makes BBQ chicken and you haven’t seen her in 3 months, eat the chicken!). The rest of the time, cook with water-based methods and you’ll be fine.

a.     Cook food low and slow. You don’t have to give up cooked meat! Here’s the thing to remember: Higher temperatures will create more AGE products, and lower temperatures will create less.

b.     There’s no “magic number” of AGE products you should or shouldn’t eat – you should just be doing your best to lower the amount you take in, as much and as often as possible.

c.     Whenever possible, bake meats at a lower heat with some water in the pan, rather than broiling or pan-frying in high heat.

d.     Use water as a medium. AGEs will not be created when you cook with water.

i.     Try various stews, curries, soups, and more,

ii.     Pro-tip: There are tons of delicious Thai and Indian recipes that are cooked in either water or coconut milk. The liquids should help drastically cut out AGE formation.

e.     Learn to eat your steaks rare or medium-rare (this means they’ve been cooked to a lower temperature, and I personally think this tastes better anyway) rather than ordering it “well done.”

Here’s the bottom line...

If you EAT REAL FOOD, keep the amount of high-heat cooked foods in your diet low, and the amount of liquid-based foods high, you’re unlikely to be taking in dangerous levels of AGE products.