Anti-Aging Foods and Elements
Nutrition Helps us Live Longer and Look Better
Anti-aging has been a trendy buzzword in recent years. Many companies and products use the term liberally as a marketing term to sell their products and services. The concept garners a lot of interest and curiosity because let’s face it, who wants to age? While true anti-aging is an oxymoron, (really, have we ever seen an 80 year old who looks thirty?) many experts agree that it is possible to at least slow the aging process.
While growing older is inevitable, wrinkles, pain, and disease do not have to be unavoidable. By making healthy diet and lifestyle changes, people can feel better in their later years than they did in their thirties and forties. Life span can be increased and the aging process can be slowed with a strategy as simple as food.
All living things need food to survive. Nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants are linked to the prevention of age related breakdown of cells, including skin, muscle and all other cells. Some animal studies have shown antioxidants from the diet are linked to an increased life expectancy, while studies in humans are beginning to illustrate the same benefits. Humans have longer life spans than animals, possibly due to the fact that we have more antioxidants within our cells. This has convinced many scientists to recommend increasing antioxidants.
Scientifically, aging is a complex process which involves many systems within our bodies. There are no magic bullets, wrinkle creams, pills or substances which can reverse the aging process on their own. However, the body is capable of healing and repairing itself when it’s supported by good nutrition. To understand the anti-aging process, it’s necessary to review the choices a cell can make to replace itself.
A cell can replace itself with a cell which is weaker, which is the most likely when a cell hasn’t had the correct nutritional support and results in aging. Or, a cell can replace itself with the same strength of cell which means the body doesn’t improve. A cell can also choose to replace itself with another cell which is stronger and better. This process is called regeneration, or anti-aging.
Free Radicals Cause Aging and Disease
One popular theory to explain the aging process is The Free Radical Theory. This theory is based on the belief that damage caused by free radicals is the cause for aging and diseases. Free radicals are highly unstable molecules created within our bodies which bind with (and can destroy) cells. Free radicals can be created by environmental exposure, such as the sun, chemicals, and radiation. Fortunately we can prevent free-radicals from causing cell damage with compounds called antioxidants. The antioxidants which are the most protective against aging include vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and flavonoids.
Vitamin C is Beneficial for the Skin
Vitamin C is highly protective for the body, and is most well known for being a cold and flu fighter. It also is a powerful aid in healing, tissue growth and repair, and is essential for collagen. Excellent food sources of vitamin C include leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, parsley, mustard and turnip greens, and kale. Also, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussels sprouts, as well as the more familiar citrus sources such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit.
Vitamin E sounds like it’s a single substance but actually is a group of fat-soluble vitamins that are active throughout the body. Vitamin E helps prevent oxidative stress by working with a group of other nutrients. This group includes vitamin C, glutathione selenium, and vitamin B3. The best food sources of vitamin E include mustard greens, turnip greens, chard and sunflower seeds.
Carotenes are Important Antioxidants
Carotenes are thought to possibly be the most important of dietary antioxidants for increasing life span. Carotenes are the most prevalent group of naturally occurring pigments in plants which give fruits and vegetables their bright colors. Foods rich in carotenes include green leafy vegetables, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, apricots and mangos.
Flavonoids Offer Significant Protection
Another type of plant with impressive protection of free-radical damage is flavonoids. Besides being responsible for the colors of fruits and flowers, they also protect against envirommental stress and strengthen the bodies response to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. The best sources of flavonoids are berries, onions, citrus, green tea, and red wine.
A Healthy Diet is the Best Defense
Granted, there are no guarantees that a healthy diet alone will offer immunity from aging. By including more antioxidant rich foods and supplements into your diet, you will increase your chances for living longer and looking better. But the greatest benefit of all is to feel great and get the most out of life at the same time.
Eat well to look great
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