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Let’s get straight to the point. If you’ve been following my lessons, you might remember I’ve never been a big fan of turmeric as a…
By Lucy Dunn
This article is a repost which originally appeared on NEW YORK POST
Edited for content
A slew of celebrities are said to practice bio-hacking. Now, a new book claims it can help reverse your “bio age.”
Jeff Bezos’ makeover from scrawny to strapping was highlighted again over Christmas, as the Amazon founder flaunted his shirtless muscles while in St. Barts with girlfriend Lauren Sanchez. The world’s second-richest man has long claimed that healthy eating — including, he has said, ditching his habit of eating an entire can of Pillsbury biscuits for breakfast — and sleep habits led to his transformation. But experts suggest Bezos is, like many other A-listers and tech titans, probably a fan of biohacking.
“Access to biohacking tools such as stem cells and hormones is allowing men to look, perform and think better,” cosmetic dermatologist Jessie Cheung told Town & Country. “I’m pretty sure he’s gotten a taste of some good stuff.”
Bezos has also invested millions of dollars in Unity Biotechnology, a startup that reportedly aims to make the “debilitating consequences of aging as uncommon as polio.”
And who wouldn’t want to look a little younger, have fewer wrinkles and feel more energetic — and a little less creaky? The book “Younger You: Reverse Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better” (Hachette Go) by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald, out Jan. 18, aims to show what you can do to look and feel younger longer, in as little as eight weeks.
It’s not quite “Back To The Future.” But Fitzgerald, a doctor in naturopathic medicine from National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, Ore., says it is possible to reverse your biological age — or “bio age” — a term scientists use for determining how old someone’s tissues, systems and genetic material are.
“Younger You” by Dr. Kara FitzgeraldYounger You shares DIY biohacking tips.
As Bezos learned, poor diet, lifestyle and even factors such as stress can damage your body. But, Fitzgerald claims, getting those factors under control can help wind back your bio age for better cognition, higher energy and a more youthful appearance — and also lower your risk of every major disease.
The doctor recognizes that not everyone has the money, time or desire to pursue the form of biohacking that tech gurus like former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey are said to enjoy: “Somewhere in Silicon Valley right now (so many biohackers seem to be male, tech-friendly, and wealthy), someone is injecting themself with human growth hormone, receiving an IV of a young person’s blood plasma, taking an immunosuppressive drug, or even downing a cocktail of gene-editing enzymes and proteins in an effort to achieve maximum performance and longevity,” Fitzgerald writes. “While … I am paying attention to (and excited about) the latest anti-aging science, for most of us, [it’s] not available, affordable, doable, or even desirable.”
Instead, her plan focuses on DIY hacks.
The eating plan is “plant leaning” and similar to the popular keto diet in that the goal is to move your body into “ketosis” — the state where it makes ketones for fuel from fat instead of burning glucose.
“Younger You” concentrates on lowering inflammation (as Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen do), which has been linked to many major diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression and Alzheimer’s. It avoids excess sugar and simple carbs found in processed, refined foods like sugar, pasta and white bread — but also grains, beans and legumes, and dairy, which can raise blood sugar and cause inflammation.
Fitzgerald’s plan is based on research that was the first of its kind to show biological age reversal in humans, by an average of three years. Patients in her study showed an improvement in digestion, a drop in blood sugar and insulin production, and higher “good” cholesterol and lower “bad” cholesterol numbers. Lower levels of the antibodies that are hallmarks of autoimmune conditions were also reported.
The program is centered around genetics. Consider DNA as your body’s hardware: It never changes. The software — which determines which genes are turned on or off — is a process called “DNA methylation.”
“You want your DNA methylation to be working in such a way that your good genes [those that suppress tumor growth, for example] are on and your bad genes [for, say, inflammation] are off,” says Fitzgerald. The lifestyle choices you make every day — what you eat, when you go to bed, how much you exercise — can all negatively or positively influence it.
To discover your current bio age, go to biological-age.com, one of the many online links that deduce how “old” your body is based on factors such as education, relationships, and food, exercise and sleep habits.
Six tips for reducing your bio age
The ideal is 45–50 percent of daily calories from a blend of healthy monounsaturated, saturated, omega-3, and omega-6 fats; 15–20 percent of daily calories from clean protein: organic and pasture-raised meat, as well as eggs, nuts and seeds; and 30–35 percent of daily calories from unexpected carbs: green, cruciferous (broccoli, cauliflower) and colorful vegetables and low-sugar fruits.
A good workout session promotes cellular repair, burns fat and builds heart muscle. Fitzgerald recommends a minimum five sessions per week of at least thirty minutes at a moderate exertion level — and notes that even cleaning the house can help with anti-aging DNA changes.
Stress can increase inflammation, raise blood sugar and reduce immunity, so two daily meditation sessions of 10 to 20 minutes each are recommended. Try downloading a meditation app such as Headspace or Calm.
Getting enough sleep is a fundamental component of health overall — and healthy DNA methylation in particular. Try to get at least seven hours a night.
Eat organic wherever possible. When it’s not, peel or soak vegetables in white vinegar to reduce toxin exposure. Avoid using plastic food and drink containers, as well as lotions and sunscreens that contain chemicals like phthalates, parabens, formaldehydes, and methylene glycol.
Known as the love hormone, oxytocin is released when you enjoy physical contact with someone else. It also has a number of benefits — including helping cope with stress and recover from trauma. Oxytocin has even been found to lower blood pressure and can help you stop eating when you’re full.
What to Eat — and What Not to Eat
Good vegetables
Antioxidant-rich colorful vegetables such as artichokes, bell peppers, eggplant, green peas, radishes, summer squash, tomatoes and zucchini
Cruciferous vegetables such as arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips and watercress
Dark leafy greens such as collard greens, escarole, lettuce (endive, green, mesclun, radicchio, romaine — but not iceberg), spinach and Swiss chard
Bad vegetables
Corn, processed vegetable snacks, white potatoes
Good fats
Nuts and seeds including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, hazelnuts, hemp seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds (and tahini) and walnuts
Oils including almond oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, MCT oil, olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, red palm oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil and walnut oil
Bad fats
Peanuts
Oils such as cottonseed oil, Crisco, hydrogenated fats, margarine, shortening, soybean oil, trans fats, vegetable oil
Good proteins
Beef (grass-fed), bison, buffalo, chicken (organic), duck, eggs, fish (wildcaught or responsibly farmed and with low mercury), lamb, pork, rabbit, shellfish and turkey
Bad proteins
Any meat from animals raised with antibiotics or hormones, fried meats and fish, high-mercury fish, and processed meats including sausage, hot dogs, cold cuts and canned meats
Also avoid dairy — including milk, cheese, yogurt, kefir and butter; and all soy, including soy sauce, soybean oil, soy milk, soy yogurt and textured vegetable protein
Good fruits
Avocado, blood oranges, blueberries, grapefruit, green apples, lemon, lime, pomegranate seeds, raspberries, strawberries
Bad fruit
Bananas, mangos, oranges, pineapples, red and yellow apples, and stone fruits such as peaches and apricots
Good condiments
Avocado-oil mayonnaise, Baker’s yeast, brewer’s yeast, mustard, nutritional yeast, salsa (no sugar added), tamari (low sodium), vinegars
Bad condiments
Prepared sauces with sugar and additives, including BBQ sauce, honey mustard, ketchup and teriyaki sauce, as well as store-bought salad dressing
Good sweeteners
Minimal amounts of natural no-calorie sweeteners that don’t impact blood sugar, including erythritol, monkfruit and stevia
Bad sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners, coconut sugar, evaporated cane juice, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses and refined sugar
Good drinks
Coconut water, coffee, green tea, herbal tea, oolong tea, seltzer, water (filtered, mineral, or spring)
Bad drinks
Alcohol, fruit juice and soft drinks — including diet soda.
Try this recipe for Golden Turmeric Milk (1 serving)
This tasty beverage gets its color from turmeric — the “clean-up crew” for life’s inevitable biochemical messes. Tip: You can triple or quadruple the amounts of spices and store the blend in a glass jar for future cups — just add a rounded 1 1/2 teaspoons to your nondairy milk and sweetener of choice.
1 1/2 cups coconut or almond milk, unsweetened
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
¹⁄8 teaspoon black pepper
A few drops of liquid stevia, to taste2. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes for the spices to mellow and blend together. Enjoy while still warm.
Written by Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD on February 12, 2021 — Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN
This article is a repost which originally appeared on Healthline
Edited for content.
Sea moss is a spiny sea vegetable that’s primarily harvested for use in health supplements and as a thickening ingredient in commercial foods.
If you’ve heard about sea moss supplements, you may wonder how you could use them and whether there are other ways to consume sea moss.
This article examines the potential benefits and downsides of sea moss, including its nutritional content and how to prepare it.
Sea moss, scientifically known as Chondrus crispus, is a type of algae or seaweed. It grows in waters along the rocky Atlantic coasts, primarily between North America and Europe.
It’s an edible sea plant similar to other seaweeds, algae, and other familiar leafy sea vegetables like kelp or dulse.
Sea moss grows in a number of colors, such as various shades of green, yellow, purple, red, brown, and black.
The most common varieties that grow in the warmer waters are generally red and often called Irish moss.
Summary
Sea moss is a spiny sea plant that’s similar to other seaweeds and algae. The most common variety in commercial products is red and often called Irish moss.
Red seaweeds like sea moss contain an array of vitamins and minerals. They’re naturally low in calories, fat, and sugar, and they contain a small amount of plant protein.
A 4-tablespoon (20-gram) serving of raw Irish sea moss provides the following:
Like other sea vegetables, sea moss is also a naturally good source of iodine, a micronutrient necessary for thyroid health.
Additionally, red seaweeds like sea moss are full of antioxidants, which are compounds that help protect your cells from disease-causing oxidative damage.
Summary
Sea moss is low in calories and fat, and it contains a small amount of protein. It offers a variety of vitamins and minerals and is a good source of iodine and antioxidants.
Today sea moss is mainly used as a source of vitamins and minerals to benefit overall health.
You can most commonly find it in supplement form. Some supplement companies sell it in raw form, as a gel or powder, or as an oral capsule or gummy.
Companies also sell sea moss as a component of supplements combined with turmeric, bladderwrack, and burdock root, claiming this combination benefits overall well-being, especially immunity, thyroid, digestive, and joint health.
Sea moss has a long history of use as a food-thickening agent. It’s the only natural source of carrageenan, a thickener that manufacturers use in foods like ice cream, cottage cheese, nondairy milks, and even baby formula.
Summary
People primarily harvest sea moss for its carrageenan, a natural food thickener. It has a high micronutrient content, so companies also use it to make consumer health supplements and gels.
Many people use sea moss for its purported health benefits. However, it’s important to note that many of the benefits of sea moss specifically are anecdotal and lack solid scientific evidence.
There are more studies on the health benefits of seaweed and algae than on sea moss itself. Still, some of these benefits may also apply to sea moss because they grow in similar environments.
However, scientists need to conduct more research on sea moss to investigate its particular effects.
Some of the main potential benefits of using sea moss may include:
While the potential health benefits of sea moss are promising, it’s important to note that most of the research is based on seaweed, not sea moss specifically. The studies were also conducted in test tubes or animals, not in humans.
Therefore, scientists need to do much more human research on the health effects of sea moss.
Summary
Animal and test-tube studies on seaweed, not sea moss specifically, suggest it may benefit weight loss, heart health, and blood sugar management, as well as thyroid, gut, and immune health. Scientists need to investigate the effects of sea moss in humans.
One of the main potential downsides of sea moss is that not much research has been conducted on its benefits and nutritional makeup.
As with seaweed, the nutritional value of sea moss can vary greatly, making it difficult to know exactly what it contains and in what amounts. Much of the micronutrient and fatty acid contents of sea vegetables depend on the environment in which they grow.
While it’s a good source of iodine, the iodine content of sea moss and other seaweeds is highly variable. This can put consumers at risk of overconsumption of iodine, which could be problematic.
Taking in too much iodine can lead to hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. The thyroid is an important gland located in the lower front of your neck. It’s responsible for growth and metabolism.
Sea moss may also come with a risk of heavy metal consumption, as seaweed is known to absorb and store heavy metals in high amounts.
Still, the risk of toxicity appears to be low. One study examined the levels of 20 heavy metals in 8 types of seaweed from the waters around Europe and Asia. The researchers found that the amounts of heavy metals did not pose serious health risks.
Overall, it’s probably best to consume sea moss in moderation due to these unknowns.
Summary
The nutrients in sea moss can vary by the environment in which it was grown. It may contain high levels of iodine or heavy metals. However, current research has not found that sea moss contains toxic levels. Scientists need to do further research on this.
You can prepare sea moss in a number of ways.
Many health food stores and online retailers sell sea moss in its raw, dried form. You can prepare a gel from this at home. This may be one of the most popular ways to consume it.
To prepare a sea moss gel, simply soak raw sea moss in water overnight, then rinse and blend it with new water until smooth. Transfer it to a container with an airtight lid and store it in the refrigerator overnight to gel.
Some supplement companies also offer sea moss that has already been prepared as a gel. According to the manufacturers, you can consume this form directly or add it to food and drinks.
Other ways to consume sea moss include mixing sea moss powder into beverages, sprinkling it over yogurt or oatmeal, and adding it to other meals.
The shelf life of sea moss depends on the form you purchased it in.
While scientific evidence is lacking, many sea moss advocates say that prepared sea moss gel should last a few weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it.
However, it’s probably best to practice caution and only keep it for 3–5 days, as with most prepared foods and cold storage leftovers, to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Summary
You can consume sea moss in supplement or powder form, or use raw sea moss to make a gel at home. You can consume this gel on its own or add it to smoothies and other foods and beverages.
Sea moss, or Chondrus crispus, is a spiny sea vegetable similar to seaweeds and sea algae.
People harvest it for its carrageenan. Companies also use it as a natural thickening agent in commercial foods, as well as for use in consumer health supplements. You can also use it to make a gel at home or easily add it to foods and beverages.
Sea moss is a source of a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants that may benefit overall health. However, its nutritional composition can vary, and by consuming it in large amounts, you may consume high levels of iodine or heavy metals.
Overall, scientists need to do more research on the health effects of sea moss in humans to determine its efficacy in consumer health products. Still, some of the benefits appear promising based on seaweed and sea algae studies.