to turn it all around.” This is particularly true of our bodies’
ability to repair against the damages incurred due to aging,
but only when we feed them the right ingredients. With 90
percent of Americans now falling short in obtaining
adequate amounts of at least one vitamin or mineral, we
have set the stage for accelerated aging and decline.^6
Toxic Exposure
Our food supply has become awash in “food-like”
products. These products directly contribute to the three
factors mentioned above: they are stripped of nutrients
during the production process, they promote their own
overconsumption, and they drive inflammation. Most
insidious, however, may be the “bonus” toxic additives—
the syrups, industrial oils, and emulsifiers that directly and
indirectly contribute to an activated immune system, driving
anxiety, depression, suboptimal cognitive performance, and
long-term risk for disease.
Chronic Stress
Chronic psychological stress is a major problem in the
Western world. Like inflammation, the body’s stress
response was designed by evolution to keep us safe, but it
has been hijacked by the modern world. While chronic
stress is directly toxic to our brain function (covered in
chapter 9), it also sends us reaching for unhealthy foods,
thus compounding the damage done.