Dr. Lam Author of
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Toxic Food
Michael Lam, MD, MPH
www.DrLam.com
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.
Related Links:
Want to live to age 100 actively? Learn from the
Centenarians and
what they do.
Calorie Restriction - How much food should you eat?
Find out if you are over-weight
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 .
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article. If you have areas you don’t understand, or if you have a specific health concern, feel free to write
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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 Certification 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.
For More Information
For the latest anti-aging related health issues, visit Dr. Lam
at www.DrLam.com. Feel free to email
Dr. Lam by clicking here if you have any questions.
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be reprinted and republished without permission provided that it is for personal
and non commercial education use only and further provided that credit be given
to the author, with copyright notice and www.DrLam.com
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© 1999-2009 Michael
Lam, M.D. All Rights Reserved.
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