—Benjamin Franklin
Now that you know a bit about Free Radical Theory and Renewal Theory, allow me to introduce you to the actual Renewal Anti-Aging Program. I'll give you the bottom line first so you know what lies ahead. You can even start the program now, if you like.
Let's preview each of these in turn.
To optimize Renewal, you need to eat foods that maximize your antioxidant intake while minimizing your free radical load. You can easily achieve both goals provided you follow a low-fat, vegan diet--one in which the foods come only from plants, not from animals.
The Anti-Aging Diet focuses on organically grown, unprocessed, chemical-free foods selected from the New Four Food Groups: grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. (You'll learn more about the New Four Food Groups in chapter 5.) This diet is not only naturally low in fat but also naturally high in desirable complex carbohydrates. In fact, approximately 80 percent of the calories you consume in a day should come from complex carbs such as whole-grain breads, cereals, pastas, brown rice, potatoes, yams, and squash. The other 20 percent of calories should come from protein and fat, in equal portions.
Eating this way automatically eliminates the free radical burden imposed by a high-fat diet. It also sidesteps other known toxins, including pesticides, food additives, alcoholic beverages, and sugar.
By following the Anti-Aging Diet, you can protect your immune and cardiovascular systems from damage, prevent diseases of degeneration, and slow the aging process. In other words, you can facilitate Renewal.
When you switch to the Anti-Aging Diet, you'll develop a completely new view of your dinner plate. Gone are the meats, the dairy products, the highly refined and processed fare. In their place is a glorious cornucopia of naturally nutritious, naturally flavorful foods. Tune up your tastebuds for the following foods.
Great grains. As mentioned earlier, the Anti-Aging Diet is high in complex carbohydrates and low in protein and fat. So you'll be getting many of your daily calories from grains such as wheat, rye, oats (oatmeal and oat bran), millet, rice (brown, not white), and corn. For the most nutritional value, stick with organic, whole, minimally processed grains and grain products as much as possible.
Luscious legumes. Legumes are seed pods--beans, peas, lentils, and the like. Stock your pantry with all kinds: adzuki beans, anasazi beans, black beans, brown beans, chickpeas, Great Northern beans, green beans, green peas, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, and, of course, soybeans and soy products (such as tofu, tempeh, and soy milk).
Fantastic fruits. You can't go wrong in this group, either--simply choose whatever is in season. Fresh fruits are preferable to frozen, since the freezing process can destroy some of the nutrients. As for juices, purchase organic products made from whole fruits or try making your own from organically grown whole fruits. Avoid juices made from concentrate as well as those with added sugar or with preservatives. Unsweetened applesauce and other organic, whole fruit concentrates make excellent spreads and dessert toppings.
Vibrant vegetables. Of all the foods in the Anti-Aging Diet, vegetables are the most nutrient dense. They're also the best sources of protective phytochemicals. So take your pick in the produce aisle. No matter which veggies you choose, you'll get bountiful amounts of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and even fiber. The following are especially noteworthy nutrition-wise: beets, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, eggplant, garlic, green beans, kale, leeks, onions, peas, peppers (all kinds), potatoes (sweet and white), scallions, spinach, sprouts (all kinds), squash (all kinds), string beans, Swiss chard, and tomatoes. Of course, buy organic whenever possible.
You may be wondering why the Anti-Aging Diet eliminates all foods from animal sources--including red meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, and eggs. I address this in more detail in part 2, but suffice it to say that no scientific evidence exists to suggest that these foods promote health, much less slow aging. On the other hand, literally thousands of studies overwhelmingly indict these foods for their role in the current epidemic of heart disease, cancer, and other degenerative conditions. Indulging in foods from animal sources undoubtedly torpedoes Renewal. For longevity, avoid all animal foods.
Similarly, the Anti-Aging Diet steers you away from refined carbohydrates such as white sugar, white flour, and processed foods. Refined carbohydrates have had their vitamins, minerals, and fiber stripped away, so they're of little nutritional value.
In contrast, complex carbohydrates support Renewal because they retain their nutrients and they're converted to blood sugar more slowly. This prevents fluctuations in your blood sugar level, reduces fat storage, and supports weight loss and maintenance. As a bonus, when you eat a lot of complex carbs, your diet automatically becomes low in fat and protein.
If the Anti-Aging Diet seems too restrictive, relax. Sure, you may be eating in a whole new way. But you certainly won't feel deprived. In fact, because the foods have such stellar nutritional profiles, you can eat as much as you like. Nor will you feel bored, thanks to the incredible variety of foods from which to choose.
Of course, most people don't have time to prepare three gourmet vegetarian meals a day. If this describes you, then you'll love the two-week menu plan, meal ideas, and recipes beginning on page 487. Try them, and discover how easy the Anti-Aging Diet can be.
I've been taking nutritional supplements since 1946, when my mom stuck a bottle of Unicaps on the kitchen table. Years later, as a student of organic chemistry and biochemistry, I wondered how foods and nutrients work in the body--how optimum intakes create health, and why deficiencies cause disease. To date, I've spent the better part of three decades sifting through the medical literature, using the most recent and most reliable nutritional research to refine and update the Anti-Aging Supplement Program. You can count on its being state-of-the-art.
If you follow the Anti-Aging Diet, why do you need supplements? Because a diet without supplementation, however excellent, cannot optimally protect cells from free radical damage. Cellular repair and regeneration also become compromised. Going through life with your nutritional guard down allows free radicals to relentlessly bombard your cells--definitely a life-shortening experience. This is why I'm such a vociferous advocate of a thorough and balanced supplement regimen.
Nutritional supplements reinforce Renewal by providing protection against free radicals, supporting repair of injured cells, facilitating replacement of dead cells, and boosting production of cellular energy. Each of the supplements listed below promotes Renewal in its own way--guarding against disease, slowing the aging process, improving quality of life.
Yes, this is an awful lot of stuff. But except for the essential nutrients, which are must-haves for everyone, you needn't take every single supplement every single day. It's up to you to determine which ones will have the most benefit for you. In part 4, you'll find more specific information on each supplement so you can decide for yourself whether a particular nutrient, herb, or hormone is right for you. And in chapter 38, you'll get detailed how-to instruction for putting together your own individualized supplement regimen.
While diet and supplements get the lion's share of attention in this book, exercise plays just as crucial a role in the Renewal process. Quite simply, a sedentary lifestyle shortens your life span. In fact, it's twice as likely to kill you as a high cholesterol level. Kind of gives that old saw "use it or lose it" a whole new meaning, wouldn't you say?
When you engage in regular physical activity, every cell in your body reaps the benefits. Exercise lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, strengthens your arteries and bones, speeds your reflexes, boosts your brain power, and enhances your immune system. It is also the single most effective method for slimming down. No weight loss program can succeed in the long run unless it has an exercise component.
Besides, being active makes you feel better both physically and emotionally. So for all those extra years, you won't just stay alive. You'll thrive.
The Anti-Aging Exercise Program consists of three types of activity: aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching. While all three have value, aerobic exercise is by far the most important.
The word aerobic refers to any activity that involves repetitive muscle movements and raises your heart rate to 75 to 80 percent of its maximum for at least 20 minutes. (You'll find out how to determine your maximum heart rate and target heart rate range in chapter 37.) For the average person, this translates to a target heart rate of about 120 beats per minute.
Even activities that don't fit this definition of aerobic can help extend your life span if they provide a prolonged cardiovascular workout. Examples include bicycling, dancing, and hiking.
While aerobic exercise burns calories and improves
cardiovascular endurance, strength training--that is, lifting
weights--builds lean muscle mass and reduces fat mass. This is important
for Renewal because the more muscle you have, the more
Stretching, the third pillar of the Anti-Aging Exercise Program, improves strength and flexibility. Both help protect against injury.
So there you have it: the complete Renewal Anti-Aging Program in a nutshell. When you implement the nutrition and lifestyle changes that the program endorses, you'll supercharge your body's Renewal systems and create an internal bulwark that can add decades to your life.
Admittedly, the program requires some effort. Many of the changes that it suggests may challenge your personal views about proper diet, supplementation, and other issues related to health and longevity. But I don't want you to feel overwhelmed or frustrated or to give up in desperation. Rather, I want you to understand why these changes are necessary and why you should incorporate them into your day-to-day routine.
My goal is to help you live a longer, healthier life. Yours is to learn how to do so. If the information I present here serves only to threaten you without nurturing meaningful change, then both of us ultimately fail. This is why I encourage you to adopt the program gradually rather than in one fell swoop. Learning new behaviors--new habits--takes time. You want to weave them into the fabric of your life so they become second nature to you. To accomplish this, you must establish your own natural pace. Make the easy changes first, and save the hard stuff for later. If you commit to the program and work at it, you'll eventually get there.
Keep in mind, too, that you can follow just part of the program rather than the entire regimen. To be honest, very few people could institute every single one of the changes that the program recommends. And frankly, it isn't necessary. As I'll remind you throughout the book: The extent to which you follow the Renewal Anti-Aging Program determines the extent to which you'll benefit from it. Positive changes will produce positive results.
One final, important word. Optimum health and maximum life span, the dual goals of Renewal, are inseparable concepts. You cannot have one without the other. When you strive for maximum life span, you're actually striving for optimum health.
Without exception, every recommendation in the pages that follow is intended to help you live healthier so you can live longer. This is the promise of Renewal.
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Now that you have a brief overview of the Renewal Anti-Aging Program, let's examine each of its components in greater detail. We'll start with the foods that promote optimum health and longevity—The Anti-Aging Diet.