How “Glycation” Causes Wrinkles

A large reason why we obtain wrinkles is as a result of glycation, a side-effect of cooking food, says Dr Laurence Anderson of the Cosmetic Physicians Society of Australia.

Glycation is the result of a sugar molecule bonding to a protein or lipid molecule without the controlling action of an enzyme.

Dr. Gabriel Cousens MD also reports that glycation is a hazardous thing for our bodies: it gets in the way of our vital organs functioning, damages internal tissues, and impairs proteins from doing their job inside our bodies.

Most people are unaware that we ingest tens of thousands of glycated molecules through all food that has been processed.

The more pure, whole, unadulterated food you can eat, the more you can prevent A.G.E.s from creating new wrinkles in your skin:

• Raw fruits & vegetables: negligible amounts of A.G.E.s
• Steamed veggies: 10 to 100 A.G.E.s
• Any food that comes in a box or package: 1000s of A.G.E.s
• Dairy or meat: 10,000s of A.G.E.s
• Traditional thanksgiving dinner: 100,000s of A.G.E.s(Source)

The Journal of the American Diabetic Association advises that it’s better to eat things raw, steamed, boiled or lightly roasted – once it’s going past 100°F through broiling and frying, the A.G.Es quickly pile up.

We’re hosting a live-food detox retreat with Marni Wasserman, CNP, on the weekend of May 14 to 16, 2010 – all foods will have virtually no A.G.E.s, and the exercise and spa treatments we chose actually help to naturally create new collagen in the skin. Learn more here.

Cruda: Toronto’s Newest Raw Restaurant

We’re very excited about welcoming Cruda Café to the Toronto raw food community!

Cruda Café is a raw food restaurant which is currently under construction in the basement of the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, at the intersection of Front and Jarvis.

We stumbled upon it recently, as the House of Verona Toronto office is right next door.

When they open, they’ll serve vegan, organic living foods for eat-in or take-out in biodegradable containers.

The GTA now supports 5 raw restaurants – staggering growth, consider we had only 1 from 2000 to 2008.

The number of restaurants is a telling metric of the nature of the health community in Toronto, and the growth rate of the raw trend.

In comparison, Montreal has 1, New York has 7, and the L.A. area has 20 and counting.

Welcome, Cruda!

Add this to your bath & get young

It has been shown that adding chlorophyll to baths can increase your red blood cell count.

Dr. Bernard Jensen from San Marcos, California, had patients soak in a chlorophyll-water bath, and measured their blood values before and after.

He found that their red blood cell counts doubled within only a few days of treatment.

Patients were able to build their blood even more quickly when they drank green juices and wheatgrass in addition to taking chlorophyll baths.

To learn more about how chlorophyll can rebuild blood, see our article entitled, “How Chlorophyll Rebuilds Blood Cells.”

Why is it important to have healthy blood?

• Dr Oz reminds us that we’re only as young as our blood & arteries: our “real age” can be determined by looking at our blood.
• Iron-rich blood brings oxygen to cells, which enhances youth and mental health.
• Blood carries nutrients to cells – without nutrients, our bodies age more rapidly.
• Healthy blood flow can be a wonderful thing for men who are sexually active – we won’t say it explicitly, but which male organ do you think can become larger from having more, stronger blood flow?

What’s the best way to add chlorophyll to baths?

The fresher the chlorophyll, the better your results will be.

The following methods are listed in order of effectiveness – the first being the most effective.

• Add a couple shots of freshly juiced wheatgrass (juiced within the hour)
• Add 1-2 cups of freshly juiced or blended leafy greens (kale, chard, etc) with water
• Add 1 cube of frozen wheatgrass
• Add 1 tablespoon of raw, unpasteurized wheatgrass or chlorophyll powder
• Add 1 tablespoon of raw, unprocessed, liquid chlorophyll

Source: The Wheatgrass Book by Dr Ann Wigmore.

Fight Wrinkles with Chocolate

A Japanese study published in the Journal of Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine found that the topical application of xanthine extracts onto skin suppressed wrinkle formation in hairless mice, after exposure to UV rays.

Xanthine is a chemical compound found in the following food sources:

• Cacao beans
• Tea leaves
• Coffee beans
• Yerba maté

We recommend 3 ways that you can mimic this effect with your own skin:

1. Cacao mask

Throw the following items into your blender, grinder, or food processor:

• Raw cacao beans
• Raw coffee beans, if you can find them (green, not brown).
• Whole leaf black tea
• Raw yerba maté powder
• Drop of vanilla to scent

In a mixing bowl, mix the resulting powder with 1 spoon of a natural emulsifier. Here are some options, depending on what you have in your pantry:

• Cold-pressed coconut oil or coconut butter
• Raw honey
• Raw shea butter
• Any natural lotion you own – the more natural, the better, as unnatural lotions actually contribute to wrinkles.

Apply onto areas of your skin that you’d like to protect from wrinkles. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse. Ideally, you’d do this immediately before sun exposure.

2. Cacao bath bomb

In a blender, grinder, or food processor, add the following items:

• Raw cacao beans
• Raw coffee beans, if you can find them (green, not brown).
• Whole leaf black tea
• Raw yerba maté powder
• Drop of vanilla to scent

Add this mixture to your next bath and soak for 15 minutes. Rinse off with a cool shower.

3. Anti-wrinkle cocktail

In a blender, add the following items:

• Raw cacao beans – the taste is over-powering, so start off with 1 bean and add more as needed.
• Spring water
• Organic spinach
• Organic apples
• Drop of stevia
• Drop of vanilla

Be careful not to add other natural sweeteners to this cocktail, as sugar – any sugar, even in the form of honey, agave, or maple syrup – will definitely contribute to wrinkles.

Source:

Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine. 23(2-3):86-94, April/June 2007.
Mitani, Hiroaki; Ryu, Akemi; Suzuki, Tadashi; Yamashita, Mika; Arakane, Kumi; Koide, Chiharu

Living to 1,000 years

A brilliant researcher from Cambridge University named Aubrey de Grey shocked the crowd at the TED conference in California when he proposed that it is possible and within reach for humans to live until 1,000 years old.

He narrows down bodily damage, and thus aging, to “7 deadly things”:

1.    cell death / atrophy
2.    death-resistant cells
3.    nuclear mutations
4.    mtDNA (mitochondrial) mutations
5.    protein crosslinks
6.    junk inside cells
7.    junk outside cells

He purports that all of these things can be easily managed by therapies that are within are grasp within the next decade.

They’ve already been able to slow and reverse the 7 things in mice, and although a zoologist would avoid gratuitously extrapolating findings to humans, de Grey argues that it’s a promising start.

As a raw vegan watching his presentation, I saw absolute beauty in this talk, simply because our community already understands that many of the 7 things are mitigated through a raw food lifestyle.

• We’re less likely to have protein crosslinks (#5) because we consume few A.G.E.s (advanced glycated end-products), which are cross-linked proteins with sugars as a result of cooking. A.G.E.s are responsible for tissue damage, wrinkles, age spots, and much more. To give you an idea, a raw orange has 1 A.G.E., while a sausage cooked for 5 minutes has 10,000 A.G.E.s.
• Also, we’ll experience less mutations in our cells because we do not consume items that cause mutations, such as foods that have been microwaved, or MSG, which is a natural by-product of cooked soy (Source: Dr Gabriel Cousens MD).

Exercise Increases Collagen; Ibuprofen Inhibits This Effect

Several new studies examining long-distance runners’ habits of popping non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs, which include ibuprofen) are finding that the practice is preventing the growth of new collagen, and thus inhibiting their ability to rebuild new tissue.

Professor Stuart Warden, Director of Physical Therapy Research at Indiana University, informed the New York Times last week that “the stresses of exercise activate a particular molecular pathway that increases collagen,” which leads to stronger connective tissues in the dermis, and thus, fewer wrinkles and younger-looking skin.

However, taking ibuprofen reduces the positive effects of exercise on collagen.

“NSAIDs work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, substances that are involved in pain and also in the creation of collagen,” Warden says. “Collagen is the building block of most tissues. So fewer prostaglandins mean less collagen, which inhibits the healing of tissue and bone injuries.”

The studies were meant to scrutinize the common practice of marathon runners taking ibuprofen in order to reduce muscle soreness and pain after a run, and found that in fact, it can actually increase soreness and pain.

Professor Warden advises that the only time anti-inflammatory painkillers are justified is “when you have inflammation and pain from an acute injury. But to take them before every workout or match is a mistake.”

Photo by Marc Philbert.

Resistance Exercise Reverses Muscle Aging

6 months of resistance exercise training can reverse aging associated with mitochondrial impairment and muscle weakness, reports a joint study from researchers at the Buck Institute for Age Research in California, McMaster University’s Department of Pediatrics and Medicine in Canada, and the Center for Genetics, Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California.

When we age, our skeletal muscle atrophies, meaning that a decrease in muscle mass is experienced. This is also known as sarcopenia.

Much evidence shows that a main cause of sarcopenia is mitochondrial dysfunction inside cells. (Mitochondria are the cell’s “power plants” as they generate cells’ chemical energy.)

Researchers took skeletal muscle biopsies from 25 healthy older and 26 younger adult men and women and compared them with gene expression profiling.

14 of the older adults had muscle samples taken before and after a 6-month resistance exercise-training program.

Before exercise, older adults were 59% weaker than younger adults, but after 6 months of training, strength improved significantly such that they were only 38% weaker than young adults.

“As a consequence of age, we found 596 genes differentially expressed.” (To learn more about gene expression, watch this TED video from Dr Dean Ornish on how Your Genes are Not Your Fate).

Prior to the exercise training, a large enrichment of genes associated with mitochondrial function with age was seen.

However, following exercise training, aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise.

Researchers concluded that mitochondrial impairment and muscle weakness in healthy older adults can be partially to substantially reversed with 6 months of resistance exercise training.

The best way to start a resistance training program is to partner with a certified personal trainer. This way, they can observe your movement and correct improper alignment, in order to prevent injury and ensure that you see results.

At the House of Verona, we work with Adam Mogelonsky, who is by far one of the most qualified personal trainers in Toronto. He has a degree in Life Sciences from Queen’s University, and can be reached at 647-448-2326 or adammogelonsky@gmail.com.

Source:

Melov S, Tarnopolsky MA, Beckman K, Felkey K, Hubbard A (2007) Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle. PLoS ONE 2(5): e465. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000465

Wrinkle-Fighting Recipe: Almond-Fennel Soup

This recipe comes to us from Chef Omid Jaffari, a renowned raw food chef based out of Japan and Australia. He features other outstanding recipes on his blog: Shiitake.

Yields 2 servings.

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 cup blanched almonds
• 2 cups of pure water
• 1 celery stick, chopped
• ½ cup fennel, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 4 leaves basil
• A dash of TTS Nama Shoyu

Garnish

• Edible flowers
• 1 stalk spring onion, thinly sliced

Method

Soup

• Soak the almonds in 2 cups of pure water overnight or for 4-5 hours.
• Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Transfer it to a bowl, cover and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to slightly chill and mature.

Garnish

Thinly slice the spring onion, cover with cold water and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.

Mounting Your Work

Pour the chilled almond-fennel soup into two soup glasses/bowls and garnish with sliced spring onion and edible flowers.

How will it help wrinkles?

This soup is an excellent source of vitamin E, a natural antioxidant that scavenges the free radicals that oxidize fats, preserves the integrity of cell membranes, and protects the body against connective tissue damage, which leads to wrinkles.

It’s also a good source of dietary fiber, which is important in expelling toxins from your body that would contribute to deterioration in the skin’s connective tissues.

Other Health Benefits

• Very good source of vitamin B2 and moderate source of other B-complex vitamins, which are necessary to maintain normal metabolic activities.
• Very good source of magnesium, which helps in relieving fatigue, relaxing the muscles, nerves and blood vessels, thus relieving the symptoms of asthma, migraine headaches, tension and soreness in muscles etc.
• Very good source of copper and manganese.  They function as cofactors in various metabolic reactions and enhance the activity of enzymes involved in the detoxification process.

Nutritional Information per Serving (% Daily Value)

Calories: 20% (411 Cal); Total Fats: 54%; Saturated Fats: 13%; Carbohydrates: 6%; Proteins: 31%; Fibre: 41%; Magnesium: 50%; Phosphorus: 36%; Copper: 36%; Manganese: 85%; Vitamin E: 93%; Vitamin B2: 42%.

Chef Omid Jaffari is stopping in Toronto from September 16th to 19th, 2009, during his North American Al-Fresco Tour (including Los Angeles, New York, and Montreal). He will be holding a gourmet raw food cooking class for foodies and those interested in advanced nutritional science. Email us or call 1.800.252.2826 if you’re interested in learning more about this class.

This nutrient rebuilds collagen

If you’re like me, you’re spending every spare moment outside soaking up the rare Canadian sunshine.

The dilemma is that I want gorgeous, tanned skin, but I have to grapple with the fact that the sun contributes to premature wrinkles and breaks down collagen in our skin’s cellular matrix.

Although this happens, our bodies do regenerate new collagen. Lifestyle choices dictate how much collagen is made and how much is destroyed.

Vitamin C is vital to the production of new collagen. You can help your body rebuild what was destroyed over the weekend by consuming the vitamin in the form of whole, raw foods.

How vitamin C helps produce collagen

When the body produces collagen, a complex series of events takes place both inside and outside of cells.
Dr Jerry Gordon, a national dean’s list scholar in undergraduate biology at Rutgers, explains that Vitamin C is active inside of cells, where it hydroxylates, or adds hydrogen and oxygen to lysine and proline, which are amino acids.

“This helps form procollagen, a precursor molecule, which is then made into collagen outside of the cell. Without vitamin C, collagen formation is disrupted.”

Dr Gordon also cautions that “vitamin C is easily damaged during the food preparation stage, such as during chopping, exposure to air, cooking, boiling, and being submerged in water.”

To maximize your intake of vitamin C, always try to eat whole, raw foods as much as possible.

You can’t eat too much vitamin C – if it’s from whole foods

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin C is 60 to 90 milligrams per day, depending on age and gender. The average person consumes 72 mg (about 1 orange), but there’s nothing wrong with getting more.

It’s only possible to get vitamin C toxicity from consuming too much of the vitamin through supplements or fortified foods. Through whole food sources, it’s not possible to obtain toxicity because our bodies are able to cope by storing unused vitamins.

Disclaimer

This is not a license to go outside and bake, unprotected. Getting vitamin D is healthy, but either go inside or cover up when you feel yourself starting to burn.

Sources:

• Dr Jerry Gordon
• Nutritiondata.com
• Sizer, F. Whitney, E. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. 10th edition. Thomson Wadsworth Publishing. Belmont, California. ISBN 0534645062.

Eat this to increase your collagen, naturally

If you’re looking for a food that will naturally prevent and fill in wrinkles, Royal Jelly is a strong contender.

Royal Jelly is a thick substance produced by the endocrine glands of nurse bees for the purpose of feeding the queen bee and larvae (baby bees).

Royal Jelly contains collagen, a main protein in our connective tissues which keeps our skin youthful, smooth, and wrinkle-free. A Japanese team of scientists found in 2004 that it promotes the synthesis of new collagen in the body.(1)

It also contains 28 trace minerals, including Sulfur (S), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), and Iron (Fe), which are essential for skin beauty.(2)

Sulfur, Manganese, and Zinc promote cell and tissue regeneration, which helps to produce collagen that has been destroyed through lifestyle factors, such as excessive exposure to the sun, alcohol consumption, and eating many advanced glycated end-products (“A.G.E.s”) in refined & processed foods. Further, iron-rich blood gives the skin a youthful, “colourful” glow.

Royal Jelly can be found in natural grocery stores, online, or at specialty stores such as Honey World in Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market.

It’s a little on the expensive side ($62 for a jar), so if you’re cash-strapped, a regular good quality unpasteurized or raw honey for about $10 also contains many of the same trace minerals, including Silicon (Si). Please note that we earn no financial benefits from your purchase of any bee products.

What’s even more interesting is that The Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology reported that Royal Jelly seemed to be the result of nurse bees’ lactation, lending it the same function as human breast milk, and indeed had the same homeostatic adjustment in the body that human milk does.(3)

In laymen’s terms, it stabilizes the body’s internal chemical environment after we alter it through a poor lifestyle: for example, restoring the acid-alkaline balance of the blood, and stabilizing blood glucose levels.

Sources:

1. Satomi KOYA-MIYATA, Iwao OKAMOTO, Shimpei USHIO, Kanso IWAKI, Masao IKEDA and Masashi KURIMOTO, “Identification of a Collagen Production-promoting Factor from an Extract of Royal Jelly and Its Possible Mechanism”, Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., Vol. 68, 767-773 (2004).

2. Andreas Stockera, b, c, Peter Schramela, Antonius Kettrupa and Eberhard Bengsch , “Trace and mineral elements in royal jelly and homeostatic effects”, Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology. Volume 19, Issues 2-3, 2 December 2005, Pages 183-189.

3. Ibid.

Images by Trevor Henry and Micaela Rossato.