The contemporary warning that your meat is not safe unless you cook it until brown is bad advice. It’s not justified by the facts. Overcooking your food can cause arthritis, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
I’ve said for years that this is a bad idea. It denatures protein, breaks down vitamins and removes nutrients. Now I’ve uncovered an even more serious concern. Many cooking techniques that achieve a high temperature trigger a chemical change called glycation that mimics aging. New studies have linked eating these foods to premature aging and a host of chronic diseases.
Today, you’ll see how following misguided advice could be making you older. You’ll also see how easy it is to avoid this trigger for premature aging. And, how you can safely eat your food the way you like it – from bloody to well done.
As You Cook, So You Age
Imagine overcooked food. It becomes dry, wrinkled, hard, blistered, and discolored. That same process is occurring in your body each time you consume foods cooked improperly.
What I’m talking about here is the process of glycation. Glycation is what happens to the proteins in our body as we age. The same process turns a turkey’s skin brown and crispy when it’s cooked.
Glycation is really the binding of protein and glucose molecules. The result is a spoiled protein assembly. These deviants are glycotoxins. And glycotoxins are responsible for accelerated aging and disease.
As the glycotoxins accumulate in your cells, they send out chemical signals. The body responds by producing sites of inflammation. This is the process of aging and disease.
When we cook foods at high temperatures, large amounts of glycotoxins collect in the food. A recent study demonstrates that if we eat these foods, the glycotoxins transfer to our tissues.
Researchers at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine evaluated twenty-four diabetics. Scientists split the subjects into two groups. One group ate a diet low in glycotoxins. The other group ate a diet high in glycotoxins.
After only two weeks, the group eating the high-glycotoxin diet had up to 100% more glycotoxins present in their blood and urine that those who ate the low-glycotoxin diet.
This is clear evidence that glycotoxins from your food transfer into your body.
Overcooking has another negative consequence. It denatures many important nutrients in food. One of the best examples is CoQ10. You need CoQ10 for proper functioning of all of the major organs in your body. The best source of CoQ10 is red meat. Overcooking meat destroys CoQ10.
Preserving Natural Flavor and Texture Preserves Nutrients Too
Just by changing a few cooking habits, you can enjoy good food, without the danger. There’s a supplement that can help too.
High-heat cooking methods usually cause food to change color or consistency. We like this kind of cooking because it makes the food tasty. But if you want to retain youth and health, hold back on frying, charring or microwaving.
The key here is moisture. Moisture can help to slow down the process of glycation in your food. So the more moisture in your food, the better. Coincidentally, food usually tastes better when it is juicy.
It’s a good idea to marinate any meat you eat. But you especially need to marinate your meat if you like it well done. And since lean protein should be part of every meal, I’ve listed some of my favorite marinades:
• Olive oil
• Wine
• Garlic
• Vinegar
• Citrus Juice
• Crushed tomatoes
Supplement Support: The only supplement proven to prevent glycation is carnosine. Yes, this same carnosine protects your muscles from degenerating.
A recent laboratory study shows that carnosine actually plays a role in disposing of glycated proteins in tissues. About 1000mg of carnosine daily should protect your body from being cooked from the inside, out.
To Your Good Health
Al Sears, MD