People Who Don't Become Frail Even in Old Age Eat Well: The Name of the Carbohydrate That Increases 'Rejuvenation Hormones' Recommended by Doctors

~Shotaro's 'Huh!' Learning Moments~

*This time, the advice comes from doctor Tadashi Mitsuo.
*This article is an edited excerpt from Tadashi Mitsuo's 'The Doctor's Table' (Achievement Publishing).

◎ Seafood

Families who believe that protein intake is important tend to eat a lot of meat. I recommend 'eating fish dishes 3 to 4 days a week'. This is because seafood is not only a high-quality source of protein, but is also rich in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
EPA and DHA are known to suppress inflammation in the body, as well as thin the blood and help prevent blood clots. There are reports suggesting their potential in preventing depression and dementia, making them essential for protecting brain health.

EPA and DHA are particularly abundant in blue-backed fish, but they can also be obtained from seafood such as shrimp, squid, octopus, crab, and scallops. Shrimp and scallops are also rich in glycine, a type of amino acid. Glycine is a component of collagen and has been reported to have the effect of lowering core body temperature, making it easier to fall asleep.

Try to practice 'eating the whole thing,' and among fish, prioritize choosing small fish that can be eaten whole, such as small horse mackerel, sardines, and smelt.

Also, salmon is the food richest in vitamin D, a super-vitamin essential for maintaining immunity. It is also rich in astaxanthin, an antioxidant component.Oysters are rich in zinc, and 4 to 5 large oysters can cover the recommended daily intake of 11mg for an adult male. On the other hand, large fish like tuna and bonito, which are at the top of the food chain, carry a risk of mercury.

Combine '4 or more colors a day' when eating vegetables

◎ 4 or more colors of vegetables a day

Vegetables are a treasure trove of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, so a lack of vegetables leads directly to a lack of nutrition. Also, vegetables contain components that provide the plant's unique colors, aromas, and bitterness, collectively known as phytochemicals.

It is said that these are components created by plants, which cannot move on their own, to protect themselves from natural enemies and ultraviolet rays. Polyphenols (a general term for plant components with multiple phenolic hydroxyl groups; they have strong antioxidant effects) are also a type of phytochemical.

Unlike vitamins and minerals, there are many aspects of phytochemicals whose functions and recommended intake amounts are not clear, and they cannot be said to be essential for the human body. However, various benefits are expected, such as antioxidant effects that prevent inflammation in the body, fat burning, and strengthening of immunity.

Since phytochemicals often appear in pigment components, they can be efficiently ingested by eating vegetables of various colors. It is difficult to visualize the recommended daily vegetable intake (350g or more), but the method of combining 4 or more colors of vegetables a day is easy to practice, and multiple phytochemicals will be taken into the body and exert a synergistic effect.

To supplement the 'nutrients that Japanese people tend to lack'...

◎ Dark green vegetables

Green vegetables such as spinach, komatsuna, garland chrysanthemum, and kale, as well as dark green vegetables like broccoli and bitter melon, contain high amounts of magnesium, which Japanese people tend to lack.Magnesium is abundant in the cells of bones and muscles, and is an essential nutrient for producing energy.Magnesium is also involved in keeping blood vessels and muscles softand flexible.If it is deficient, the concentration of calcium, which antagonizes magnesium, rises, and metabolism does not function properly.
As a result, muscles throughout the body become prone to contraction and cramping.If this happens in the leg muscles, 'leg cramps' occurmore frequently, andif blood vessels contract, blood pressure is affected, eventually leading to diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Since intestinal movement is also carried out by the muscles of the intestinal wall, if the contracted state continues, the movement of the digestive tract decreases, causing constipation.

In this way, although magnesium is an important nutrient involved in the entire body,it is rapidly excreted in urine when under stress.The amount of magnesium in the body can also decrease due to aging or the effects of medication.

In the first place, the amount of magnesium contained in vegetables, which are the source of supply, is decreasing, andin today's high-stress society, the structure is such that many people are prone to magnesium deficiency. Furthermore, if you only supplement calcium to strengthen your bones, it will result in even greater imbalance.I recommend consciously and actively eating dark green vegetables.

The scientific basis for 'eating Japanese yam makes you energetic'

◎ Sticky tubers

Sticky tubers such as Japanese yam, nagaimo, taro, yamato-imo, and Jerusalem artichoke contain high amounts of diosgenin, which is a raw material for male and female hormones.

In the 1930s, an American researcher studying Japanese yam discovered that it contains a component called diosgenin that increases DHEA in the body, and since then,'eating Japanese yam makes you energetic'has become a common saying.Japanese yam is called 'Sanyaku'andis also included in herbal medicines with nourishing and tonic effects (such as Hachimi-jio-gan and Rokumi-gan).Later, it was found that plants in the same family as Japanese yam also contain many substances with similar effects.

DHEA is produced in the adrenal glands using cholesterol as a raw material, and has functions such as boosting immunity and suppressing carcinogenesis.Based on this DHEA, male hormones (testosterone) are produced in the testes for men, and in the adrenal glands, adipose tissue, and ovaries for women.Testosterone is also important for women, and it is the source of 'active power,' not only for sexual function but also for building muscle, enhancing decisiveness and motivation, and maintaining memory. Female hormones are also created by converting testosterone.

Many hormones tend to decrease with age, and DHEA also peaks in secretion in the 20s for both men and women, and decreases with age. Conversely, it is known that healthy, long-lived people have high DHEA levels.This is why DHEA is called the 'rejuvenation hormone'.Yam, kyo-imo, taro, etc., should also be sought out and used in cooking if found. High-quality protein and zinc also help produce DHEA.

Seaweed is good for health, but 'overeating' is strictly prohibited

◎ Seaweed

Seaweed, which has absorbed plenty of minerals from seawater, is a valuable nutritional source for humans.The most characteristic feature of seaweed is that it contains a lot of iodine. Iodine is the main raw material for thyroid hormones and is an important mineral that supports immune function. Japanese people, who are blessed with marine products and have a deep-rooted habit of eating seaweed, will not suffer from iodine deficiency unless they have a very unusual diet. However, in inland countries overseas where there are few opportunities to eat marine products, health damage due to iodine deficiency is a serious problem in some countries.

In addition to iodine, seaweed is rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and zinc. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and vitamin B.Also, theslimy components called fucoidan and porphyran are water-soluble dietary fibers that contribute to regulating the intestinal environment.Water-soluble dietary fiber turns into a gel when dissolved in water, swells, and wraps around food, slowing down digestion and absorption.

Furthermore, seaweed also contains unique polyphenols called phlorotannins, and research is underway on their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Although seaweed is nutritious, no matter how healthy it is, overeating is forbidden.If you continue to eat large amounts of kelp, which has a high iodine content, every day,there is a risk of excessive intake, which can lower thyroid function.Let's incorporate the blessings of the sea skillfully, without excess or deficiency. That is all

In these times when all recent food prices are soaring, and even 'rice,' which had no price increases, is two or three times the normal price, the environment surrounding us, even if it may be a temporary event, looking to the future, I, 'W,' think that Japan is gradually getting closer to a 'wartime' state of 'eating' due to many factors such as abnormal weather, natural disasters, and conflicts/wars. Compared to my student days when I bought and drank juice and coffee from vending machines, my purchasing desire has clearly declined, and the current situation is that I rely on carefully selecting food (when it is cheap or discounted). How about you all? In my student days, drinking water was not 'something you pay money for.' When I lived at my parents' house, I basically drank tea that my grandmother, who was still alive at the time, made in a teapot. Currently, even for a single drink, 'commercialization' is diversified and you cannot buy it without 'money,' and I am in a situation where I have to endure it because I don't have enough 'money.'
I felt that Dr. Minami's teachings this time were a warning to 'prioritize eating things that people in the past used to eat.' I recognized that if I eat fish, shellfish, seaweed, and vegetables (dark-colored ones), there is a high possibility that I can stay healthy. However, it has been pointed out that even in fish, expensive fish that have been around for a long time, such as tuna and bonito, may contain mercury. Since March 11, 2011, Japanese marine products and food have been checked by overseas countries, and China still bans them. There are concerns about a 'twisted Diet' again in the results of the House of Representatives election this weekend. We, the citizens, have to clean up after the Diet members, endure, and be patient; at least since I became able to exercise my right to vote, there has been no decent politics. The story has deviated significantly, but no matter how hard you work, no matter how much money you earn, and no matter how much you are loved by your friends, if a person is not 'healthy,' it means nothing. Those who only do bad things because they are smart. Those who are stupid but work hard to live. Everything cannot be established unless you are 'healthy.' As I have presented many times in my posts, I am a patient with a nationally designated specific disease: an intractable disease, and a person with a grade 2 mental disability. Furthermore, I cannot walk properly due to a calcaneal fracture, and it is difficult to work. Please, everyone? Even if you are 'healthy' at the present moment, in the previous post where I talked about 'death,' people will definitely 'die,' and except for accidents, incidents, and disasters, they will die from some illness.
Please live your life to the fullest now! If you have children or parents, cherish them even more.
Once you get sick, your daily motivation drops, you are looked at coldly by those around you, and you are despised by family members who do not understand. It has been 25 years since I have had an illness that will not heal no matter how hard I try. Please, everyone, strive to maintain your health and fulfill the mission you have been given. That is all

Thank you for reading to the end this time as well. From 'W'