My mission in life and with Autumn Elle Nutrition is to help everyone live their healthiest (and tastiest!) life. Feeling good feels SO good, and I want everyone to feel that way! Yes, having clear skin, toned muscles, and bright eyes are great - and natural side effects of living a healthy life - but my main mission is to address how you feel and to make you feel great for as long as humanly possible. That's why with every article I write, I'm talking about your health. Because ultimately, being healthy will help you achieve any and all of your wellness goals, but it will also make your tissues strong, your cells capable, and your brain function at it's maximum capacity!
Side note here: Did you know that it takes an average of 17.5 years for what scientists KNOW to actually make it into the main stream health care practices?! How crazy is that?! I'm constantly reading journal articles, studies, and the latest research so that I can bring up to date information to you so that you can reap the benefits of feeling amazing... without having to wait 17.5 years for this information to get to you!
Okay, okay, my rant is over! Now let's get to the latest topic at hand. This sneaky compound is naturally occurring in our bodies, but our lifestyles are vastly increasing the amount that our cells are exposed to everyday. They cause cell damage, decrease cellular flexibility (which trust me, isn't a good thing), destroy vital organ tissues, and decrease brain function. In short, this compound significantly increases the aging process... by a lot. These compounds are called AGEs.
Let me introduce you to AGEs
Advanced Glycation End-Products or "AGEs" are very well named considering what they do to your body. Like I mentioned above, they run amuck, destroying your tissues at the cellular level. This can lead to heart disease, inflammation, dementia, and much much more.
How are they formed?
"Glycation" essentially means the binding of sugar to proteins or fat. Once sugar enters your blood supply, it's pretty "sticky" and will adhere to any protein passing by. And considering most of your body is made of proteins (think hormones, cells, organ tissues), it sticks to a lot of things. The more sugar and the more often you have sugar in your blood supply, the more likely you are to form AGEs - and at a fast rate.
Why is this a problem?
Once those sugars attach themselves, the cells become inflexible, which means that they can't do their jobs as well. The AGEs also act like free radicals and cause severely increased inflammation and oxidation.
How do you prevent them?!
Glycation will inevitably occur, but it doesn't have to be at detrimental levels. Simply put, just by removing all added sugars and processed carbohydrates - both of which release sugar quickly into the blood supply - you can significantly decrease your body's AGEs. Instead, get any of your sugar from natural sources such as fruit. Fruit is packaged with fiber and water that helps to slow the release of sugar into your blood supply. You can also decrease your morning sugar intake by following THESE simple tips.
Being proactive about our health is so important. I think of it as putting deposits into my "health bank account" now. Not only will you feel amazing and energized throughout your life by having this perspective on health, you'll also save so much money on health care! Which P.S. - the average American spends $9400 per year on healthcare... imagine what you could do with an extra $9400 every year! That's an extravagant vacation that you could go on EVERY year instead!! AND while feeling healthy and amazing!!
As always, I appreciate that you're taking the time to read these articles. It really is an investment in your health and longevity. If this article resonated with you, make sure to pass it along to friends and family. We have to get this information out there so that we ALL can feel great, healthy, and unstoppable!
Your Nutritionist,
Autumn
Need some ideas on healthy recipes that are high in fiber and low in sugar to prevent AGEs formation? Head over HERE for some inspo.
Autumn Elle Nutrition
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