LonelyTaws / Pixabay – Healthy lifestyle choices extends healthy living in old age.

My father thought that death was the worst case scenario for life. We had talked about a few times. He was willing to live with someone changing his diaper in order to live a little longer. I don’t want that quality of life – having someone change my diaper. It leaves you too dependent on others for everything.  Not to mention the quality of life for the caregiver.

Keeping healthy in old age is not difficult. But, most of us are not aware of what we should be doing. We need new habits to be able to live to a ripe old age in pretty decent health. That is why I wrote my most recent book, Longevity Secrets for Healthy Aging. There are two things that cause us to age – low levels of human growth hormone and the increased loss of telomere length at the end of your DNA strand.

Glutathione (GSH) is a master antioxidant that assists our bodies in many ways. One way is to extend our longevity by reducing the rate of loss of telomere length. The results are comparable to vigorous exercise. GSH is created in our bodies from the amino acids glycine, glutamate, and cysteine. Foods containing these three amino acids are walnuts, parsley, onions, kale, fish, chocolate, tart cherries, broccoli, and berries (there are many more).

Meditations / Pixabay – Food options can result in excellent or poor health – those choices are yours to make.

There are several factors that deplete our levels of GSH. Some are toxins, chronic illness, medications, poor diet, trauma, and aging. GSH is considered by many nutritionists to the mother of all antioxidants. The sulfur chemical groups in GSH make it extremely effective in fighting free radicals and heavy metal toxicity. Sulfur-laden foods include garlic, onions, broccoli, kale, and cabbage.

Exercising (three time a week) increases GSH levels (assuming we have high levels of the three amino acids needed to produce it). There are glutathione supplements (L-Glutathione) on the market. Research indicates that we benefit very little, if any, from them.