The REAL Fountain of Youth
It is amazing the speed at which people will part
with their money for the promise of a youthful glow. Magic wrinkle creams and miraculous weight
loss equipment are what keep the shopping network in business. It is the creams that particularly amuse
me. Are we forgetting that everything we
see on our body – skin, hair, and nails – is ALREADY DEAD? How effective is that cream really going to
be? Cream manufacturers are starting to
get smarter. The newest advertising
phrases include things like “DNA repair and renewal”. This is on the right track. We know that the key to aging well lies in
the protection and maintenance of our DNA.
But back to the same point – is it really worth repairing the DNA of
skin that is already dead? And why just
repair skin DNA? How can I get my heart,
lungs, and liver in on the action as well?
The answer is rather simple and boring: EAT MORE
PLANTS. There is an abundance of research
demonstrating that key compounds in plants interact directly with our DNA. They can turn on genes and they can turn off genes. Genes matter because they produce proteins,
and it is these proteins that are responsible for everything else that happens
in our bodies, from our skin to our brains.
I would like to be more specific, but I can’t. It is not because I am wrong – it is because
nutrition is a very new science. We
still can’t even identify all of the compounds that make up an apple, let alone
understand how they interact with our body after digestion. But what we do know with a large degree of
certainty is that people who eat plants are less prone to cancer, a disease
characterized by damaged DNA that has the wrong genes turned on.
So, how do I protect the DNA in my living cells, and thus retain my youth and health? You do it from the inside out by eating more
plants. Here is one of my favourite ways
to increase my raw veggie intake:
You cannot bottle the nutritional punch of raw
veggies and homemade salad dressing in a pill or a cream. A quick note: DO NOT skip the salad dressing because you
think you are doing yourself a favour by eliminating calories. The oil is necessary for the body to absorb
all of the wonderful fat soluble vitamins, like A, D, and K found in the
veggies. I have seen gourmet health
salads sell for upwards of £10-20.
Using my method below, you can make and store a week’s worth of salad using
organic produce, for under £8.
Directions:
Salads are all about the right combination of
textures and flavours! In my experience,
I have found that almost any raw vegetable can be eaten -and enjoyed- when finely
chopped.
Here is the rubric for making an outstanding
salad:
1) Colourful mix of veggies2) Intensely flavoured cheese (the stronger the flavour, the less you need to use; my personal fav is goat feta)
3) Sprinkling of any type of nut or seed
4) Balanced dressing
Once a week, I load
up on fresh veggies. I wash and dry
them, and then slice them up in my food processor. Pretty much any combo will work, but the key
is to get a variety of textures and colours. For example, combine Swiss chard, red cabbage,
shredded carrots, and sliced radishes. I
also like to add in some onions for flavour.
I mix it all in a massive Tupperware container, and then store it in my fridge. By choosing thicker, rougher leaves, like
kale, Swiss chard, and collard greens, and staying away from traditional
lettuce leaves (like spinach, romaine, etc), your salad will last the entire
week. All you will have to do is plate
it and add the nuts, cheese, and dressing!
PS. Have your photo ID handy!
