Ten Foods and Food Additives That Make You Old

Much of today’s food contains additives, chemicals, and artificial taste-enhancing substances designed to make it more attractive, less perishable, and easier to sell and advertise. The more science discovers about food additives however, the more apparent it becomes they often accelerate the aging process and contribute to a host chronic diseases associated with aging (like heart disease, auto immune disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke).

Knowing which foods to avoid is as important to a healthy anti-aging diet as knowing which foods to eat. The following ten food-like substances and common food additives should be avoided if at all possible, not just by people who want to stay young, but by anyone who wants to stay healthy:

1. High fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is used in place of sugar in many packaged foods. Recent research suggests that high fructose corn syrup impairs the functioning of a hormone called leptin. Leptin regulates feelings of satiety. When leptin stops working, people keep eating even after they are full. This does sell more products, but it also causes obesity and hormonal imbalance. The obesity epidemic in the U.S. started concurrent with the widespread use of high fructose corn syrup in packaged foods.
2. Hydrogenated vegetable oil. Hydrogenated vegetable oils, also known as trans fats, are one of the worst food-like substances on the market. Trans fats clog arties and lead to heart disease and stroke. High in calories and low in nutrition, they are found in most packaged starchy foods and many cereals.
3. Artificial sweeteners. Ironically, many of the food additives that directly contribute to obesity are found in ‘diet’ foods. Artificial sweeteners increase hunger for real sugar and to cause cravings and overeating. Some studies also link artificial sweeteners to chronic autoimmune illnesses like lupus and multiple sclerosis.
4. Sugar. The U.S. today consumes eight times as much sugar and sweetener per person as in the first quarter of the 20th century. The average American eats whopping 142 pounds every year. Overconsumption of sugar leads to obesity, diabetes, mood swings, and cravings for even more sugar. Sugar has almost no nutritional value, damages teeth and insulin regulation, and leaves less room for truly nourishing foods.
5. Salt. The American Medical Association recommends limiting salt consumption to no more than half a teaspoon per day. The average person currently consumes two or three times that much. Hidden salt is listed as with the prefix ‘sodium’ in processed and canned foods. Excessive salt consumption causes hypertension, stroke, water retention, and dry skin.
6. MSG (Monosodium glutamate). MSG is a common flavor enhancer that is added to dips, sauces, packaged foods, frozen foods, and ethnic foods. MSG can trigger overeating and, in some people, can cause severe allergic reactions that include difficulty breathing, headache, and nausea.
7. Refined flour and packaged food additives. White flour and the fillers added to white flour in packaged foods act just like raw sugar inside the body once digestion begins. This means that packaged cookies made with white flour, sugar, additives, and hydrogenated fats contain no real nutrition and are in fact more like a drug than a food. Eating lots of refined flour causes constant blood sugar spikes and crashes that lead to severe cravings and overeating, much like an addictive cycle.
8. Artificial coloring. Many artificial colorings are known carcinogens.
9. Artificial flavorings. Artificial flavorings are known to trigger allergic reactions and cause a variety of cancers in animals
10. Sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate. These chemicals preserve the color and flavor of smoked meats like bacon and sausage. Both combine with chemicals in the stomach to form nitrosamine, a known carcinogen.

More important than any specific drawback of any single food additive is the general effect food additives have on an anti-aging diet. Artificial substances force the body to work harder to keep these chemicals from irritating cells and causing cells to produce toxins that accelerate the aging process.

Focusing on a diet of whole foods—foods closest to their natural state—is the best way to avoid food additives and toxic foods that contribute to aging. Shop the edges of the store: Buy mostly fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, lean meat and fish, low fat dairy, and whole grains. Learn to enjoy these foods without sugar or salt.

Your body will thank you for it, and you will feel and look fabulous.

Related links:

Top Ten Anti-Aging Foods

Anti Aging Foods: Look and Feel Younger with the Foods You Eat