You are what you eat! Learn about the best foods that ensure healthy aging. We’ll share the healthiest foods that even holistic nutritionists eat.
Remember being young and eating anything you wanted without worrying about it? Oh, to be that carefree again!
But now you know better, and it’s never too early to get educated about nutrition. The earlier you do, the healthier you are likely to be!
What you do and don’t eat plays a massive role in your body’s aging process. You probably know what to stay away from: sugary foods and drinks, preservatives and processed meals, and unhealthy carbs and fats.
But do you know what you should be eating?
Your body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to run optimally. These five foods are “superfoods,” and eating them may jump-start you into healthy aging.
1. Berries Are the Soul Food of Anti-Aging
What do pies, granola bars, ice cream, and cake all have in common?
They’re delicious when topped with berries!
These desserts might sound like something you should run from. But if you use healthy recipes and load them with your favorite berry, they’re actually good for you.
Berries are one of nature’s superfoods. Nutritionists recommend them as a preventative measure for physical and mental health conditions. Those tiny little fruits pack a huge punch when it comes to your wellbeing!
They are full of antioxidants, substances that your body needs to defend against free radicals. Your cells are always under attack from these molecules. Free radicals may increase the occurrence of cancer, heart disease, and other conditions.
Adding berries to your daily diet means a dose of fiber, as well as antioxidants. Fiber helps eradicate the bacteria in your gut that impacts your physical and mental health.
Yes, your bowel movements affect your mood! Gut bacteria are almost single-handedly responsible for creating your body’s serotonin supply. Serotonin is the “happy hormone,” so when your gut is out of order, so are your brain’s mental processes.
Add berries to your diet by the handful in yogurts, smoothies, and healthy desserts!
2. Broccoli
Leafy greens are always good for you, but broccoli stands out from the crowd. A small serving of this cruciferous vegetable has a heap of antioxidants and a load of necessary vitamins.
Since every system in your body runs on at least some type of vitamin or mineral, it’s not always enough to take a one-a-day. By adding a little extra focused nutrition in your diet, you’re giving your body optimal fuel.
Broccoli helps you get most of the vitamins and minerals you need in one superfood.
With this vegetable, you get the benefits of:
- Calcium
- Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K
- Folate
- Zinc
All these nutrients are necessary to reduce the signs of aging. As a bonus, a half-cup of broccoli only has 15 calories and no fat!
Eat your servings raw, cooked in olive oil, or add them to a souffle.
3. Red Bell Peppers
Peppers are a popular ingredient in thousands of recipes, but you can’t just pick one randomly. Not all peppers are created equally in taste or in terms of their nutritional value.
Red bell peppers have a lot of antioxidants and vitamin C, which makes them the perfect vegetable to fight the signs of aging in your body.
Vitamin C is your body’s go-to nutrient to produce collagen, the anti-aging gold standard. Collagen is essential if you’re looking for a youthful skin appearance. It firms elasticity, reduces wrinkles, and increases skin’s circulation.
Slice up some red bell peppers and add them to your salad or cook them in olive oil in almost any recipe. For a raw snack, dip your sliced pepper in hummus.
4. Whole Grains
Anyone who is on the journey to healthy aging, and a youthful appearance has heard warnings about carbohydrates. They’re bad, bad, bad, right?
Well, not necessarily.
Your body actually requires carbs to function. This macronutrient produces energy and boosts your fiber intake. In fact, carbohydrates should make up one-third of your daily diet!
That doesn’t mean you get to load up on cake and pasta. Different types of grains are full of carbs. There are good grains, and there are bad grains. To stay healthy and young-looking, you want to eat the right ones.
Good grains are whole grains and are in foods like:
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Whole wheat
- Oats
- Plain popcorn
You don’t have to avoid every carb, only the unhealthy ones. Stick to whole grains for a jump-start to your nutritional journey.
5. Salmon
Some fish boast more nutrients than others. For an anti-aging boost, you want to eat the ones that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon.
Taking omega-3 supplements and eating omega-rich foods are research-backed ways to reduce aging signs. A study of adults taking omega-3 supplements showed a physiological change in DNA segments called telomeres.
Telomeres are all the rage in research studies of stress and aging today as they’re understood more. In a nutshell, these DNA segments shorten over time, and this shortening encourages the body’s aging process.
Destressing your body and adding omega-3 can lengthen telomeres in immune system cells. It might not be the actual Fountain of Youth, but it’s the closest thing science has so far!
You can get your omega-3 from salmon and other fatty fish, like mackerel, tuna, and herring. If fish isn’t your thing, try flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts instead. A daily supplement is another simple way to extend those telomeres.
Conclusion
Fighting the signs of aging requires consistency and habit changes. One of the most impactful ways to jump-start your body’s healthy aging processes is to fuel it right.
With these five foods in your diet, you’ll reap the benefits of younger-looking skin. And even more importantly, you’ll feel better, too!
Author Bio:
Caitlin Sinclair is the Business Manager at Riata Apartments. With over 5 years of property management experience, she begins and ends each day loving what she does. She finds joy in helping current and future residents and makes Riata a place everyone loves to call home.
