Unfortunately, ageing is going to happen regardless of what we eat, but eating certain foods will help you age gracefully and prevent any common illness you may encounter. However, we do believe that using an adequate amount of sunscreen and drinking plenty of water is the foundation for making your skin look youthful. Below we have our top food picks that we believe to be a good starting point if you want a youthful diet.
Avocados
Super tasty and can be used in salads, on toast or as a dip, avocados are a great food to have in your fridge. Avocados typically get mistaken for vegetables but are in fact a fruit that contains a compound called polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols. These can fight inflammation, protect your skin from the sun and help repair damaged DNA.
Green Tea
Green tea can be drank hot or cold which makes it the perfect drink all year round! Unlike other teas, green tea is high in antioxidants, which is important to fight off free radicals. Free radicals can cause severe illnesses such as cancer and stimulate the ageing process. As the body ages, it loses the ability to fight the free radicals, which results in more free radicals and damage to vital cells. Consuming antioxidants can change the structure of the molecules that cause free radicals to be harmful. The less free radicals we have in our body, the slower the ageing process becomes.
Green tea is rich in one particular antioxidant called polyphenols, which help to protect collagen, the main protein in our skin.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
You may be wondering why olive oil is on this list, but it's actually one of the healthiest fats you can eat. You don’t want to be consuming large amounts of this oil because that wouldn’t be good for anyone. But a dash of olive oil on salads or meats is a great way to consume olive oil. This oil has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce heart disease and prevent metabolic syndrome.
Fatty Fish
Rich in omega 3, fatty fish can protect your heart from disease and fight inflammation. Salmon, one of the most popular types of fatty fish, contains a carotenoid antioxidant called Astaxanthin, which is responsible for the pink colour of salmon. Commonly Astaxanthin can be taken to aid Alzheimer's disease, but it can be taken to help eyesight and high cholesterol.
Any Vegetables
Most vegetables are full of nutrients and low in calories which is why we should be eating more veggies. Majority of people tend to shy away from vegetables as they can taste particularly bland, but adding flavours and combining them with other foods, will all help your taste buds accept them. Carotenoids like beta-carotene are present in a lot of vegetables, which help prevent free radicals, veggies such as carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes all have vitamin C and carotene.
Cocoa
This food is a bonus if you love rich dark chocolate or cacao nibs, as these contain an antioxidant called flavanols. According to research cacao (which is the raw form of chocolate) has more powerful antioxidants than acai berries and blueberries, which is great news if you prefer a chocolatey flavour. The flavanols in dark chocolate help protect our skin from sun damage, which all helps the ageing process slow down.