February 2018 Issue #14 February 2018 Issue #14, 4GUYS | Page 17

Food #2 that ages you faster: corn syrup, corn cereal, corn chips, corn oil
This is quite a variety of stuff that you might eat every day. We’re talking corn chips, corn
cereals, corn oil, and also the biggest health-damaging villain that gets most of the atten-
tion, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Corn-based starchy foods such as corn cereals,
corn chips, etc. also have a big impact on blood sugar levels and therefore increase AGEs
in your body and accelerate aging. It turns out that scientists have found out that the fruc-
tose in HFCS causes 10 times more formation of AGEs in your body than glucose! That
means the HFCS you consume daily in sweetened drinks, and most other processed
foods (even salad dressings and ketchup), contribute to faster aging in your body. Another
major issue with corn-based foods and corn oils is that these foods contribute excessive
amounts of omega-6 fatty acids to your diet, which causes an imbalance in your omega-3
to omega-6 ratio and leads to inflammation and oxidation within your body. Omega-6 fatty
acid oils are pro-inflammatory, omega-3 fatty acid oils are anti-inflammatory. This is why
supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids oils is so important in order to keep the 3 to 6
omega ratios balanced.
Food #3 that ages you faster: sugar, sugary foods, certain starchy foods
Sugar is an obvious one to avoid. You’ve heard how bad it is for you 1,000 times before
for many other reasons, including your waistline and developing type 2 diabetes. But now
you also understand the aging effect of sugar. Instead of sugar, consider using a natural
non-caloric sweetener like Stevia in your daily coffee, tea, in baking, or other sweetening
needs. This dramatically helps you control your blood sugar response and helps slow ag-
ing. This also means you have to think twice about sugary desserts, sugary cereals, candy
and other sweets that are contributing to aging you faster.
My personal trick to satisfy my sweet tooth is to have only 1-2 squares of dark chocolate
(at least 70% cocoa) after dinner, instead of a normal full dessert that most people choose.
You only get about 2 grams of sugar in 1-2 squares of dark chocolate, as opposed to 40-
80 grams of age-accelerating sugar in a typical cake, ice cream or brownie type of des-
sert.
Keep in mind that some starchy foods like white rice, oatmeal and white potatoes can also
have significant impacts on your blood sugar and can increase the formation of AGEs in
your body. These foods are best kept in smaller portions if you decide to eat them, and
should be balanced with healthy fats and protein to slow the blood sugar response.