Looking Good




	Excerpt from The Perricone Prescription The Inside Story on Good Looks -- How Protein Works In my efforts to find answers to why we age, I reasoned that if aging and aging skin are characterized by the breakdown of our cells, the antidote to aging might be cellular repair. Protein is essential to cellular repair. The building blocks of our cells are composed of amino acids. As protein is digested, it breaks down into amino acids that are then used by the cells to repair themselves. Without adequate protein, our bodies enter into an accelerated aging mode. Our muscles, organs, bones, cartilage, skin and the antibodies that guard us from disease are all made of protein. Even the enzymes that facilitate all-important chemical reactions in our body -- from digestion to building cells -- are made of protein. This simple fact of life can change the way you look beginning with your next meal. If your cells do not have complete availability of all the essential amino acids, cellular repair will not only be incomplete but also will be much slower than it should be. In my practice, I have often seen chronic, low-grade, long-term protein starvation lead to a loss of face and body skin tone. In many of my female patients, their breasts start to sag and show early signs of stretch marks. Within a matter of weeks of starting a diet rich in high-quality protein (especially that found in fish like salmon), the skin starts to firm up on the face and body, and there is a visible lifting and improvement in skin tone and texture. Research indicates that women need at least 65 grams of protein daily. Adequate intake for men ranges from 75 to 80 grams. The final figure depends on height, weight, and level of physical activity. This protein requirement is easily met with just 10 to 14 ounces of high-quality protein each day. Notice I specified high-quality protein. As with fats and carbohydrates, all forms of protein are not equal. When I refer to protein, I mean animal protein. Although vegetarian diets rely on protein derived from combinations of various grains, vegetables, and legumes to provide the necessary amino acids, it is still not high-quality protein. I have also found that servings of these concentrated carbohydrates cause metabolic problems that override their potential health benefits. Remember this key fact: we cannot store protein in our bodies. If you want to keep your face and body firm, toned, lithe, and supple, you need to provide it with a fresh supply of high-quality protein every day. That's three meals a day and two snacks. For example, a single serving of grilled chicken breast delivers 28 grams of protein at 172 calories. The protein content of 1/2 cup of cooked rice ranges from 2 to 2.5 grams and contains 103 calories. You would need to eat seven cups of rice -- packing a whopping 721 calories -- to get the same amount of protein as in the chicken breast. To add insult to injury, the amino acid profile is not complete in rice. A 1/2-cup serving of navy beans has 7 grams of protein and 110 calories. You would have to eat two cups of beans to get 28 grams of protein -- 440 calories -- and the beans also do not provide a complete amino acid profile. Beans are an important source of carbohydrates and fiber, but I recommend no more than 1/2 cup per meal. This mixing and matching of proteins is a lot of work and many vegetarians have problems getting enough protein, high quality or otherwise. Then there is the effect of this volume of carbohydrates has on the body. You know what eating starchy foods like potatoes, rice, and corn does to the collagen fibers in the skin. Diets heavy in carbohydrates create a highly visible inflammatory effect on the face and body. This is particularly apparent in my vegetarian patients, who often appear years older than they actually are. Their skin sags more, and their skin color tends to be dull rather than rosy. They are often more moody, cranky, and tire more easily than my patients who follow my eating plan. Best Protein Choices Although I recommend animal protein, I do so with some reservations. Certain protein choices can create a pro-inflammatory response, which equals accelerated aging. I believe that previous research condemning saturated fats due to their correlation with cardiovascular and other diseases is somewhat erroneous. The saturated fats found in full-fat dairy products and red meats (including beef, veal, lamb, and pork) can be pro-inflammatory in large amounts (due to arachadonic acid content), and thus portion size should be limited. Instead, opt for fish, egg whites, skinless chicken and turkey breast. All You Need Is Fish Of all the foods that can keep you young, fish tops the list. All fish is an outstanding source of high-quality and easily digested protein with low saturated fat. What makes fish stand out from other excellent protein sources is its type of fat and fatty acid content, both of which have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Seafood is nutrient dense. That means it offers large quantities of protein and significant amounts of vitamins and minerals -- without high levels of saturated fats and calories. Seafood is an excellent source of complete protein providing all the essential amino acids. The protein in seafood is easily digested, making it a perfect nutrition source for people of all ages. Seafood is a good source of B vitamins and provides key minerals and trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, fluorine, selenium, copper, zinc, and iodine -- elements necessary for proper development and growth Seafood contains a very small amount of fat. The fats that it does contain are "good fats." Most varieties of fish and shellfish contain less than 5 percent fat. Even high-fat fish generally have less than 15 percent fat, which is considerably lower than the amount in red meat. Seafood is also lower in saturated fat than most other protein sources. By substituting fish for meat in some of your meals, you can considerably lower your total fat and saturated fat intake. Seafood is generally low in sodium. Most fresh fish contain very low amounts of sodium, ranging from 60 to 100 milligrams per 100 grams, or 3-1/2 ounces of raw fish. Cholesterol levels are not significant in most seafood -- and looking at cholesterol alone can be deceptive. Although fish are generally quite low in cholesterol, shellfish has low to moderate amounts. Even species with high cholesterol levels, like squid, contain less cholesterol than eggs, and are well within the 300-milligram daily limit recommended by leading health organizations. (SOURCE: Seafood for the Good Life...A Basic Introduction to Seafood Nutrition, National Fisheries Education and Research Foundation) Protein should be present at every meal and every snack to provide energy and means of cellular repair throughout the day. When you start my program, weigh your protein serving for every meal. Within a few days, you will be able to judge by eye the correct portion size. Patients on my anti-aging diet often start out eating fish two to three times a week. When they see how fast their skin improves, they are quick to increase their fish intake to five to seven meals each week. You should plan to eat a seafood meal seven days a week -- and salmon at least five times a week. You can choose fresh, frozen, canned, or smoked fish. Make sure salmon is your first choice. You can buy Alaskan red or pink salmon in the can. It tastes wonderful with just a little lemon juice squeezed on it and takes all of 60 seconds to prepare. Canned salmon is wild salmon, not farm raised. Whatever fish or shellfish you choose, sauté, grill, poach, or broil it, brushing it lightly with olive oil. For additional antioxidant protection, season with garlic, onions, lemon juice, and tomatoes. The foregoing is excerpted from The Perricone Prescription by Nicholas Perricone, M.D. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022 c) Substance.com 2000-2002. All rights reserved. (c) iVillage Inc. 1995-2002. All rights reserved.


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