Motivation Monday - Anti-Aging Foods

We all want to live longer and keep our youthful glow as long as possible. Lifestyle is a big part of the anti-aging process (you can read my blog here) but equally important, if not more important, is your diet. There are certain foods you should be eating and ones you should avoid!

Below are some important foods you should incorporate into your diet for an anti-aging and disease free life and the foods you should eliminate or at least cut down on for the same reasons.

ANTI-AGING FOODS:

Eating foods with phytochemicals and antioxidants in them, like blueberries, spinach and tomatoes, help to reduce inflammation and cell and tissue damage in the body. Tip: To preserve the vitamin C in your tomatoes eat them raw but if you're more concerned with boosting the anti-aging properties in tomatoes eat them cooked. Spinach is best kept in the fridge, apparently if you keep it at room temperature the antioxidant levels drop significantly.

Foods high in magnesium like sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, shrimp and spinach help slow the aging process, and help with hypertension and high blood pressure.

Foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids help to reduce inflammation in the body. You can find omegas in flax seed, chai seeds and salmon. Tip: Its best to grind or mill your flax seed because your body isn't able to properly break it down. And with salmon its best to avoid farmed salmon, instead try to purchase the “wild” variety.

As you age the calcium you ingest has a tendency to migrate to places in the body where you don’t want it to, like your arteries. Vitamin K2 helps calcium go where it is supposed to go ie. teeth and bones. Vitamin K2 also helps to slowdown the aging process.

Beans and legumes contain fiber, protein and antioxidants and helps slowdown aging, they also help with your heart heath and lowing cholesterol.

Consume more food containing probiotics (live healthy bacteia). You can buy a supplement or get a yogurt with probiotics in them. Probiotics help with the digestion process and thereby reduces the inflammation in the body which can lead to premature aging.

Eat more Spices. Not only do they add great flavour and aroma to your food, they also have many great health benefits as well! Turmeric, helps to prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s; Oregano, is an antioxidant; Ginger is anti-inflammatory and helps to keep your arteries clear of plaque and can help prevent heart disease; and Sage can help fight inflammation which can keep the body younger longer.

Eat foods with Allicin. Allicin is an antioxidant which is found in minced or crushed garlic. It can also support the health of the circulatory system which in turn can help lower the risk of stroke and heart attacks.

Eat foods that contain Flavonoids like dark chocolate, berries, red peppers, eggplant, bananas and citrus fruits. These foods can help reverse cognitive aging, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which can help to reduce your risk of cancer.

Green tea contains catechins and can reduce the risk of death by over 25%. It is also high in antioxidants and helps to boost the immune system while reducing cholesterol.

I always mention water for overall health and well being. It can help plump up your skin which helps you look younger and literally helps all your internal organs function to their fullest capacity. So I can’t stress this enough. Stay hydrated!

FOODS THAT SPEED UP THE AGING PROCESS:

Refined sugar can cause inflammation in the body and can actually breakdown your healthy cells causing you to age faster.

Highly acidic foods cause your body to constantly fight to maintain an alkaline zone and can take precious minerals from your bones and organs. This ultimately leads to premature aging and a host of diseases.

Processed meats and foods cause inflammation in the body, premature aging and chronic inflammation which can lead to heart attack and cancer.

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Hydrogenated and trans fats not only lead to premature aging but they can also cause obesity and high cholesterol.

Alcohol – Its best to moderate your drinking which means one drink a day for woman and two drinks for men. Of course the less you drink the better. The more you drink the faster you speed up the aging process. And when you do drink try to stick to something like red wine which has some great anti-aging and heart healthy properties!

I am not saying you have to give up all your favourite foods but you should adopt the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time eat foods that are healthful and will benefit you and 20% of the time you can eat some of those other treat foods that are less healthful!

Take care of yourself... xoxo.

Simply Truly Jenny…