It’s funny how when we’re younger many of us wish to grow up quickly, be independent, make decisions for ourselves. Then when we get older and we wish to have the simplicity of being a young again. The same goes for our appearances. When we get older, many of us are constantly trying to fight the clock. We spend endless amounts of dollars on skincare remedies to clear wrinkles and fine lines, all to feel and look young again.
Aging is one of the most non-avoidable processes of life. How fast we age can be based on many genetic and environmental factors, of course, too. Yet one of the biggest neglected factors when it comes to feeling youthful is our diet. What we put into our bodies plays a huge role in how we feel and how we look. I’m not talking about just eating healthy to stay slim, I mean eating healthy to look, and feel young as well. It can go as far as how your muscles and joints feel as well as how your skin looks. Since we cannot avoid aging, we might as well take precautions to help slow it down. So here are the foods to help enhance your diet and keep you feeling and looking youthful.
Yogurt is a well-known health food that has been around for centuries. Yogurt is essentially made up of curdled milk, and back in the day, it was a way to make milk last longer. It eventually evolved into a food that was often preferred over milk due to its taste. Now today it comes in many kinds of flavors and varieties such as Greek yogurt, non-dairy coconut yogurt and so on.
Yogurt is full of probiotics which are good for our bodies on the inside and the outside. Probiotics are known to help oxidate stress which can prevent acne, rosacea, psoriasis and much more. It’s important to look for yogurts that are unprocessed and contain minimal or no refined sugars for the best quality and health benefits for you and your skin.
Watermelon is by far my most favorite fruit. It’s juicy, flavorful and very filling. If you love watermelon just as much as I do, then you’ll be happy to know watermelon too is also anti-aging.
First, watermelon is a great source of vitamin C and A as well as lycopene. These antioxidants do great wonders for our skin because they help to fight free radicals that come from both inside and outside our bodies. Lycopene specifically can help protect the skin because it acts like a natural sunblock. Furthermore, considering watermelon has high water content it helps keep our skin hydrated too. All of these play an important role in fighting off wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Green tea is a well-known alternative to coffee because of its caffeine content. However, it should also be known for its contributions to help slow down aging in the skin. Green tea works wonders for the skin because of its antioxidant properties.
More specifically, green tea contains polyphenols called catechins. This helps destroy free radicals which we learned previously helps slow down the aging process. Green tea has also been shown to help reduce collagen and cartilage deterioration and destruction in the arthritic joints. Feeling youthful is more than just the skin, it is about how we feel and function too.
Turmeric has a vast amount of health benefits and should be encouraged into the everyday diet. If you haven’t had turmeric before it can be described as a spice, but it actually comes from the ginger family. It is a bold yellow color that has a spicy bitter taste. However, when it is added to certain dishes that flavor can help enhance the meal with its vibrant flavors while providing many health benefits.
Turmeric is high in antioxidants which is essential to conserving the integrity of our skin. It works by helping prevent free radicals from ruining the texture and elasticity of the skin. Turmeric is also good for us internally too. When our body functions properly it can help us feel good and youthful. To read all the other health benefits that turmeric can do for you read HERE.
Avocados can sometimes be considered a pricey or luxury food item but they’re definitely worth their value. They are rich in healthy fats that are great for our bodies and for our skin. Along with healthy fats, avocados are also rich in glutathione which is the body’s most powerful antioxidant.
Avocados can work as an anti-aging food from eating it and from being applied topically in a facemask. It works a detox for our skin by flushing out toxins to prevent wrinkles and acne. So keep the next time you spend some extra money on avocados you don’t need to feel bad about it!
A handful of nuts is definitely a healthier alternative to a handful of potato chips. They’re rich in omega 3 fatty acids which is great for the skin. Almonds specifically are rich in vitamin E which acts as an anti-inflammatory for the skin. This will help prevent poor skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
To obtain the highest value of omega 3’s you’ll want to eat walnuts. Along with vitamin E, Omega 3 plays an important role in helping treat and prevent skin diseases. We also need omega 3 because it can act as a natural sunscreen which helps protect our skin from harmful UV rays from the sun. All of these factors help contribute to healthy skin to help slow down aging.
Edamame is a soy food that is great for promoting healthy bones and a healthy cardiovascular system. Edamame can help slow down aging more specifically for women as they hit menopause. When menopause begins, the estrogen levels naturally decrease. Soy contributes phytoestrogen compounds which are found in foods that can mimic estrogen. Studies show that this can help reduce bone loss and the risk for cardiovascular disease.
Menopause or not, as we age consuming more soy products can help preserve our skin’s elastin and firming collagen that naturally declines with age. This anti-aging food can be enjoyed as a snack on its own or often used a salad topping or in stir-frys.
Sesame seeds have antioxidant properties and are rich in omega fatty acids both of which help promote anti-aging. They can promote glowing skin and the anti-inflammatory properties can help heal skin redness that may occur from skin diseases.
Furthermore, how we maneuver plays a big factor in how young we feel. This is another reason why sesame seeds make a great anti-aging food. They are very high in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, and calcium. Our bones are made up of more than just calcium so the more mineral-rich your diet is the better for maintaining healthy bones, helping you maneuver through your days in a youthful way.
Processed sugars have been shown to cause inflammation in the body which can quickly decline the way we feel and the way our skin looks too. I’m sure we have all experienced a skin breakout after too many sweets. Manuka honey is a great alternative to processed sugar because it can provide sweet flavor along with many health benefits.
Manuka honey has antiviral and antioxidant properties and for this reason, makes it an excellent anti-aging food. To read all the other health benefits that turmeric can do for you read HERE.
Pineapples can play an important role in strengthening the skin and promoting healthy elasticity in the skin. It is also rich in manganese which is needed to help active an enzyme called prolidase. This helps to provide amino acid proline that is important for the formation of collagen.
Pineapples are also great for the skin because it is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. All of these work together to cleanse the skin, treat acne and help reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin C has been shown in recent studies to help keep the skin looking younger and brighter. Many skin care products are now infused with vitamin C because of its anti-aging properties. Instead of buying vitamin C infused beauty products you could consider consuming more vitamin C that is found in natural foods like citrus juices.
Citrus juices include oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. Make sure to consume the purest form of these juices such as freshly pressed citrus juice. You can even add more lemon and lime juices into your diet by making your own salad dressing.
Cilantro is considered a powerful cleansing agent that can target toxic metals in our bodies. We are all often exposed to toxic metals from environmental factors and even in some of the foods we eat. Mercury is a common toxic metal that is found in some varieties of fish and if exposed to high levels of it can cause a serious health risk.
Cilantro can help cleanse the body of toxic metals. It works from compounds found in the cilantro leaf bind to toxic metals. It helps loosen the metals from the affected tissue and then allows them to be released from the body naturally. Toxic metals can affect our muscle tissue and bones so you’ll definitely want to consume cilantro to help prevent accelerated aging caused by toxic metals.
Broccoli has been known to have major health credentials. As we age our energy levels start to deteriorate. We know it all too well especially when you begin to call it a night by 9 pm or that trip up the stairs starts to feel like a serious hike. The reason for this is the deterioration of an enzyme called nicotinamide mononucleotide, otherwise known as NMN.
Recent studies have shown that broccoli just happens to contain this substance. Some believe that NMN is the secret to reversing aging but that isn’t proven yet. What they do know is that is can help slow aging down. So you might just want to stock up on broccoli on your next grocery trip.
Many of us grew up hearing our parents tell us to eat our carrots because they have superpower vision qualities. While that might be a stretch carrots are definitely still very good for us. They are anti-aging because they can help slow down the aging of cells.
Carrots also contain a high-level amount of beta-carotene which acts as an antioxidant. This helps prevent and in some cases could even reverse cell damage that occurs in the body through regular metabolism. All the more reason to eat more carrots regularly.
Rich in color berries such as raspberries and blueberries contain great anti-aging properties. They’re considered free radical scavengers because they can help protect the skin from environmental pollution.
Berries contain polyphenols, flavonoids, loads of vitamins, probiotics and copious amounts of anti-oxidants. All of this helps make them a great contributor to prevent aging skin. Berries are often sweet and tart in flavor which makes them easily pleasing to add to our everyday diet.
