Younger You (Category K)

Posted by Ravikiran K.S. on January 1, 2006

Supplementing with additional zinc can create good health all over. The latest research shows that zinc can protect us against specific immune diseases, such as esophageal cancer. I consider the essential nutrient zinc to be a super aging code buster because it is able to achieve all of the following:

  • Maintains a healthy immune system

  • Accelerates wound healing

  • Maintains sense of taste and smell

  • Maintains sight

  • Helps synthesize DNA

  • Supports normal growth and development

  • Helps sperm develop

  • Promotes ovulation and fertilization

  • Protects against prostate problems

  • Helps protect against cancer

  • Helps decrease cholesterol deposits

  • Is good for hair and skin health

  • Helps preserve mental faculties in the elderly

  • Detoxifies and removes lead, cadmium, aluminum, and other toxins

Fish oils are another super nutrient pause buster. Unlike zinc, fish oils are obviously not something the body naturally produces. Instead, beneficial fish oils come from cold-water fish, such as mackerel, salmon, black cod, albacore tuna, sardines, and herring. The active ingredients in fish oils are essential fatty acids known as omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oils benefit both adults and children, and it’s never too late to begin supplementing these additional nutrients.

Creating a Rainbow Plate

Each of your three meals, plus one snack, should be at least 80 percent plant based and no more than 20 percent animal based. Your plate should always look like a rainbow: not too much of any one color and always a variety. All of your food choices and supplements should be from natural food sources and organic when possible.

  • Instead of white rice, choose brown rice.

  • Instead of white sugar, try brown sugar or honey.

  • Instead of white potatoes, eat sweet potatoes and yams.

  • Instead of white flour, use whole-grain flour.

  • Instead of salt, season your meals with spices.

Rules of the Rainbow Diet

  1. Most of your meals should contain a variety of brightly colored foods.

  2. Don’t skip meals. Eat three evenly spaced meals a day, plus one late-morning or late-afternoon snack. Make sure to finish your dinner in time to have three full hours to digest before going to bed.

  3. Avoid canned foods.

  4. Avoid saturated fats.

  5. Read labels carefully; some “fat-free” foods are high in sugar and salt.

  6. Avoid pickled and smoked foods.

  7. Choose lean meats, and trim fat wherever possible.

  8. Increase your fiber intake.

  9. Drink a variety of colored teas.

  10. Drink only fresh-squeezed juice, not from concentrate.

  11. Drink eight glasses of water each day.

  12. Avoid processed foods, such as white flour, salt, sugar, and soft drinks.

  13. Eat yogurt daily.

  14. Chew raw, crunchy foods such as celery, carrots, apples, and pears to feel satisfied.

Exercise Reverses All of Your Aging Codes

  • Dopamine Combats obesity; improves blood sugar and balance

  • Acetylcholine Improves memory, concentration, and overall cognition; increases blood flow to the brain

  • GABA Relieves anxiety and stress; helps regulate breathing; reduces pain

  • Serotonin Improves quality of sleep; combats depression

Exercise increases dopamine, and dopamine increases your desire to exercise, which raises overall energy in the body. The more you exercise, the more your body thinks it’s alive and the more you shut off the death codes.

Rainbow foods are nutrient dense with fewer empty calories than processed food. Brightly colored fruits, vegetables, grains, herbal teas, and spices are what make you feel satisfied and less likely to binge later.

Group 1: The AgePrint of Your Brain

Electropause: The Pausing of Your Brain’s Electrical Chemistry

Dopamine: Brain Firepower

  1. I have gained more than 20 pounds since I was 20 years old. T/F

  2. I am a smoker. T/F

  3. I know I need to exercise, but I don’t have the energy to do it. T/F

  4. I overeat when I am stressed. T/F

  5. I have problems staying focused at home or at work. T/F

  6. I can never seem to get enough sleep. T/F

  7. I need to have at least one cup of coffee to jump-start me in the morning. T/F

  8. I have no sex drive. T/F

  9. I have been diagnosed with heart disease. T/F

  10. I drink more than three alcoholic beverages per week. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? dopamine age code:

Acetylcholine: Brain Cognition

  1. My friends have told me that I’m becoming absentminded. T/F

  2. I have experienced hair loss. T/F

  3. My ability to remember faces has decreased. T/F

  4. I need to write down even the simplest lists, directions, or instructions. T/F

  5. My ability to recall numbers has decreased. T/F

  6. My memory has decreased. T/F

  7. My management skills have decreased. T/F

  8. I don’t feel like my brain is working well. T/F

  9. Alzheimer’s and/or dementia runs in my family. T/F

  10. I often forget where I put important things, like keys or prescription medications. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? acetylcholine age code:

GABA: Brain Stability

  1. I often feel heart palpitations. T/F

  2. As I get older, my patience is diminishing. T/F

  3. My muscles feel tenser than ever before. T/F

  4. I frequently have back pain. T/F

  5. I am constantly on edge. T/F

  6. I have high blood pressure. T/F

  7. I tend to worry more than I used to. T/F

  8. I get angry at the smallest incidents. T/F

  9. I sometimes experience seizures. T/F

  10. I have mood swings. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? GABA age code:

Serotonin: Brain Serenity

  1. I find it harder to stay asleep at night. T/F

  2. I’m never very hungry, although sometimes I find myself eating more than I should. T/F

  3. I don’t do the activities I used to enjoy. T/F

  4. I used to be a risk taker, but now I have trouble making decisions. T/F

  5. I find myself thinking about the same things over and over again. T/F

  6. I feel that the world is passing me by. T/F

  7. I can’t handle crises. T/F

  8. The smallest problems make me scream. T/F

  9. I have frequent thoughts about suicide. T/F

  10. As a young adult, I was told I was moody. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? serotonin age code:

Group 2: The Overworked Cardiovascular System

Cardiopause: The Slowing and Aging of the Heart

  1. I have swollen legs. T/F

  2. I experience shortness of breath when I exercise. T/F

  3. I often experience light-headedness. T/F

  4. I have been told that I have a heart murmur. T/F

  5. I have difficulty breathing when lying down. T/F

  6. I have a rapid heartbeat. T/F

  7. I am always tired during the day. T/F

  8. I have a cough that does not go away. T/F

  9. I have experienced pain, discomfort, heaviness, and pressure in my chest. T/F

  10. My lips are often a bluish color. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? cardiopause age code:

Vasculopause: The Aging of the Peripheral Vascular System

  1. I have had blood clots. T/F

  2. I have cold hands and feet. T/F

  3. I see more veins on my legs than I used to. T/F

  4. My ankles, on occasion, swell. T/F

  5. I have had ulcers on my lower legs. T/F

  6. I have dry, thin, flaky skin. T/F

  7. My nails are soft and brittle. T/F

  8. The skin on my lower legs has turned to a darker or reddish shade. T/F

  9. I have lost hair on my lower legs. T/F

  10. I experience pain in my calves when I walk. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? vasculopause age code:

Group 3: Modulating Systems

Thyropause: A Weakening Metabolism and Associated Conditions

  1. I have an enlarged neck. T/F

  2. I feel weak and fatigued most of the time. T/F

  3. I have a greater sensitivity to cold. T/F

  4. I have delayed reflexes. T/F

  5. I have been told that I am anemic. T/F

  6. I have a slow heartbeat. T/F

  7. My metabolism has slowed with age. T/F

  8. (For women) My periods are heavier than they used to be. T/F

  9. I am often constipated. T/F

  10. I am often hoarse. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? thyropause age code:

Immunopause: Aging of the Immune System

  1. I have noticed more warts or cysts on my body. T/F

  2. Cuts or bruises seem to take longer to heal. T/F

  3. My blood works shows a deficiency in T cells. T/F

  4. I have a persistent cough that won’t go away. T/F

  5. I have had frequent ear or sinus infections. T/F

  6. I have bloating or fullness in my abdomen that isn’t related to food. T/F

  7. I have seen blood in my urine. T/F

  8. I have had pain in my hips, spine, or ribs. T/F

  9. I often need to regulate my bowels with laxatives. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? immunopause age code:

Group 4: Aging Sexuality

Menopause: For Women Only

  1. My nails are weaker and chip or split more often. T/F

  2. My vagina is dryer than it used to be. T/F

  3. I lose lots of hair each week, and it feels more brittle than before. T/F

  4. My breasts have begun to sag. T/F

  5. I have hot flashes during the day. T/F

  6. I rarely feel like having sex. T/F

  7. My doctor has prescribed estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, or DHEA supplements. T/F

  8. I am experiencing the beginning stages of osteoporosis or height loss. T/F

  9. I can’t remember details as well as I used to. T/F

  10. I have begun to have night sweats. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? menopause age code:

Andropause: For Men Only

  1. When I have sex, it takes me a long time to achieve an orgasm. T/F

  2. I carry my excess weight directly on my abdomen. T/F

  3. I have diminished sex drive. T/F

  4. I have thin arms and legs. T/F

  5. I have noticed that my ejaculate is diminished. T/F

  6. I do not need to shave as often as when I was younger. T/F

  7. I have lost hair on my body. T/F

  8. I notice that my neck is getting wider and broader. T/F

  9. My doctor has told me my testosterone level is diminished. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? andropause age code:

Group 5: Musculoskeletal Aging

Osteopause: The Aging of the Bones and Loss of Bone Density

  1. I experience pain in my hips and knees. T/F

  2. I have been diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis. T/F

  3. I have lost inches off my height over the years (take your height measurements now to find out). T/F

  4. I have broken a bone in the past. T/F

  5. I have a history of either curved spine or hunchback and/orcurved posture in my family. T/F

  6. I have weighed less than 110 pounds as an adult. T/F

  7. I have abused recreational steroids in the past. T/F

  8. (For women) I have missed my period for more than a year. (For men) I think about having sex fewer than two times a week. T/F

  9. I have suffered from an eating disorder that caused me to lose an excessive amount of weight. T/F

  10. I have fair skin and light eyes. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? osteopause age code:

Parathyropause: The Brain-Bone Calcium Connection

  1. My eyebrows are thinning. T/F

  2. I feel anxious more frequently. T/F

  3. I have blurry vision. T/F

  4. I have been told that I have cataracts in my eyes. T/F

  5. I fall often. T/F

  6. I feel sluggish most of the time. T/F

  7. I have been told that my personality has changed. T/F

  8. My muscles twitch at times. T/F

  9. I often have yeast or candida infections. T/F

  10. My doctor has told me that my reflexes have diminished. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? parathyropause age code:

Somatopause: Aging of Muscles and Loss of Muscle Mass

  1. I have started to get wrinkles. T/F

  2. My hair and nails are not growing as fast as they used to. T/F

  3. My friends have far fewer gray hairs than I have. T/F

  4. My skin is thinning. T/F

  5. I am not as tall as I used to be. T/F

  6. I am not as agile as I used to be. T/F

  7. I am not as strong as I used to be. T/F

  8. I have problems opening jars or carrying heavy loads. T/F

  9. I have gained body fat, especially around my waistline. T/F

  10. I have been told that my cholesterol is high. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? somatopause age code:

Group 6: Changes to the Skin

Dermatopause: Aging of the Skin and Loss of Collagen and Structure

  1. My skin is beginning to sag. T/F

  2. I have many wrinkles. T/F

  3. My skin does not appear as supple as it used to. T/F

  4. I have age spots, skin discolorations, spider veins, or red spots. T/F

  5. I have external cysts, lumps, or bumps. T/F

  6. My skin has lost its glow. T/F

  7. I have been diagnosed with skin cancer. T/F

  8. The skin under my neck is noticeably sagging. T/F

  9. I have jowls. T/F

  10. I have spent much of my life in the sun without proper protection. T/F

Number of true responses: **; add 0 to number ? dermatopause age code:

Just controlling your weight takes 10 to 15 years off your AgePrint. A Twinkie might satisfy your sweet tooth, but it can’t give you precious years with your loved ones.