LOOKING and BEING.... YOUNG!

From  The  BOOK:  FOREVER  YOUNG

by DR. PERRICONE

Salmon:

The World's Best Forever Young Secret

Not too long ago, Madonna, the ageless superstar, announced to the world that she was embarking on a "salmon rejuvenation" program to "knock twelve years off of her appearance."

Though it might be ambitious to think we can knock more than a decade off our looks, think again. If anything can do it, it is the antiinflammatory lifestyle of diet, nutritional supplements, and topicals. This is because inflammation is responsible for many of the internal and external signs of aging.

Madonna's truly inspiring sense of determination and commitment will go a long way to helping her achieve her goals. Madonna's dedication to the salmon diet has also inspired me to have a little fun, as you will discover in the upcoming pages.

Why Eating Salmon Is Antiaging

I have to say it once more: I am probably the single greatest advocate for adding wild salmon and other omega-3 cold-water fish (think sardines, anchovies, halibut, sablefish, trout, and so on) to your daily diet.

Wild salmon contains essential fats and powerful antioxidants, such as the carotenoid astaxanthin, that have important antiinflammatory properties.

Salmon is also probably the world's most heart-healthy source of protein. It is rich in long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids—the most beneficial kind-—-which protect heart health, inhibit inflammation, act as natural antidepressants, increase feelings of well-being, and help keep skin young supple, and radiant.

Protein for Cellular Repair

Wild salmon and other cold-water fish are great sources of protein, which is necessary to maintain and repair the body-—including the skin—on a cellular level. The lack of protein is first visible in the face, even in a young person, but especially as we age.

Like a Surgeon

Not only plastic surgery can give you that sculpted look. Adequate protein is vital, because without protein, you will lose contours and definition in your face. This is another reason why a diet rich in salmon is important for Madonna if she wants to maintain that chiseled look of high cheekbones, well-defined jawline, good eye contours, and so on.

Protein cannot be stored in our bodies. For good health and outstanding cellular repair, protein needs to be eaten with each meal, and salmon is an outstanding protein source. Women, however, are very often protein-deficient, which shows up in their faces. Men, on the other hand, do tend to gravitate toward protein and are more likely to go for a burger or a steak while women choose a salad—or worse, a cookie. This is one reason (but not the only one) why men appear to age better than women.

Secret

As a dermatologist, I know that when it comes to their skin, women will invest great sums in topical products, procedures, and so forth. 

But there is a little beauty secret that is worth its weight in gold. If women understood that eating a simple, inexpensive small can of sardines or salmon would give their skin an unrivaled radiance, softness, and suppleness, like nothing else in this world, those foods would fly off the supermarket shelves. You would see a stampede toward the fish aisle. While the extraordinary multiorgan benefits of sardines and wild salmon almost sound like a fantasy, they are very real. Try canned salmon and sardines, which also contain both skin and bones, to experience just a few of these skin, brain, mood, and health and energy benefits of these amazing omega-3, protein, and calcium-rich fish, including:

Decreased inflammation in all organ systems, including the skin

Decreased body fat

Ample quantities of high-quality fat and protein

Beautiful skin

Elevated mood

Improved brain function

Increased energy

Improved athletic ability

Decreased puffiness

Decreased fine lines and wrinkles

Decreased sagging

Increased radiance and glow

Dramatically improved acne and decreased acne scarring

Improved attention span

Stabilized blood sugar levels

Lowered insulin levels

Healthy serotonin levels

Decreased appetite

You will notice a visible difference in as little as three days, with even more dramatic results by week's end. After four weeks, your friends and family will be commenting on how different you look.

And when you look in the mirror, you may begin to wonder, "Who's that girl?"

   Salmon: Fish for Compliments,  Anti-inflammatory Extraordinaire

If we are going to rate a food group as either pro-inflammatory or antiinflammatory, we will find that protein, on the whole, is neutral. However, some sources of protein, such as the fish listed above, provide powerful anti-inflammatory benefits because of two of their constituents:

• Omega-3 essential fatty acids

• The carotenoid antioxidant astaxanthin, introduced in
chapter 4

Thus wild salmon is anti-inflammatory. Beef and other forms of meat that are not grass-fed, like most meat available in supermarkets, tend to be high in saturated fats, making them pro-inflammatory.

The Borderline: Exercise:

Moderation Is Key

Madonna has, also reportedly started a more cardiointensive gym routine. Her rigorous routines are already legendary. But she needs to be careful and not subject her body to too extreme a workout. She should exercise some restraint because overexercising can produce inflammation-generating free radicals. It is not just pollution, poor diet, and the like that generate an abundance of free radicals; they also result from the metabolic process that takes place internally from overexercising and can damage the cell's DNA. That is why the previous chapter is dedicated to yoga. Madonna (surprise!) is reportedly an avid practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, a particularly strenuous form.

Exercise is vital to your health. It is also unsurpassed at lowering blood sugar, a key antiaging strategy. There are many studies proving that exercise can take off pounds, reduce the incidence of heart disease, lower blood pressure, improve mood, solve sleep problems, and even cut the risks of certain cancers. Exercise will also ensure that you have beautiful skin. Studies have indicated that exercise benefits the skin in much the same way it improves bone and muscle quality.

Youthful Skin—Naturally

When the skin of those who exercise regularly is examined under a microscope, the impact of their high fitness levels is clearly apparent. The skin is thicker and has more and healthier collagen, the fibers that give the skin its strength and flexibility. Exercise also increases circulation and gives the skin a healthy, radiant glow.

(ONE  OF  THE  REASONS  AS  A  TEEN  DOING  THE  CHARLES  ATLAS  HEALTH  AND  STRENGTH  COURSE  I  HAD  FACIAL  SKIN  THAT  THE  GIRLS  WOULD  ENVY  IN  HIGH  SCHOOL  -  Keith Hunt)

A Note on Chia Seeds

As you have read throughout this book, chia seeds are truly a super-food for their many benefits: healthy weight loss, their omega-3 profile, and their considerable (and unique) ability to increase endurance and stamina. I want to again thank Bob Terry, Ph.D., the technical service adviser of Green Foods Corporation, for his outstanding scientific insights and Jason Nava, the executive vice president of Green Foods Corporation, for generous help in explaining the benefits of both chia seeds and the green foods.

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ON  EXERCISE.  OVER-EXERCISING  AS  DR.  PERRICONE  HAS  SAID,  CAN  BE  ACTUALLY  DANGEROUS  FOR  YOUR  HEALTH.  IT  IS  THE  OLD  ADAGE  "TOO  MUCH  OF  A  GOOD  THING  CAN  BE  BAD  FOR  YOU."  CONTRARY  TO  COMMON  THOUGHT,  MARATHON  RUNNING  IS  BAD  FOR  YOU.

THE  MUSCLE  MEN,  WHO  ALSO  TAKE  STEROIDS  AND  WHATEVERS TO  GET  THOSE  MUSCLES  UPON  MUSCLES,  REALLY  ARE  DOING  THEMSELVES  HARM. UNLESS  THEY  DEVELOP  A  BODY  LIKE  OLD  CHALES  ATLAS,  NO  MUSCLES  UPON  MUSCLES.

SUCH  "HUGE MUSCLE UPON MUSCLE MEN" TEND  TO  NOT  LIVE  INTO  RIPE  OLD  AGE.  BECAUSE  AS  WE  GET  OLDER  WE  CANNOT  KEEP  UP  WITH  A  VIGOROUS  WEIGHT-LIFTING  SCHEDULE  AS  WHEN  WE  ARE  YOUNG.  AND  SECONDLY  THOSE  MEN  FIND  THEIR  ONE  TIME  HUGE  MUSCLES  BECOME  FLAB...... THEY  MAKE  THE  MISTAKE  OF  NOT  GOING  ON  A DIET  TO  REDUCE  THEIR  MASS,  SLIMMING  DOWN  IN  OTHER  WORDS,  WHEN  THEY  REACH  THE  MID- 40 MARK,  AND  SO  THE  HEART NOW  HAS  MUCH  MASS  TO  PUMP  AROUND.  IT  IS  THE  PRINCIPLE  THAT  OBESE  PEOPLE  HARDLY  EVER  LIVE  INTO  RIPE  OLD  AGE.

THAT  IS  THE  CORRECT  WAY  TO  FITNESS  AND  STAYING  YOUNG.....HAVE  A  GOOD  BODY,  BUT  DO  NOT  OVERDO  EXERCISE,  FOR  IT  YOU  DO  IT  WILL  EVENTUALLY  COME  BACK  ON  YOU  WITH  A  SHORTER  LIFE  THAN  YOU  EXPECTED.  AND  THAT  IS  THE  BIBLICAL  PRINCIPAL  OF  MODERATION  IN  ALL  THINGS.

THE  REST  AS  I'VE  GIVEN  YOU  IN  THE  PAST  IS  CORRECT  DIET,  IN  PART  WHAT  DR. PERRICONE  HAS  JUST  GIVEN  YOU.