yamtimsina

My life is a little bit different now than many past years.
I have made three circles in my life, these are somehow overlapping: the circle of passion, the circle of experience, and the circle of skill.
My circle of passion revolves around my health, lifestyle, diet, financial independence, and knowledge transfer.
My circle of experience revolves around science, chemistry and biochemistry, medicine, and body physiology.
My circle of skill is synthesis and characterization of API, active pharmaceutical ingredients, simply put as making and characterizing medicines.
At the moment, I am living in a small overlapped region of all these big three circles, but my overlapped region is really small now.

To be honest, what I experienced over the years is living in a small overlapped region is not the problem but the expansion of that overlapped region is really challenging.
This expansion means we need to know how to be a generalist after spending some time as a specialist.

The CEO of any company or any head of the government on the planet is not a specialist, he or she is a generalist

We humans are trained to be specialists, not generalists from evolution.
Our education system and society doesn’t support being a generalist, that’s a kind of society’s tag as jack of all but master of none.
Now, in this technological age of AI, specialists might have a hard time to cope in the looming future if we are only thinking linearly in a field of our specialization.

A lot of my core specialists friends are moving in many different directions very quickly to preserve their professions by sacrificing their family time and health.
They are no longer in their twenties and thirties anymore, most of them are in their forties now.
What I realized is they are still unaware or they are still not trying to understand how our life works, what to sacrifice and what not to.
We cannot sacrifice our health for something else. Period.
Why ‘period’?
If you want to know, read Steve Jobs’s biography when he was waiting death on bed from pancreatic cancer as a multi billionaire.

Most of my friends have PhDs, MDs, and MBAs but are unaware why they look so old and overweight so early, and why they already have at least some kind of disease.
Most of them have just passed halfway through life if everything remains normal, and many are on some kind of regular medication.

I might be wrong, this is just my study from my own experiences, my study says we are not learning how to be generalists, which by the way society also doesn’t teach us.
It completely depends on our personal decision.

Just one example.
The CEO of any company or any head of the government across the globe is not a specialist, he or she is a generalist.
He or she learns a lot of general principles of life to reach the top position.
In the end, he or she hires specialists to run their organization or the country, if needed.
This is the rule of success.

If you eat purple or orange mashed sweet potatoes with cloves and cinnamon, you will get more antioxidants to curb free radicals than a normal American diet in a week

I sometimes wonder why it’s so hard to be a generalist.
Because very few of us are able to connect dots in life and most importantly, very few of us are good at pattern recognition of the evolving society.

To excel in all of these things and especially to be a good generalist after being a specialist for some time, we need to be healthy and young for a very long period of time.
What is an option for us, be healthy first.
Know how our body works, and how to preserve this body without rust and corrosion.

We need to acquire some minimum knowledge about our body, health, diet, body’s biochemistry and physiology, and most importantly, act on it, apply it seriously in daily use.
Take action, not just read and forget.
In my view, these are basic principles to be a good generalist in life.

For example, I don’t want to age too fast and too quickly biologically, but the chronological number as our age is not under our control, it keeps increasing every year.
I don’t want to take any medicines lightly until and unless I really need to, because there is a heavy price I have to pay from the side effects of it later in life.

Research is showing that a lot of older age diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia, heart disease are due to continuous medication side effects accumulated over a long period of time.

Remember, faster aging invites quicker death triggered by many different diseases.

Let’s see what aging is and how to slow it down.

Aging is an oxidation of our body like rusting of a metal bar.

As we become older, we have wrinkles, brown spots, and also we become more forgetful.
These all happen because of oxidative stress in our body.
Oxidative stress happens due to illness, smoking, pollution, wrong diet, lack of exercise, and sleep deprivation.
Mainly, oxidative stress means the presence of excess free radicals in our body, which are the culprits of fast aging.

The imbalance between free radicals and inadequate antioxidant defense in our body initiates oxidative stress.
This gives cellular damage and consequently accelerates aging.

There are different ways to prevent aging.
One way to reduce aging is by lowering mitochondrial free radical production.
This can be done by regular exercise and dietary switching like more plant based foods instead of animal products and meat.

Always remember the power of a plant based diet to lower free radical production.
For example, if you eat purple or orange mashed sweet potatoes with cloves and cinnamon powder as a spice, you will get more antioxidants to curb free radicals than a normal American diet in a week.

Curbing faster aging means avoid pro-inflammatory foods like saturated fat, endotoxins, NEU5GC, and sodium by minimizing intake of meat, dairy, oils, and salt

The fact is, all anti-inflammatory foods are anti-aging foods.
If you want to be young biologically, eat plenty of anti-inflammatory foods: legumes, berries, greens, tomato juice and paste, oats, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, purple fleshed potatoes, purple and orange sweet potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, turmeric, ginger and ginger powder, garlic and garlic powder, cloves, rosemary, cinnamon especially ceylon, cocoa powder, dill, green and chamomile tea, fibers, anthocyanins, and salicylic acid rich foods like black cumin seeds.

Remember, ground cumin seeds are the most salicylic acid containing natural food to substitute over the counter aspirin.

Berries, brightly colored pigments with anthocyanins, are purely anti-inflammatory.

Just keep in mind, the number one killer in the United States and on the planet is a bad diet and it is also the main cause of faster aging.

Michael Greger, MD, founder of NutritionFacts.org and author of ‘How Not to Diet’ and ‘How Not to Age’ said, “In the dietary inflammatory index, the spice turmeric is the single most anti-inflammatory food we need. Ginger, garlic, and tea are also very anti-inflammatory.”

Foods rich in fiber and flavones are also anti-inflammatory.
Flavones are in fruits, herbs, and vegetables like apples, oranges, parsley, celery, and bell peppers.
Chamomile tea is the most flavone-filled beverage.

Research shows that those who eat more fiber rich foods, they live longer.
Dietary fiber is in plant foods like whole grains and legumes like chickpeas, beans, lentils, and split peas.

Remember, interleukin 10, IL-10, is a potent anti-inflammatory cellular messenger in our blood.
By eating more fiber, we can boost IL-10 levels in our body.

According to research done in all kinds of foods, by eating more legumes is the single most aging preventer.
Legumes are loaded with protein, zinc, and iron but low in sodium and saturated fat.
Keep in mind, legumes have zero cholesterol.
They are also packed with fiber, potassium, and folate.
Same kind of research done by Dan Buettner, author of Blue Zones, centenarians and supercentenarians take a daily dose of legumes in their diets.

There are some other major ways to slow aging, the takeaway message is take good foods and avoid bad foods.

-We have to reduce dietary and endogenous exposure to inflammatory AGEs. AGEs are Advanced Glycation End Products which are genronto toxins, they make us age faster and invite many age related diseases. The main causes of AGEs are smoking, eating foods like bacon, hot dogs, foods from broiling and frying from high temperature, and high glycemic foods.

-By avoiding high AGE foods, Alzheimer’s epidemic can be controlled. Higher the intake of AGEs, lower the sirtuin expression, a type of protein involved in regulating cellular processes like aging and death of cells.
AGEs are produced when proteins react with sugars, mostly at higher temperatures like broiling, grilling, and frying.
AGEs trigger chronic and systemic inflammation in our body.
Higher the rate of AGEs formation, the shorter our lifespan is.
Remember, HbA1c in diabetes, it means, if 6.5 percent or higher amount of hemoglobin in our blood is under glycation means react with blood sugar, we are diabetic.

-We have to boost autophagy to help clear out inflammatory cellular debris in our body. For example, coffee is a good autophagy stimulant. Coffee contains more than 1000 bioactive compounds but the polyphenol chlorogenic acid is the most abundant. Remember, chlorogenic acid removes the trash of our cells.

-Most importantly, we have to avoid pro-inflammatory foods, saturated fat, endotoxins, NEU5GC, and sodium by minimizing intake of meat, dairy, tropical oils, and salt. NEU5GC is an acidic sugar in meat and dairy, contributing to the higher rates of cancer, heart disease, and autoimmune diseases.
It is found in most mammals, amphibians, and fish.
The highest levels are also found in goat meat.
The highest levels of endotoxins are in meat and dairy.

All blue zones food habits include 95 to 100 percent plant based foods, whole foods as much as possible, daily dose of beans, and mostly eliminate eggs, sugar, dairy, and meat

There are certain supplements we cannot ignore.
We have to take supplements like 2500 mcg vitamin B12, cyanocobalamin, at least, once a week or 250 mcg a day.
Remember, vitamin B12 deficiency is one of the main causes of reversible dementia.

We have to take long chain omega 3s daily.
Taking 250 mg of pollution free long chain omega -3s directly helps to curb faster aging.

Short chain omega-3s from flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts are very effective but the long chain omega-3s EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid, and DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, found in fish fat works pretty well.

If we eat some really fatty meat, all the common markers of inflammation- CRP, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) go up within a few hours of consumption.
Remember, one lousy breakfast or lunch meal can double C-reactive protein levels within four hours.
This clearly indicates why we should avoid a bad diet.

According to medical literature, Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s LIFE, Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday, diet is the fastest diet to reduce CRP in our body.

Rapamycin is another universal anti-aging drug that lengthens our lifespan.
Rapamycin inhibits an enzyme called mTOR, mechanistic target of rapamycin.
Inhibiting mTOR is regarded as the best validated aging regulator for us.

The compound DIM, diindolylmethane, which is made by indole-3-carbinol in cruciferous vegetables combined with stomach acid, suppresses mTOR activation.
Remember the powder of sulforaphane in broccoli that also suppresses mTOR.
Green tea contains EGCG, epigallocatechin gallate, a flavonoid type of polyphenol antioxidant that also suppresses mTOR activity.

The bottom line: to slow down aging, we have to slow down mTOR activity, this is possible by restricting certain amino acids like methionine and leucine, certain proteins, and full dietary control.
Choosing plant based protein sources whenever or wherever possible is the best way to go.

The five blue zones are Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica, The island of Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa in Japan, and Loma Linda, California, USA.
All blue zones food habits include 95 to 100 percent plant based foods, whole foods as much as possible, daily dose of beans, and mostly eliminate eggs, sugar, dairy, and meat.

Drinking tea and coffee over soda and milk and eating cruciferous vegetables regularly is crucial for lengthening our telomeres and expanding our lifespan

One of the major anti-aging pathways is elevating cellular NAD+ levels and activating AMPK.

David A. Sinclair, PhD, Harvard professor, scientist, and author of ‘Lifespan’ said, “There is a requirement of a molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD, the loss of NAD as we age, and the resulting decline in sirtuin activity, is thought to be a primary reason our bodies develop diseases when we are old but not when we are young.”

Sirtuins are a class of protein regulators that protect us from many age related diseases.

Protection and preservation of telomeres, which are caps in our DNA, is key for stopping faster aging.
Accelerated telomere shortening is a key biomarker for accelerated aging, disease, and diminished longevity.

Whether our telomere lengthens or shortens and at what rate is determined by external factors like environment, lifestyle, and diet.
The main drivers for faster telomere loss is again due to oxidative stress and inflammation, having pro-inflammatory food like saturated fat.

If we want to maintain longer telomeres, we have to take enough vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, foods high in fiber, and antioxidants.

Dean Ornish, MD, author of ‘UnDo It’ and Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, author of ‘The Telomere Effect’ reported a joint research that shows a healthy plant based diet and lifestyle can boost telomerase enzyme activity and effectively reverse cellular aging.

The best food for telomere lengthening is fiber, this is also the most anti-inflammatory food.
Foods containing plant pigments like beta-carotene are also essential for telomere.

Remember, the supplement vitamin D3 that delays telomere shortening.
Supplying 800-2000 IU vitamin D3 a day is very essential if our vitamin D blood level is under 20 ng/mL.

Making a habit like drinking tea and coffee over soda and milk and eating cruciferous vegetables regularly is crucial for lengthening our telomeres and expanding our lifespan.

Conclusion

Remember, the aging pathways are interconnected in a complex circle in our body.
So, we need a balanced act to curb our aging, mainly food, exercise, and sleep.
For example, a boost in AMPK downregulates mTOR but upregulates autophagy and NAD+ levels in our body, that raises the sirtuin activity and then lowers IGF-1 and feeds back on AMPK.
We have to know that they share the common triggers in our body.
Keep in mind, these terms like AMPK, mTOR, NAD, sirtuin, IGF-1, they look difficult in the beginning but once we start to connect these terms with our daily food and activities, they all become common.

This is the reason that diet and lifestyle approaches are the best because they can target multiple aging pathways at the same time.

Research shows that metformin, the common diabetes medication, extends the lifespan of mice by boosting AMPK and rapamycin by suppressing mTOR.
When both metformin and rapamycin are taken together, they work synergistically better.

I would like to end this content with a note which many of you may not be aware of.
This also indicates why we need minimum knowledge of the body’s biochemistry, nutrition, and physiology for healthy aging.

If we eat cheese, the source of saturated fat, and crackers, processed food, with red wine, the source of alcohol, we will increase our triglycerides at least five times in our bloodstream.

But if we do the same with water, there is no increment of triglycerides.
This means the villain is wine.
Remember, the marketed grape polyphenols in red wine which only act as antioxidants in isolation like eating red grapes separately.
But the same antioxidant when combined with alcohol becomes pro-oxidant which increases the markers of oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress means we are getting aged faster and catching diseases earlier like Alzheimer’s, parkinson’s, and heart diseases.
One research fact, oxidized cholesterol, mainly from meat and dairy products, is the driving force behind the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Additionally, non-alcoholic red wine lowers blood pressure but regular red wine doesn’t.
Alcohol, by any means, is no good in our lives, it is the host and accelerator of aging and disease.
When alcohol oxidizes in our body, it makes acetaldehyde, a carcinogen.
So alcohol means no, no, no. Period.

Yam Timsina, PhD, writes primarily on health basics, scientific progress, social upliftment, and value creation.

Disclaimer: “Please note that some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.”

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, once asked Warren Buffett, “If your investing thesis is so simple, why doesn’t everyone just copy you?”
Warren Buffett replied, “Because nobody wants to get rich slowly.”
In my understanding, this exactly applies to our health too, nobody wants to get healthy slowly but sustainably.

Most of us don’t like to do things that make us healthy and progress slowly towards healthy lifestyle.
We have to have a big vision for our healthy body which is the only one ultimate asset in this life, and for this we can start small to make it possible.
Just know this, by any chance, if this invaluable asset falls apart, there remains nothing valuable in this life.
And, most importantly, we have to just start a small healthy habit at a time and follow it consistently.

Two minutes of consistent breathing exercise changes our brain chemistry, eating one strawberry daily changes a lot of metabolic activities

As an example, one simple ritual which I’ve developed over the last many years: there is a cinnamon powder on my dining table at home.
I am a big fan of tea, both black and green, so, every time before I drink my sip of tea, I put a pinch of cinnamon powder in my tea.
Remember, it’s a small habit but does amazing work in our body.
Cinnamon is a natural source of many antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, and also has antimicrobial properties.

Onc research fact regarding cinnamon: an addition of a half teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl of oatmeal increases the antioxidant level fivefold in our body.
This can significantly increase the antioxidant capacity of our bloodstream and lower the free radical damage to our DNA.

I’m just giving tiny examples of healthy habit formation which have long term health benefits, there are hundreds of these types of small tiny healthy habits which we can adopt, and bring tremendous health benefits.

BJ Fogg, PhD, founder of Behavior Lab at Stanford University and author of ‘Tiny Habits’ says, “With the tiny habits method, you focus on small actions that you can do in less than thirty seconds.The easier a behavior is to do, the more likely the behavior will become habit.”

In your opinion, which is more true?
People become healthier because they are happier.
Or people become happier because they are healthier.
You can say either way, but the research says that mainly happier people become healthier in the long run.
That means we should be happy first to become healthier, but how?
Long lasting happiness comes with tiny habits because they unknowingly change our biochemistries in our body.
For example, two minutes of consistent breathing exercise each day changes our brain chemistry, eating one strawberry daily or five minutes walk in the backyard changes a lot of metabolic activities.
So, the key is habit formation of those tiny actions and follow religiously day in and day out to get benefits.
And, obviously, happy people live a lot longer because happiness helps to bring mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well being.

Apples, berries, grapes, onions and green tea contain phytonutrients to inhibit MAO, monoamine oxidase, a depression causing agent

We all are treating aging as a malady, but getting older does not have to be getting sicker all the time.
So, the crux is, happier people live longer but we need longer lives without becoming sick.
Research also shows that all sick and diseased people don’t want to live longer internally because it creates pain not only for themselves but also for their suffering families.

Michael Greger, MD, author of ‘How Not to Age’ and ‘How Not to Diet’
said, “In the evolutionary tree of life, the most reliable way to extend a happy and healthy lifespan is long-term bad food restriction, especially animal products, by consuming as much as natural plant products in our diets.”
Michael Greger, MD, is also a research director of the extremely useful website NutritionFacts.org.

Mostly, happiness comes in life when we make more happiness hormones like serotonin and dopamine.

So, what is the science behind happiness hormones?
One factor that hinders happiness in the long run is animal products.
Let’s see how animal products affect our happiness levels.
Arachidonic acid found in many animal products especially in chicken and eggs is a pro-inflammatory compound.

It adversely impacts our mental health through a cascade of neuroinflammation in our body.
Research indicates that excess arachidonic acid in our body can contribute to inflammation and chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and cancer.
Anti inflammatory drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen work by blocking the conversion of arachidonic acid into inflammatory end products.

Scientifically, depression is caused by very low levels of monoamine neurotransmitters due to high levels of a neurotransmitter breaking enzyme called monoamine oxidase, MAO.

Serotonin and dopamine both are monoamines.
The amino acid tryptophan helps to make more serotonin, the happiness hormone.
Carbohydrate rich food helps tryptophan transport into the brain but we still need tryptophan rich food like sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds.

Antidepressant medicines work by a mechanism to increase the levels of neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals which help to communicate billions of nerves in our brain.
These billions of nerve cells don’t physically touch one another.

Remember, the human brain is one of the most complicated things in the universe.
It has 100,000 miles of 86 billion neurons with 150 trillion connections.
Just imagine its complexity.

Many plant foods like apples, berries, grapes, onions and green tea contain phytonutrients that naturally inhibit the MAO.
Cloves, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg also lower MAO.

When you see salad, remember one teaspoonful of vinegar on top of salad to extend your lifespan

Here is a little bit of science to understand long, happy, and healthy life.
Autophagy is a process that reuses the unusable junk in our body, think of it as a recycling process.
It’s a complicated process but think like a toilet flush.

One way to live longer and healthier is boosting autophagy by a compound called spermidine.
The important thing to remember is that spermidine levels decrease as we reach the sixties and seventies so that we have to supply from foods.

Spermidine is a key for cell growth, a potential activator of autophagy, so it helps to extend lifespan.

Research also indicates that spermidine is an anti-aging vitamin.

Soybeans, tempeh, mushrooms, wheat germ, and mango are spermidine rich natural foods.

Wheat germ is also very effective for dementia, it helps to improve cognition.
It is also effective to reduce hair shedding.

Autophagy cleans up, removes accumulated waste, and establishes a cellular reset in our body.
It is induced by an enzyme called AMPK, AMP activated protein kinase, it is a pro-longevity factor in our body.
When we become older, AMPK levels drop and aging is accelerated.
Most importantly, this enzyme is involved in the functioning of the majority of the aging associated regulators.

The saturated fat, especially palmitic acid, mainly found in meat and dairy fat suppresses AMPK.
Saturated fat is very toxic for the liver especially for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Barberries, hibiscus tea, and black cumin are AMPK booster foods, these foods work by interfering cellular energy production in our happy mitochondria.

Vinegar is another food which is an AMPK activator.
It not only activates AMPK, it also controls blood sugar.
Remember, vinegar is nothing but diluted acetic acid.
When we drink alcohol, it also changes into acetic acid but by a different route.
It goes into acetic acid via acetaldehyde path which is a carcinogen and responsible for many cancers.
So drinking alcohol is bad, no no, even though it also gives acetic acid.

But if we take vinegar, we avoid acetaldehyde.
So, my formula is, when you see salad, remember one teaspoonful of vinegar on top of salad.
Your AMPK will laugh and help to extend your lifespan.

The best way to remove senescent cells is exercise, caloric restriction, and diets with excess quercetin, fisetin, and piperlongumine

Fiber rich foods like legumes, beans, split peas, chickpeas, lentils, and whole grains also activate AMPK because happy microbiomes make acetic acid from them in the colon by fermentation.

We must feed our good bacteria in our gut with prebiotics like fiber.
These bacteria feed us back with short chain fatty acids like butyrates which are primary fuels for the colon cell lining.
Keep in mind, Metamucil, a fiber supplement, is not fermentable, this is inedible for good bacteria.

Cellular senescence means cells are getting older and powerless.
Cellular senescence is the marker of our aging.
Senescent and zombie cells are damaged cells which don’t divide but continue to produce inflammatory molecules, contributing to tissue damage and age-related diseases.
Zombie cells are no longer productive, they damage surrounding tissues and eat our brain.

The inflammatory SASP, senescence associated secretory phenotype, produced by senescent cells, is a factor of tissue deterioration and disease.

One way is to prevent DNA damage and clean senescent cells and their inflammatory SASP, we have to eat natural foods containing senolytic compounds.
Senolytic compounds are a group of small molecules which have the ability to selectively kill senescent cells.

The best way to eliminate these senescent cells is exercise, caloric restriction, and dietary supplements.

Eat quercetin rich foods like onions, apples, kale, and tea.
Quercetin is a flavonol, an antioxidant, also called unannounced vitamin P.
It reduces and removes senescent cells and improves healthspan and lifespan.

Eat fisetin rich food like strawberries.
Eat piperlongumine rich spices like pippali, also called long pepper.

One type of microbiome, christensenellaceae, a bacterial family, is associated with longevity based on study of centenarians and supercentenarians, people who are 100 and 110 years old respectively.

Conclusion

Living longer, happier, and healthier is also directly or indirectly related to strong muscles and a powerful brain.

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, author of ‘Forever Strong’ said, “What we commonly think of as diseases of aging are really diseases of impaired muscle. Muscle contraction during both aerobic and resistance training stimulates the uptake of glucose without any need for insulin’s assistance.”

Some of the nerve cells die due to free radicals that shrinks the emotion centers in the brain.
The antioxidants diets like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and folate packed greens are natural sources for tackling free radicals.

Also remember, the most antioxidant plant foods to tackle free radicals are berries, herbs, and spices.

Lisa Mosconi, PhD, a neuroscientist, integrative nutritionist, and author of ‘Brain Food’ describes three mechanisms that clean up the internal infrastructure of our brain.
The number one is deep sleep.
During the deep sleep zone, there is activation of the cleaning glymphatic system.
It is a pathway in the brain that acts as a waste clearance channel.

Number two is aerobic exercise which boosts enzymatic activity that dissolves Alzheimer’s disease plaques in our brain.

The number three is intermittent fasting, especially more than 12 hours that cleans up amyloid in our brain.

Yam Timsina, PhD, writes primarily on health basics, scientific progress, social upliftment, and value creation.

Disclaimer: “Please note that some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.”

In our life everything is super important until we become sick and find out that our body is already crumbled a lot unknowingly.
Then we realize there is only ever one thing that is important.
My health.
But time has already slipped away from us, this is the reality of our lives.
If we are not proactive during the early years of our lives, especially in our thirties and early forties, the only thing remains is to regret but regret doesn’t do any good.
The good care and practice of our thirties and early forties are foundational for the healthy later part of lives because our body starts to make a transition in body biochemistries around the beginning of forties.

Aristotle said, “The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge”
My firm belief in the case of our health remains the same as said by Aristotle, especially for a healthy lifestyle: reading is not for knowledge, it is for action so that our focus should be to have a healthy body for a long period of time.

One of my favourite inspirations from Buddha also works for me the same way for a healthy body, he said, “what we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow; our life is the creation of our mind.”
So basically, my philosophy is that a healthy mind of today is a healthy life for tomorrow.
The key is an uptrending healthy mind which is possible by a healthy lifestyle and a small but consistent each day action to achieve it slowly, one step at a time.

Heterocyclic amine, PhIP, is not only a carcinogen, it is also an initiator, promoter, and progressor of cancer

Let me answer the title question of this content.
Probably you already know and if you don’t, the number one killer in the world is heart disease.
And, the killer number two is cancer.
But, remember, both are not chronic diseases which suddenly appear for some unknown reasons, both are lifestyle diseases accumulated over the period of time by our own actions except for a few abnormal situations.
So the key is lifestyle, the majority is what we do and what we eat day in and day out that has a huge consequence in the long run.

Mark Hyman, MD, author of ‘Young Forever’ said, “The point of healthy life is not to live longer but to live better, not just to add more years to your life but to add more life to your years.

One way to practice a healthy lifestyle is to obey nature’s rules, our body is a product of nature so there is a connection between our body and nature for running smooth biochemistries in our body.
As an example, women who interrupt their melatonin production by working night shifts might have increased risk for breast cancer.

Melatonin secretion peaks between 2 am to 5 am and then shuts off at daybreak, which is our signal to wake up.
The level of melatonin in our bloodstream is one way our internal organs know what time it is.
It works in our circadian clock.

Melatonin activates tumor suppressor genes such as p53, modulating estrogen and androgens and increasing cytokine production, collectively contributing to cancer suppression.
In the cancer stage, p53 is a tumor suppressor protein which helps to prevent cancer by maintaining cell division and promoting cell death when cells damage their DNA.

For people with melatonin deficiency, tart cherries naturally contain melatonin and have been used to improve sleep without any side effects.
Likewise, Goji berries have the highest concentrations of melatonin.

Healthy lifestyle to avoid these killer diseases also means eating more vegetables, fruits, and plant products than meat and animal products.
As another example, men suffering from prostate related issues including prostate cancers become worse if they eat meat regularly especially chicken and turkey.
Eating poultry advances cancer because cooked meat contains carcinogens like heterocyclic amines.
These carcinogens build up faster in poultry than other meats.

The heterocyclic amine, PhIP, is not only a carcinogen, it is also an initiator, promoter, and progressor of cancer.
The best way to reduce the PhIP is to reduce the consumption of roasted, fried, grilled, and baked chicken, beef, and fish.
Research reports that both green and white teas protect DNA damage caused by PhIP, the cooked meat carcinogen.

Sulforaphane isn’t only an anticancer agent, it also helps to protect our brain, eyesight, reduces nasal inflammation, and prevent diabetes

If we reduce meat consumption, then we reduce animal protein in our body and that leads to our IGF-1 level also go down and our IGF-1 binding protein jumps up.
The IGF-1 binding protein is our body’s emergency brake.
These binding proteins are released by our liver and control IGF-1.
The more IGF-1 hormone in our bloodstream, which is insulin-like growth factor 1, the higher our risk of developing cancers including prostate cancer.

Among many, the best food habits to prevent a recurrence of cancer are broccoli, flaxseeds, walnuts, citrus, turmeric, garlic, and tea.
Broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens boost the activity of detoxifying enzymes in our liver.
Research reports that eating broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale reduces the risk of cancer progression by half.
This is the power of phytonutrients in a plant diet.

Sulforaphane, a component in cruciferous vegetables, suppresses the ability of breast cancer stem cells to form tumors.
Remember, broccoli doesn’t contain sulforaphane, only the precursors that turn into sulforaphane by chewing.

Sulforaphane isn’t only an anticancer agent, it also helps to protect our brain, our eyesight, reduce nasal inflammation, prevent diabetes, and even help to treat autism.
In autism, sulforaphane is assumed to act like a detoxicant, meaning it helps remove toxins or poisons from our body.

In the dietary inflammatory index, the most anti-inflammatory foods are turmeric, ginger, garlic, and tea

One fact about flaxseeds is that even Hippocrates, the father of medicine, also used flaxseeds to treat patients.
Flaxseed is one of the highest sources of essential omega 3 fatty acids.
They have 100 times more lignans than other foods.
They are phytoestrogens, they can dampen the effects of the body’s own estrogen.

Flaxseeds don’t contain lignans but the lignan’s precursors, they need to be activated and this activation is done by good bacteria in our gut.
This is the reason why we should have happy microbiomes in our gut.
Lignan consumption is associated with reduction of breast cancer risk especially in postmenopausal women.
Because lignan dampens the body’s estrogen effects.
Lignans found in flaxseeds which contain phytoestrogens slows the growth of prostate cancer.
Even people suffering from BPH, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, the enlargement of the prostate gland, can reduce the enlargement by eating flaxseed, onion, and garlic regularly.

Dr. Mark Stengler, the author of ‘Healing the Prostate’ said “Flax seeds contain lignans that are converted into certain compounds in the body by the gut, which help the body to detoxify bad estrogens which are associated with prostate cancer and prostate enlargement, so eat plenty of ground organic flaxseeds.”

Research shows that three teaspoons of flaxseed each day is equivalent to the drugs Flomax or Proscar.
But the advantage of having flaxseed means no drug’s side effects, no lightheadedness, and sexual dysfunction.

Flaxseeds also help to increase the levels of endostatin in breasts.
Endostatin is a protein produced by the body to help starve tumors of their blood supply.

One research report says that women in Asia have less breast cancer than North American women because Asian women drink green tea regularly.

Michael Greger, MD, author of ‘How Not to Diet’ said, “In the dietary inflammatory index, the single most anti-inflammatory food is the spice turmeric, followed by ginger and garlic, and the most anti-inflammatory beverage is green or black tea.”

Eat whole grains and legumes like beans, split peas, chickpeas, or lentils with every single meal

Other two foods which are directly associated with reduction of breast cancer are soy and mushrooms.
Eating more soy products, the phytoestrogens in soy help to prevent breast cancer.
Mushrooms block the estrogen synthase enzyme.

One fact regarding mushrooms so that we know why it is so vital for our body.
Ergothioneine is a potent intramitochondrial antioxidant.
DNA inside the mitochondria is vulnerable to free radical damage because many other antioxidants can not penetrate mitochondrial membranes.
Our body cannot make ergothioneine, the only source is food.
Mushrooms are the primary source of it.
After oyster mushrooms, black beans are the secondary source of ergothioneine.

One reason why we should reduce or avoid foods of animal origin is because many foods of animal origin contain sex steroid hormones like estrogen.
Nowadays, genetically improved dairy cows are milked throughout their pregnancies when their reproductive hormones are very high.

The hormones in dairy products and other growth factors could stimulate the growth of hormone sensitive tumors.

Research says that cow’s milk stimulates the growth of human prostate cancer cells but almond milk suppresses the growth of the cancer cells.
This is the difference between animal products and plant products.

Another research says that choline found in eggs is bad for prostate cancer.
This choline in eggs is the same as carnitine in red meat.
It is converted into a toxin, trimethylamine by bacteria in the gut who eat meat.
This trimethylamine once oxidized in the liver increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Cooked vegetables and legumes, beans, chickpeas, split peas, and lentils reduce BPH.
Remember, some veggies actually become healthier when cooked.
For example, tomatoes, when heated, release more lycopene, a potent cancer fighting agent.
Carrots, spinach, asparagus, and some mushrooms produce more carotenoids and ferulic acid, both antioxidants, when lightly steamed or slow-cooked.

There is a report from American Institute for Cancer research that says, “Eat whole grains and legumes like beans, split peas, chickpeas, or lentils with every meal. Not every week or everyday. Every meal.”
Beans are rich in fiber, folate, and phytates, which help to lower the risk of stroke, depression, and colon cancer.

TVP, textured vegetable protein, is a soybean product that is good for BPH reduction.

A prostate healthy diet is equal to breast healthy diet and both are equal to heart and cancer healthy diet.

Conclusion

Darin Olien, the author of ‘SuperLife’ said, “Eat a wide variety of whole, fresh, clean foods; mostly vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, grains, sprouts, and healthy fats. Eat a lot of it raw.”

Any processed or ultra processed foods might cause DNA damage that leads to mutations and that give rise to cancer.
The best food for DNA repair is citrus fruit or colorful foods with a lot of varieties of antioxidants.
For example, within two hours of consuming citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits; our DNA becomes significantly more resistant to damage.
Citrus consumption is associated with lower risk of breast cancer including many other cancers.

I have my personal experience here.
Few years ago, I had a burning sensation during my long distance running, which I found later that it was related to the build up of lactic acid in my muscles.
From my own research what I found is that bioflavonoids found in citrus fruits helped me to tackle my lactic acid build up.
I also found that cherries helped me to reduce my muscle pain in my long distance running.

In a nutshell, remember Michael Pollan’s advice, author of ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma’, he said, “If it came from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don’t.”
With Michael Pollan’s great advice, my additional point is that a bad diet is by far our great killer followed by smoking.

Yam Timsina, PhD, writes primarily on health basics, scientific progress, social upliftment, and value creation.

Disclaimer: “Please note that some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.”

Many years ago, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the department of medicinal chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University.
One of the graduate students was kind enough to share his father’s story with me.
When his father was 40 years old, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and had a stroke once.
His dad had struggled with obesity all his life and suffered a lot, practiced all kinds of dieting to reduce his weight.
His grandparents were also obese with heart disease, so he figured that his own diagnosis was inevitable.
It’s from my family.
It’s genetic.
There was nothing he could do, this was all his impressions.

What he told me was amazing.
His dad’s initial diagnosis was back in 2011.
Then, in 2014, he switched to an entirely plant based diet and completely turned his life around.
Today, his father is cancer free, more than that, he looks and feels younger with BMI, body mass index, under 25.

As a health enthusiast and research scientist, I also believe from research and my own experience that adopting a healthy lifestyle with a plant based food habit help to prevent all kinds of new lifestyle diseases.

Research says, to become virtually heart- attack proof, we need our LDL cholesterol at least under 70 mg/dL

Around 700 thousand people died from heart disease in 2023 in the US and more than 600 thousand died from lung related disease the same year.
In 2023, globally more than 10 million people died from heart disease and more than 7 million died from lung disease.

In 1900 in the United states, the top three killer diseases were pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diarrheal disease.
Now the killers are lifestyle diseases, and they are heart diseases, cancer, chronic lung disease.

The key is, let’s not blame genetics, let’s focus on what is under our control.

David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, author of must read book ‘Anticancer’ said
“All research on cancer concurs: Genetic factors contribute to at most 15 percent of mortalities from cancer. In short, there is no genetic fatality. We can all learn to protect ourselves.”

The key control actually is lifestyle and food: no smoking, not being obese, getting 30 minutes of exercise a day, and eating healthier by eating more fruits, veggies, whole grain, and less meat, and if possible, no meat.
These are all under our control, if we want to live happy and healthy.

The reason people are dying from heart disease is there are dramatic shifts in our dietary patterns at the moment.
High blood pressure is no more a normal disease, it is a disease of overnutrition.
The cause of high blood pressure is not about the medication need.
The real cause is what we eat and how we live.
Flaxseeds, hibiscus tea, and whole grains have potent blood pressure lowering effects.

People are dying from atherosclerosis.
One way to prevent atherosclerosis is to reduce LDL cholesterol level.
High fiber diets lowers blood pressure but we are not eating enough fiber.

High fiber intake from whole plant foods prevent strokes including both ischemic or hemorrhagic.
Fiber controls cholesterol and blood sugar levels that reduce artery clogging plaque in our brain’s blood vessels.

One more advantage of fiber is it binds to toxins, such as lead and mercury, and flushes them away.
The other problem is if we aren’t constantly filling our bowels with plant foods which are the only natural source of fiber, the unwanted waste products can get reabsorbed and weaken the body’s detoxifying effect.

We have to reduce the intake of trans fat coming from processed food, meat, and dairy. We have to reduce saturated fat coming from animal products and junk foods.
We must cut off dietary cholesterol coming from animal derived foods like eggs.

Many doctors say to patients that if your cholesterol is under 200 mg/dL, that’s normal.
But the research says otherwise, to become virtually heart- attack proof, we need our LDL cholesterol at least under 70 mg/dL.
It’s only possible by adopting a diet around whole plant foods.

Meat promotes bacterial toxins, called endotoxins.
They are not destroyed by cooking or stomach acid or enzymes.
Once we eat animal products, these endotoxins reach our intestines and are carried by saturated fat into our bloodstream and they trigger the inflammatory reaction in our arteries.

Likewise, nitrite preservatives in meat may increase the risk of COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Unfortunately there is no cure for COPD.

One natural food to control cholesterol is Brazil nuts.
It is also a good source of mineral selenium.

Healthy lifestyle can boost telomerase enzyme activity and reverse cellular aging

Among many factors, one inevitable part of life is aging.
And, unfortunately, it poses the biggest risk factor for heart disease and cancer.
To understand aging, we have to know the role of the telomere in our body.
The tiny cap of the chromosome is called a telomere.

Every time cells divide, a bit of this cap is lost.
When the telomere is completely gone, the cell can die completely.
Telomere, basically, is our life fuse, the same as the fuse in a light bulb.
Smoking triples the rate of loss of telomeres.

Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, a professor and author of ‘The Telomere Effect’ was awarded 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine for her discovery of telomerase.
The finding is that a healthy lifestyle can boost telomerase enzyme activity and reverse cellular aging.
Remember, what kind of food we eat has more impact for telomere protection than weight loss or number of hours of exercise.
Eat more whole food, plant based diet, and reduce the intake of meats, dairy products, eggs, and processed foods.

I strongly recommend watching Dr. Blackburn’s TED Talk: ‘The science of cells that never get old’ where she talks about how we might have more control over aging than we think.

Revered biochemist, Earl Stadtman said, “Aging is a disease.”

Peter Attia, MD, author of ‘Outlive’ talks about the balance between what we can do to live longer and what we’re actually willing to do.
We need to track our glucose, optimize our sleep, follow a meticulous exercise routine, and potentially give up alcohol.

Dr. Attia said, “Risk is not something to be avoided at all costs; rather, it’s something we need to understand, analyze, and work with. One macronutrient, in particular, demands more of our attention than most people realize: not carbs, not fat, but protein becomes critically important as we age.”

In fact, epigenetics controls the gene activity.
Skin cells look and function differently than bone cells, brain cells, or heart cells, and the fact is all these cells have the same DNA.
Why they behave differently is because they each have different genes turned on or off.
This is epigenetics, same DNA, but different results.

Deepak Chopra, MD, and Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, authors of ‘Super Genes’ , explain how environmental factors and experiences can modify gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.
These modifications are epigenetic marks, which can be passed down to future generations, bridging the gap between nature and nurture.

Older age, smoking, and unhealthy diets are risk factors for both heart disease and cancer.
If we adopt a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, 30 minutes regular exercise, and avoiding smoking, it can help reduce the risk of both heart disease and cancer.
Healthy diet can reduce stroke risk by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure while improving blood flow and antioxidant capacity.
The plant based diet is the best to go.

Curcumin, an active compound in turmeric, helps to prevent or arrest cancer cell growth

Research shows that broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are cancer suppressors.
Kale lowers our bad LDL cholesterol and boosts good HDL cholesterol.
Kale is also an immunity booster vegetable.

There is another fact which says that only 7 to 10 percent of the adult Indian population eats meat daily.
If we don’t eat meat, we obviously ingest less substances like sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol in our body.

Report says cancer rates in India are much lower than in the United States because the regular use of the spice turmeric in Indian cooking has been proposed as a possible explanation.

Curcumin, an active compound in turmeric, helps to prevent or arrest cancer cell growth.
It prevents DNA mutations, it also helps to regulate programmed cell death.

Not fully understood but, curcumin, leaves non-cancerous cells untouched.
Curcumin affects several mechanisms of cell death simultaneously.
Not only lung cancer, curcumin is effective against breast, brain, blood, colon, kidney, liver, and skin cancers.

Very small amount of curcumin is absorbed into our bloodstream because it is only soluble in oil. Unabsorbed curcumin ends up in our colon and it impacts the cells lining of our large intestine where mostly cancer polyps develop.

The phytonutrient, quercetin, which is found in red onion and grapes reduces the number and size of polyps suffering from colorectal cancer.

One big question is, if curcumin is so effective, then why not do detailed clinical study?
But the question is who is going to spend money for the study that costs millions of dollars which can’t be patented.
This is the reality of the big pharma world.

There is another mineral called iron that is a double-edged sword, less means we suffer from anemia; excess means risk of cancer and heart disease.

One natural solution is to eat more phytates found in whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
They detoxify excess iron in the body which is the source of harmful cancer causing free radicals like hydroxyl radicals.

Non heme iron is mainly found in plant foods but heme iron is associated with cancer and heart disease.

People who donate blood frequently have less risk of cancer because they get rid of iron from the body.

Potassium rich foods like greens, beans, and sweet potatoes reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Citrus fruits like oranges contain a phytonutrient called hesperidin which increases blood flow throughout the body including the brain.
Seven to eight hours of quality sleep lifestyle is also essential to reduce stroke.

Conclusion

“Remember, nobody can make money by prescribing plants in our diets.
Medical community including pharma can make money only by prescribing pills, not by plants,” said Michael Greger, MD, the author of ‘How Not to Die’.

Yes, we all agree that we have to respond to the changing nature of disease patterns like heart disease and cancers.
This now requires a focus on prevention and that needs lifestyle change especially food habits.

I recommend watching Dr. Michael Gerger’s talk ‘Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death’ video on NutritionFacts.org.

Yam Timsina, PhD, writes primarily on health basics, scientific progress, social upliftment, and value creation.

Disclaimer: “Please note that some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.”

I recently met a man whose grandmother is from Loma Linda, California, the only blue zone in the US, an area where people live much longer than the average.
As a health enthusiast and research scientist, I was familiar with the book “The Blue Zones” by the author Dan Buettner, a longevity expert, who studied the areas of the world where people live exceptionally long lives.

I became quite interested to know about his grandmother and her place of living, and, in our conversation, the man said, his grandmother, a centenarian living at age 102, is religious and a strict vegetarian but eats fish, and drinks red wine occasionally.
At least, his observation over the years of his grandma’s life taught him that diet and lifestyle played a huge role in determining his grandma’s long lifespan.

Lifespan extends by long-term bad food restriction and natural circadian rhythms

He said, “My grandma doesn’t eat a lot and mostly eats only one meal in a day, normally eats fruits and vegetables, more often cultivating their own gardens full of green foods.”
She occasionally drinks a glass of red wine, which is kind of revolutionary as a Loma Linda resident.
He further said, “My grandma eats at least a half cup of strawberries every day, I believe that they are the highest known source of fisetin, a polyphenol, and it helps prevent DNA damage beyond repair.”

He recommended to me a book as a must read by Michael Greger, MD, “How Not to Age” and told me that this book makes us feel like we are what we eat.
What he said is that most of the concepts provided by Dr. Greger align with his grandmother’s lifestyle.
In his experience, a long and healthy life means not to damage the DNA and one way to do this is by bad food restriction.

He borrowed the words from Dr. Greger, “Up and down the evolutionary tree of life, the most reliable way to extend lifespan is long-term bad food restriction.”
He emphasized a lot on natural healthy habits and especially good natural foods without process and contamination.

Genetics, primarily, determines our life span and susceptibility to many chronic diseases but our lifestyle including quality sleep, and natural foods probably has the second greatest impact.
One of the natural lifestyles is adopting the science behind circadian rhythm and its impact in our body physiology.
It is crucial and essential to follow a natural lifestyle from the very beginning in our lives.

When we become old we lose contact with our circadian rhythm due to poor sleep quality that disrupts the production of hormones.
Hypothalamus controls our biological clock, circadian rhythm, and body temperature.
The function of the hypothalamus gets disrupted during old age.

Satchin Panda, PhD, one of the leading researchers on circadian rhythms and author of “The Circadian Code” says “We must plan accordingly to enhance weight loss, improve sleep, optimize exercise, and manage technology so that it doesn’t interfere with our body’s natural rhythm. If we follow proper circadian rhythms we can prevent and reverse ailments like diabetes, cancer, and dementia, as well as microbiome dysfunction.”

Chemicals in processed foods and everyday household stuff are hormone disruptors

Hypothalamus, a circadian rhythm controller, is a type of traffic controller to ensure good hormonal flow in our body.
It produces GnRH, gonadotropin releasing hormones.

It also ensures that we have enough energy for “fight or flight” response in the event of danger.
Research shows that hypothalamus also contains stem cells like bone marrow that are lost when we reach 70 to 80 years old.

When we get old we produce less sex hormone, testosterone, that has a huge effect on muscle strength.
Decreasing the amount of testosterone means a dramatic decline in muscle quality.
Decreasing sex hormones mean less effective optic nerve and ear, causing our sight and hearing to deteriorate.
This is one of the reasons that aging people suffer from vision and hearing loss.

Old body also produces less vitamin D and the gut absorbs less calcium which means the production of parathyroid hormone (PTH) has to increase for sufficient calcium to be released from the bones for adequate blood level maintenance.
This is one of the reasons that many old people suffer from osteoporosis.

Vitamin D is related to our longevity.
Vitamin D is essential for the stem cells living under the crypts of microvilli to replace dead cells along the gut wall.
Higher vitamin D means a more balanced and happy microbiome.
One fact is sheep milk has more than four times vitamin D than cow milk.
Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, is generally considered the best form of vitamin D supplement for people who really need it.

Dan Buettner, a longevity expert and author of “The Blue Zones” says “Most vitamin requirements are best achieved by eating six to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day. ”

Among many factors, maintaining a good hormonal system is a key to not getting old faster.
Pineal gland is a key gland in our hormonal system that gives melatonin hormone which has roles for
– Quality sleep
– Circadian rhythm
– Suppress the production of sex hormones until puberty
– Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects
– Anti aging effect

The most melatonin rich natural foods are red wine, olive oil, mushrooms, nuts, and spices.

We are catching diseases earlier in our lives because we are bombarded by a lot of chemically contaminated foods and other household stuff in our everyday life.
We must know that there are chemicals everywhere, we must be proactive and careful about what we are using and how we are using them to limit their exposure in our lives.
We have to be aware that these chemicals in plastics, cosmetics, paints, and pesticides which are our everyday household stuff are hormone disruptors.

Emulsifiers, sweeteners, thickeners, flavours, colors, additives, and preservatives are inflammatory

All mothers, especially prospective mothers should be aware that plasticizers are used to make supple and flexible rubbers and plastics.
Nipple on a baby’s bottle is one example.
The chemicals phthalates are used and they are plasticizers.
Do you check phthalates when you buy baby’s bottle?

Dibutyl phthalate is common in nail polish and diethyl phthalate is common in personal care products.
Are you aware of them and check things that have no such chemicals?
Phthalates are also found in plastic wraps, bags, chicken meat, flooring materials.

Phthalates can cause miscarriage, premature birth, and birth defects. They are also associated with the risk of breast cancer and testicular cancer, and other types of cancer.

Nonyl phenols, NPs, are in laundry detergents, personal hygiene products, automotive products, latex paints, and lawn care products.

Bisphenol A, BPA, is found in plastics, water bottles, and protective coatings.

DDT, dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane, is a pesticide.
Chlormequat is also used to regulate plant growth to prevent them from bending over during harvest
Quaternary ammonium, chlormequat, are also used as herbicide and pesticide, and there is a high chance they are found in oat products, barley, and wheat.

Plastic particles called microplastics which are a mere micrometer in size, are now omnipresent in the environment.
They are in our air and our food chain, inhaled and consumed by humans everyday.
Microplastics alter microbiome diversity, create dysbiosis, and impact gut barrier function.

Anything containing ‘paraben’ is used mainly as preservatives in beers, sodas, and cosmetics.
Parabens can harm our body by disrupting hormones, affecting fertility, and increasing the risk of cancer.

Remember, our processed foods mean we have emulsifiers, sweeteners, thickeners, flavours, and colors including additives and preservatives.
They all are chemicals and they are inflammatory, and harmful for our body.
Our body can clean up only a limited amount of toxins and chemicals but today’s processed and ultra processed foods contain tons of these toxins and chemicals.

A poverty of attention on product labels means shortening of lifespan

Michael Greger, MD, nutrition expert, physician, and author of “How Not to Die”, said “Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and they are related to what we eat. Our diet is the number one cause of premature death and the number one cause of disability. Surely, diet must also be the number one thing taught in medical schools, right? Sadly, it’s not.”

Dr. Greger is also the founder of the extremely useful website: NutritionFacts.org.
Michael Greger’s TedTalk “Food as Medicine” is very informative and useful to prevent and reverse chronic diseases by adopting food and lifestyle change.

We eat a lot of processed foods but we don’t have time to read the labels even though we have smartphones in our pocket.
We all have become attention deficient creatures, we don’t have patience even for checking chemicals in food labels that are killing us everyday.

Gloria Mark, PhD, author of “Attention Span” said “In 2004, we measured the average attention on a screen to be two and half minutes. It went down to 75 seconds and now people pay attention to one screen for about 47 seconds.”
Dr. Mark’s book “Attention Span” discusses how social media and modern entertainment are amplifying our short attention span and draining our mental resources.

Herbert Alexander Simon, an American economist, is a pioneer of the attention economy. His words, “In an information rich world, the wealth of information means a poverty of attention.”
In terms of processed and contaminated food consumption, we are in a boat of “a poverty of attention.”

Conclusion

After reading many books on diet, longevity, lifestyle from different experts, I realized that one of the best ways to not get old faster, and live without chronic diseases is to have harmony with nature, eat natural and pure foods as much as possible, have strong family and community bonds, but above all, we have to be free from high levels of chemical exposure and processed foods.

All of these people who are centenarians, 100 years old or more, with no chronic diseases means they are life simplifiers.
They took our so-called complex life and simplified it for a very long period of time.
They understood that the essence of a long healthy life is simplicity in terms of eating and habit formation according to natural rhythms.
What could be simpler than the adoption of natural circadian rhythms with 8 hours sleep?
What could be more elegant than eating natural home grown fruits and vegetables?
What could be more simple than the avoidance of chemically harmful household stuff and processed foods?

Yam Timsina, PhD, writes primarily on health basics, scientific progress, social upliftment, and value creation.

Disclaimer: “Please note that some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.”