Advanced glycogen end-products [AGEs] are sometimes the product of your body’s normal metabolic process. But more often than not, they are in our system due to dietary choices.

Cooking methodology creates AGEs in food products. Foods cooked at high temperatures without water — frying, roasting, grilling — causes AGEs. Sugars in the food bind to the fats or proteins to cause them to occur. Down the hatch, and you’ve just dumped a load of AGEs into your system.

How to Avoid AGEs

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, stop eating processed foods. Most processed foods are chocked full of AGEs due to the way they are produced. They are cooked at extremely high temperatures. They contain food additives like flavour enhancers and colorants.

Avoid sugar, especially fructose [fruit sugar].  High fructose corn syrup [HFCS] is a leading cause of AGEs [not to mention, almost guaranteed to by made from GM corn]. While sugar and HFCS are in so many processed foods, the real thing to avoid is sugary drinks — soda pop/soft drinks — even fruit juices.

Never forget. Coke truly is the real thing — for creating AGEs.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Change your method of cooking. Instead of frying or roasting, try steaming or poaching your foods. Remember, cooking with water helps reduce the effects of heat on the creation of AGEs. You can find an infinite number of recipes for preparing tasty meals using alternative cooking methods.

Avoid anything glazed or browned. Brown bread, chicken or turkey skin, French fries, bacon, chips, muffins, bagels. When you eat any of these, you introduce ingredients into your body that speed up the aging process.

You can offset some of the damage done by AGEs by eating a diet rich in anti-oxidants, much of which comes from veggies and greens. Good quality nutritional supplements can also provide great anti-oxidant support to help in the fight against AGEs.

By now, you are familiar with this nasty critter called AGEs. Being on the lookout for them is a never-ending job for the anti-ager.