What is the most widely used toxin in the world? You guessed it - food of course!

The sad reality is that, after reaching adulthood, food should be viewed as a drug and a toxin in order to put things into perspective. Why? Because food is the number one cause of illness across the world. Improper food is accountable for more deaths ( due to cancer, diabetes, and heart attacks) than World War 1 and 2 combined. If food is not toxic, what is?

Have you seen a grossly obese person live to the ripe old age of 100? Have you seen any grossly obese people in a highly alert state? Yes, it is possible, but I have yet to see one!

The reason is simple - most of them are either dead or getting close to it. (This is an exaggeration). Obesity is an addiction and a disease affecting more than 50% of Americans. Take it seriously.

If longevity is what you are looking for - eat what your body needs, not what you are used to eating.

Few of us rarely take the time to understand the proper amount of food our body needs. Instead, we eat based on impulse, cultural background, likes, and dislikes. Eating is a socially acceptable, encouraged, and an addiction of massive proportion.


As we age, our body's metabolism slows down. You only need 60 percent of your calorie requirement at age 60 to perform the same bodily functions at age 20. Yet, few people slow down in their eating. Once the amount of calories ingested is sufficient for normal daily functions; excess food turns into fat and free radicals. Both are toxic in excess amounts. The reality is that our body only needs about 1500 - 1800 calories a day, while most of us are eating 2,000 to 2,500 calories.  In short, most of us are overeating by about 30%. Only one population group in the world restrict their diet voluntarily. They are the Okinawans based in Japan. They live the longest ( average of 81.6 years and ranked first ), compared to Americans, who are ranked 19th and live only an average of 76 years.

Food is a toxin.  For anti-aging you don't want too much of it. Certain foods are more toxic than others, such as French Fries, BBQ chicken, and most fast foods.

A case in point is the compound called acrylamide. This is a chemical used to produce plastics and dyes and to purify drinking water.  Acrylamide has been shown to be carcinogenic in animals and is suspected of causing cancer among people who are exposed to high levels for long periods. Although traces of it have been found in water, its possible high level presence in basic foods came as a shock. A Swedish study, published in April 2002, sounded the first alarm that some starch-based foods cooked at high temperatures contained acrylamide. Subsequent studies in Norway, Britain, Switzerland and the United States, basically backed up the findings of Sweden's National Food Administration. The U.S. findings agreed with the European findings that French fries had the highest levels of acrylamide. Potato and corn chips also had high levels.

In addition to the toxin, French fries and processed food, especially those that are deep fried, contain a large quantity of hydrogenate oil (also called trans-fat) that has been shown to be carcinogenic.

On top of this, toxic food is a sedentary lifestyle. This one-two punch is a sure prescription for heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The toxic environment is a combination of food and lack of physical activity. The remote control, video games, the automobile, television, and (to some extent) the computer are all part of the toxic environment because they discourage people from being physically active.

If you want to live longer than the average person, you have no choice but to do what the average person does not do. Develop a militant attitude about the toxic food environment we are in, like we have about tobacco. Next time you look at that dinner plate, imagine it as a plate of poison that you must be careful of. This may be an extreme analogy, but it works. Most of us are overfed and under-nourished.

The take home lesson is - Food is a toxin and a Drug! Handle with care.
 

 
About The Author

Michael Lam, M.D., M.P.H., A.B.A.A.M. is a specialist in Preventive and Anti-Aging Medicine. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loma Linda University School of Medicine, California. He also holds a Masters of Public Health degree and is Board Certified in Anti-aging Medicine by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. He has authored numerous articles and the following books: The Five Proven Secrets to Longevity, How to Stay Young and Live Longer, Estrogen Dominance - Hormonal Imbalance of the 21st Century, and Beating Cancer with Natural Medicine.

 
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Related Links:

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My Detox Diet Protocol that will bring your weight down without sacrificing nutrition.

To know what to eat and what not to eat, follow my Anti-aging Food Pyramid .