Aiming to be a Senior Who Doesn't Succumb to Aging 4: The Ultimate Textbook on 'Dietary Techniques' Taught by a Doctor by Zenji Makita

Following our previous third installment, 'The Best Physical Condition', this time we are introducing
The Ultimate Textbook on Dietary Techniques Taught by a Doctor.
The subtitle is: 68 Medically Correct Ways to Eat Learned from Examining 200,000 People

・Common health myths are full of lies!
・Calories have nothing to do with obesity
・You won't get fat from eating fat
・It is best to exercise right after eating

Nutritional literacy is a weapon for surviving a society with health disparities!
is the rather provocative copy that stands out.

The Ultimate Textbook on 'Dietary Techniques' Taught by a Doctor by Zenji Makita

Dr. Makita opened the 'AGE Makita Clinic' in Ginza, Tokyo, for the treatment of diabetes, lifestyle-related diseases, and obesity. He is a diabetes specialist who has examined over 200,000 patients to date.

Dr. Makita observes that health disparities are widening, noting that the 'health elite' make up 20%, while the remaining 80% are in the 'health underclass.' It is 'daily diet' that creates this disparity.

The root cause of various illnesses and poor physical conditions...
More than 90% lies in 'blood glucose levels,' which are created by the 'dietary patterns' unique to modern people.

Don't be deceived by popular beliefs and self-styled health methods.

How about that? I was doing quite a few of these.
To escape the negative spiral of getting fat → aging → getting sick, blood glucose control is necessary.

There are many other important points that I cannot introduce this time.
If you are interested, I highly recommend that you pick up this book and read it thoroughly.

Blood glucose control is the biggest key

High blood glucose levels cause obesity

The author sounds the alarm that we get fat because our blood glucose levels rise, and that obesity is a trigger for all diseases. I had been concerned about my weight and diet, but honestly, I was not conscious of blood glucose levels. It seems that if blood glucose levels are not stable, it can lead to unpleasant symptoms such as irritability, drowsiness, fatigue, nausea, and headaches.

What surprised me was that the things that raise blood glucose levels are carbohydrates, not fats or proteins. Carbohydrates can be rephrased as sugars, and they are contained in various foods such as rice, bread, noodles, fruits, sweets like cakes and rice crackers, and soft drinks. These are all things we eat normally, so it makes sense that our blood glucose levels rise in daily life.

He states that modern people consume carbohydrates for the pleasure of the brain even when they are not hungry, and that modern people have changed their food.
It may not resonate with us living today, but if we unravel human history, we can understand that our dietary habits have changed significantly.

So, what should we do about it?

He says it is necessary to improve our dietary habits and return to how they should naturally be.
It has been proven that modern Japanese people have inherited the DNA of the Jomon people more strongly. Therefore, we should not be eating foods that did not exist in the Jomon period.

In the Jomon period, white rice, white sugar, and certainly sweet soft drinks or vegetable juices did not exist, so it is not hard to imagine that the current food, which seeks only convenience and taste, is not good.

'Diet' is the ultimate education for surviving health disparities.
Let's acquire the correct knowledge and protect our own future.

Keep disease at bay and regain your vitality! A dietary technique for weight loss
...Why do we gain weight?

Excess glucose is processed by insulin released from the pancreas. It converts glucose into glycogen to be taken up by liver and muscle cells.
However, there is a limit to this amount, and any further excess glucose is converted into neutral fat and taken up by fat cells.
This was the cause of obesity. I learned that the fat in a potbelly is caused by excessive carbohydrate intake, not by the intake of oils.

Regarding these problematic carbohydrates, they are essential nutrients for maintaining life, and consuming an appropriate amount is mandatory. It is not that excessive intake is the only problem; it is important to know the differences in their degree of malignancy, and advice is written on what to be careful about when consuming them. I think you will be very interested, so I will introduce a little bit of it.

First, the 'Top 5 Malignancy Levels' of carbohydrates are introduced.
Do you know what this refers to? Try to think about it.

1) Drinking due to carbohydrate addiction, 2) white sugar is unnatural, 3) modern fruit sugar has been improved to have a higher sugar content, 4) be careful with single-item meals as they lead to excessive carbohydrate intake, 5) be careful not to overeat as they are still carbohydrates; foods that fall into these categories have a high degree of malignancy.

Also, there was a convincing explanation regarding the order and frequency of eating, as well as the distribution of meals between morning, noon, and night. By the way, the ideal distribution for morning, noon, and night meals is '3:5:2'; eat like a king in the morning, like a nobleman at lunch, and like a pauper at night.
The analogies are also interesting and keep you from getting bored while reading.

Other things introduced include actively eating seaweed and mushrooms, balancing animal and plant-based proteins, drinking 2 liters of water a day, that olive oil helps you lose weight, and that dry white wine helps you lose weight.

Don't let your appearance, energy, and physical strength decline! Anti-aging dietary techniques

Oxidation is rusting. Glycation is a state where the body is 'charring'; it is a reaction where proteins and lipids deteriorate by binding with glucose, creating a nasty substance called AGE.
While AGE is produced within the body, it is also contained in food. It is found in large amounts in parts that look like charred, browned areas.

Being careful not to increase AGE is what keeps aging at bay. Since it is known that this AGE is the true culprit behind all kinds of diseases and aging phenomena, knowledge about daily meals is necessary.

Thankfully, specific ways to eat to keep aging at bay are shown. There are plenty of ways to regain youth in detail, such as: AGE is reduced just by marinating, carnosine prevents aging, vitamins B1 and B6 suppress AGE, polyphenols rejuvenate you, and spices are effective in preventing aging.

There is plenty of information you should know, such as the effect of vinegar on AGE and the strong antioxidant power of carnosine contained in eel, chicken, and tuna.

Rules of the Long-Lived

There is actually a book called 'Blue Zones' that reports on and summarizes regions with many long-lived people, highlighting areas where there are many centenarians.

Specifically, there are four regions: central Sardinia in Italy, northern Okinawa, Loma Linda in California, USA, and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.
Japan's Okinawa is also one of the top four long-lived regions in the world.

What is interesting is that even in Okinawa, the lifespan differs between the north and the south.
The north retains traditional customs, while the south has changed to an Americanized culture and dietary habits; this is what creates the difference in lifespan, which is proof that lifestyle habits greatly affect lifespan.

Various points are introduced as commonalities in lifestyle.
Starting with the importance of eating plenty of tofu as a true superfood that keeps obesity, aging, and disease at bay, and eating many types of vegetables, it also introduces the importance of exercise to strengthen the legs and lower back, the importance of labor, and having a purpose in life.

It is truly an introduction to how to live, including diet, moving the body, mindset, and health management. What I was personally happy about was that it says 'enjoy alcohol.' Red wine has antioxidant effects, dry white wine has weight-loss effects, and even in China, where medicine and food share the same origin, alcohol has been consumed for 7,000 years.

There is no persuasiveness that surpasses actual results; I want to read this chapter thoroughly and incorporate it into my own lifestyle habits.

Without forgetting to be firmly conscious of carbohydrates, oxidation and glycation, and regular health checks at the doctor, I want to organize my life with the mottoes 'Health is more important than anything else to do good work' and 'Protect your own health yourself' engraved in my heart. Gaining many concrete lessons is a major achievement of this book.

☆☆☆ ⇩⇩ Please see the blog for details.