Top 10 Anti Ageing Foods

Your body begins to wear out as you get older. As you age, the cells of your body stop multiplying. Your skin becomes wrinkly, thinner and less elastic. It gets drier too. Your bones are more visible because you store less fat beneath your skin. Your muscles tend to atrophy and your bones become fragile and you also seem to lose a bit of memory. Not a happy picture indeed!

Well, you are not so defenseless to the onslaught of ageing. You can defend yourself from the effects of ageing with the help of right foods and a healthy lifestyle. The best part is that these anti-ageing super foods are easily available in the budget and help immensely in erasing the adverse effects of ageing.

TOP 10 FOODS TO FIGHT AGEING

Did you know each time you breathe, you create a highly reactive free radical, unstable atom eager to steal an electron from other atoms. This process is known as oxidative stress and if prolonged can damage cell structure. Add to it environmental toxins, cigarette smoke, stress, UV exposure a load of free radicals to clean multiplies. In order to offset the effect, your body requires a generous helping of colourful foods, such as leafy greens, plump berries, nuts as these foods willingly donate an electron to neutralize the free radicals.  Recently, sugar has been identified as the biggest culprit in speeding up the ageing process. An overdose of sugar in the blood causes glucose molecules to attach to the proteins in collagen (the glue that holds your skin together) to form AGEs. These sticky brown compounds stiffen the otherwise elastic fibres in the skin, creating lines, blotches and wrinkles.

It is possible to win the race against time and your ally in the process is a fork. Top 10 foods in your anti-ageing diet include:

1.       LEAFY GREENS

Leafy greens, like spinach , lettuce , kale are exceptionally rich sources of fiber, vitamin C, K and folic acid (a B vitamin that saves your heart and memory), lutein (vision protector) and four essential minerals:  calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. Leafy greens, like spinach, have a very high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) score, which is a measurement of food’s ability to destroy free radicals. The higher the score, a better food it is for you. Also, leafy greens deliver a hefty supply of anti-ageing vitamin A, which supports skin-cell turnover to help keep your skin soft and supple. Go for two servings a day, for example, 1 cup cooked greens or 2 cups raw greens. The darker, the better. Studies have shown eating foods rich in these antioxidants can significantly reduce your risk of AMD (age-related macular degeneration).

2.       WHOLE GRAINS

Whole grains are good sources of fiber, mineral, vitamin and antioxidant rich B vitamins and reduce the likelihood of age onset illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease. Due to their slow digestion, these foods are perfect for preventing diabetes and high blood pressure. Whole grains contain liberal dose of fiber.

Adults need 25 to 35g of fiber daily and whole grains are enriched with soluble and insoluble fiber. The fiber content in whole grains keeps bowels active and whole grains are also a rich source of lactic acid which helps promote the good bacteria in the intestine as well as build immunity. The other health advantages of including whole grains in diet show in lowered cholesterol and blood pressure. Achieving your weight loss goal becomes easier with whole grains and it also helps in curbing abdominal obesity.

3.      YOGURT

For centuries yogurt has been considered as a health food. Other than containing many beneficial nutrients like calcium, protein, potassium, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins, yogurt is rich in probiotics, healthy bacteria that fight the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria. A well-functioning digestive system is central to the anti-ageing process as it nourishes skin, hair, nails, muscles and bones and allows you to look and feel younger. 

4.        NUTS AND FLAXSEEDS

If you are keen to challenge time and reverse the effects of ageing a handful of nuts and flax seeds every day is your best bet.   According to the Harvard School of Public Health, nuts are the right foods to fight ageing and full of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Walnuts and nuts in general, assist with managing cholesterol levels, improve digestive functioning, and strengthen immunity due to their rich mineral content.

Since the effects of ageing are more visible on the face, you need to hydrate your skin inside out to prevent dry skin and wrinkles. Enriched with omega 3-6 and 9 fatty acids, nuts and flaxseeds help maintain a healthy looking skin, as these foods plump your skin cells resulting in a dewy and fresh looking exterior.  The logic is that if your skin cell walls are healthy and plump your skin, it will look more hydrated and dewy. Whereas, non-vegetarians can easily get their omega 3 fatty acids from eggs and fish, for vegetarians good sources of omega 3 fats are walnuts and flaxseeds and the latter is a better source of omega 3 fatty acids. A quarter cup of walnuts contains only 2.7g omega 3 fatty acids, whereas the same amount of flax seeds has 6.3g omega 3 fatty acids.  

5.       ONIONS

Who would believe that the sharp pungent tasting onion holds the fountain of youth? Well, truth is stranger than fiction! Studies have shown that onions are one of the richest sources of quercetin, one of the most potent antioxidants and nutrients to keep your skin wrinkle free.  Querectin plays an important role in fighting free radical damage which is responsible for the effects of ageing. You don’t need to chomp raw onions to get quercetin advantage.  Add onions liberally to soups, side dishes and stews because querectin content does not get degraded when you cook onions rather it winds up in the soups and dishes. The much-touted polyphenol content is higher in onions than garlic, tomatoes, carrots and red bell pepper. 

6.       GREEN TEA

Many teas are high in antioxidants but green tea is rich in antioxidant known as EGCG, a super antioxidant. Anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory effects of green tea delays signs of skin ageing such as sun damage, expression lines and wrinkles. In research studies, it has been found that green tea may prevent against cancer. The antioxidant activity of green tea and its ability to increase production of stree-reducing proteins helps increase longevity. 

7.      GARLIC

Since time immemorial garlic has been used to stave off evil spirits, build stamina, enhance immunity, and ward off infections. In the ancient time when Olympic Games was held in Greece, athletes were said to swallow garlic as a stimulant. Garlic is a part of the lily family along with onions and chives. Eating a clove of raw garlic is your shortcut to wrinkle free skin. Garlic contains vitamin B6 which helps with serotonin production reduces cortisol level. Additionally, allicin in garlic, an antioxidant inhibits wrinkle-causing free radical activity, but this super-antioxidant will get released only when you crush the garlic properly. Also, it begins to degrade quickly. Therefore, consume it immediately.

Rich in antioxidants, like zinc, selenium and vitamin C garlic scavenges free radicals and supports production of collagen. The presence of sulphur in garlic controls infections and reduces inflammations. It also enhances blood flow to give the skin a natural glow. Garlic naturally lowers blood cholesterol which keeps your heart healthy.

8.      DARK CHOCOLATES

Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, like procyanidins and epicatechin, potent antioxidants that are helpful food to fight ageing.  Dark chocolate is a rich source of cocoa, which has a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels. Composed of steraic and oleic acid, a kind of fat but with positive effect on cholesterol, dark chocolate is good for the health of your heart.  Serotonin in dark chocolate may improve your mood and regular intake is associated with better cognitive performance in the elderly. Enriched with a number of minerals, like calcium, magnesium and potassium, dark chocolate keeps boosts your well being and immunity. 

9.      BERRIES

Your anti ageing foods recipe is incomplete without berries. Pick any berry, and the chances of it helping you stay younger looking are very good. The popular choices in berres are strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries.  They are excellent dietary sources of vitamin A, C, and E and are packed to the core with essential antioxidants, to keep our skin glowing. The high level of antioxidants in berries make it an excellent food to combat free-radical damage that takes place everyday in your body. The cumulative effect of free radical damage reflects in accelerated ageing. Try including a mix of these berries in your diet every day. 

10.        WHEY PROTEIN

Whey Protein is actually a supplement but is one of the best anti ageing foods you can have. Studies have shown that whey protein helps increase your body’s store of the antioxidant, glutathione or GSH, which helps increase the integrity of telomeres, a bundle of DNA found in every cell. Telomeres shorten with age due to free radical damage and are largely responsible for age-related damage. The best way to increase and maintain your GSH levels is to make sure your diet includes foods (such as animal foods and eggs) rich in the sulfur amino acids your cells need to synthesize glutathione.

Stay healthy and younger with these 10 superfoods and let people guess your age!