Prime Time - Jane Fonda [44]
Five Key Things to Watch
Five key things you should cut down on or cut out of your Third Act are:
ADDED SUGARS
Americans today consume 50 percent more sugar than we did in 1910. The sugar industry now produces about 130 pounds of sugar per person each year! This is more than a third of a pound daily for every woman, man, and child. A major Harvard study notes that, besides being devoid of nutrients, excess sugar promotes obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and tooth decay; the study singles out sugary beverages in particular. The label might say corn syrup, dextrose, maltose, glucose, or invert sugar, but, honey, it’s all sugar! So don’t eat those sugary muffins and cereals for breakfast! Don’t snack on candy. Cut back on the sweet desserts. Try to consume less than 30 grams of sugar a day—but don’t worry about the naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables, milk, and yogurt.
FAT
Fat is an essential nutrient. Without enough fat, the skin deteriorates and vitamin deficiencies flourish. Fat is a carrier of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, and aids in the digestion and absorption of important disease-fighting plant components called phytonutrients (phyton is “plant” in Greek). Those substances include carotenoids, lycopene, and lutein, which may help prevent inflammation, cellular oxidation, and ailments such as macular degeneration (the major cause of blindness with aging), cancer, and heart disease.
To many people, the term “healthy fat” seems like an oxymoron. Evolving science is finding that there is a minimum level of fat you must eat to maintain health, but the type of fat you choose is crucial.
Fat is our second most important source of energy after carbohydrates, but there are good fats and bad fats, and the bad ones are a potential dietary time bomb.
Trans Fats
Artificial trans fat (from partially hydrogenated oils) is, gram for gram, the most harmful fat in the food supply. It both raises the “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowers the “good” HDL cholesterol in our blood. Thankfully, the amount of this artificial fat created by the food industry (it’s cheap and so very profitable—at our expense!) is now required to be stated on food labels—and most large food manufacturers and restaurants have stopped using it. (In fact, California, New York City, and other jurisdictions have largely banned it from restaurant foods!) The amount of trans fat in the food supply has declined by at least half since 2004, but trans fats are still found in some brands of microwave popcorn, fried foods, pies, cookies, and pastries. Check out the labels carefully (or ask a baker), and you’ll see. Your goal should be to eliminate trans fats from your diet altogether. (Beef and cheese have small amounts of naturally occurring trans fat; you’ll avoid most of that if you choose low-fat meat and dairy products.)
Saturated Fats
The other bad fats, the saturated fats, are the ones that are solid at room temperature—such as butter, lard, and shortening, including shortening made with coconut or palm oil. Saturated fat increases the “bad” (LDL) cholesterol level in the blood and your risk of heart disease. However, it is not nearly as harmful as trans fat because it also tends to raise the “good” (HDL) cholesterol. Try to avoid fried foods, butter, ice cream, full-fat cheeses, cream sauces, processed meats such as cold cuts, sausages, and bacon, and most red meat. By the way, those of us over fifty don’t need to worry as much about cholesterol; it doesn’t carry as much risk for us as it does for younger people. Minimize your intake of saturated fats to less than 10 or 20 grams per day.
Good Fats
There are, however,