Anti Aging Tips – How to Change Your Eating Habits

No matter your current age, you can start feeling more energetic and active with anti aging tips to overhaul your eating habits.  

If you are serious about winding back some years or slowing down the aging process, you must overhaul your eating habits.

No more of the fast-food diet fallback simply because of convenience. You must learn to plan what you eat, otherwise you are planning to fail on this journey.

I follow an anti aging regimen made of 4 categories – Eating Habits, Exercise, Lifestyle and  Care of the skin. More maturing adults can benefit from this quartet

Anti Aging Tips – How to Start?

All good things typically have a beginning. Perhaps yours is today.

Decide that it’s time for a change and that you are serious about making changes to your eating habits.

This does not mean that you will incorporate EVERYTHING in this article into your diet, because that is impossible!

Because there is such of variety of foods to choose from means that you should never become bored but should also try new foods you previously shied away from or did not realize their potential value and importance.

Do Not Rush to Initially Jump on The Bandwagon of Supplements

While supplements can be very beneficial, try to incorporate as much fresh,  frozen or canned fruits and vegetables into your diet first. The logical question is to ask if fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables  have similar nutrient content.

The answer is Yes and there is a long list of research references to back up this claim. A separate article discusses this in greater detail

Supplements are meant to “supplement a short fall of something.” Use supplements for nutrients that you typically do not get the recommended daily dosage – and there are only a few of these.

Always discuss with your doctor before embarking on a taking a long list of “supplements”

Core Nutrients – Anti Aging Tips

There are 13 core nutrients listed in a nutrition table and another 13 vitamins and minerals that are optional . Gov of Canada Nutrition Facts Tables https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/understanding-food-labels/nutrition-facts-tables.html

A nutrition facts table gives you information on serving size, calories and % DV for the 13 core nutrients:

• fat
• saturated fat
• trans fat
• cholesterol
• sodium
• carbohydrate
• fiber
• sugars
• protein
• vitamin A
• vitamin C
• calcium
• iron

What you eat on a regular basis matter for your health. Choose foods that have little to no added sodium, sugars, or saturated fat. Compare the nutrition facts table on foods to choose products that are lower in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.

Now to get started…..

Avoid Foods that Trigger Inflammation

Foods that cause inflammation can also hasten the aging process. Eliminate

• Pre-cooked processed and packaged or canned meals,
• Fast foods  
• Starchy foods,
• Too much sugar
• Bread and bread products because the gluten protein found in wheat can cause inflammation.

Vegetables are generally good for seniors and help improve digestion, but take note of the following for added benefits

Cucumbers – High in water content, and packed with nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, vitamins A and E, cucumbers promote blood circulation and healing, which help reduce wrinkles around the eyes and makes for a glowing complexion.

Avocado – This super fruit has high levels of fats and vitamins like A, D and E and help skin retain moisture

Increase Fruit Intake

Vegetables are generally good for seniors but take note of the following for added benefits

Orange – Vitamin C is a naturally brightener, citrus fruits can be a great way to slow down aging. These fruits help cleanse by removing toxins and impurities that could show up on your face.

Lemon – Lemon juice contains alpha hydroxy acid, a common ingredient in natural anti aging treatments which helps peel away the layer of dead skin cells.

Banana – Is known to boost collagen production, known to keep skin aging at bay.

Collagen is a protein abundant in the body which give the skin its supple and vibrant look skin, but it is also found in joints and ligaments, where it contributes to their elasticity enabling easy, comfortable and flexible movement.

As we age, collagen production naturally decreases, which can lead to:

• Wrinkles
• Dull skin
• Less flexibility

One way we can increase collagen levels is through diet – bone broth, meat, fish, eggs

Eat More Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are some of the healthiest foods that you can eat. Mustard greens, spinach, and kale are some of the leafy greens that you can try.

Most leafy greens can have a bitter taste. If you do not like the taste of leafy greens, then you can put them in your fruit smoothies. Making a smoothie with leafy greens is like taking a liquid multivitamin.

Roots

Add Turmeric to Your Foods

Turmeric is found in curcumin. It is also found in many cosmetics because it can improve the health of the skin. Furthermore, there has been evidence to suggest that turmeric can reduce arthritis pain. It can reduce inflammation around the joints.

Ginger

A common kitchen ingredient, ginger is rich in the antioxidant gingerol, known to protect against collagen breakdown.

Drink Smoothies to Fast – Track Quantities of Fruit and Vegetable Intake

It can be difficult to eat the recommended 5 -8 servings of fruit and vegetables each day, but it is easy to do so by making a tasty smoothie with different healthy ingredients.

Select a Smoothie Base  – Choose from coconut water, herbal teas, almond milk

Add an assortment of any vegetables, fruits, herbs, nuts and seeds as desired

• Vegetables – Use dark green leafy vegetables, collard greens, spinach, or kale to make a green smoothie. Other options are carrots, celery celery. Adding a bit of ginger spices up the taste.
• Fruits  – Antioxidants eliminate free radicals in your body to prevent the damage that leads to disease and slow the onset of aging, Dark skinned fruits such as blueberries, cranberries, pomegranates, and dark grapes have the highest level of antioxidants,
• Herbs – Use dill, basil, parsley or mint as desired to add flavor.
• Nuts and Seeds – Adding nuts and seeds increase the protein content of the smoothies. Use walnuts, peanuts, or chia seeds
• Add some protein powder – This can be added to increase the protein content of the smoothie. There are several to choose from. Two of the more popular ones are  Vega and Pure Protein.

Other

Aloe – This succulent has beta-carotene and Vitamins C and E which help keep the skin supple, The ingredient is usually found in most natural anti aging potions. It is high in polysaccharides, which help assemble amino acids into collagen, making it stronger.

Olive Oil – Natural anti aging properties of olive oil can be traced to the polyphenols and oleic acid in it.  Along with monounsaturated fats and Vitamins B and D, it prevents the appearance of new wrinkles, and also treats existing ones.

Dark Chocolate – Eating a moderate amount of dark chocolate can help fight aging. Select chocolate that is made up of 70 to 90 percent cacao. Do not forget that dark chocolate is high in calories.

Teas – Green Tea – Green tea is rich in antioxidants known as EGCG, which help battle wrinkles and increase cell turnover.

Conclusion

It is never too late for change! These anti aging tips can only benefit seniors that have decided that they want to slow down the process of aging as keeping to an established routine is necessary.

References

American Academy of Dermatology Association. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-secrets/anti-aging/reduce-premature-aging-skin

Rabe JH, Mamelak AJ, “Photoaging: Mechanisms and repair.” J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Jul;55:1-19.

McGinnis, Margaret et al (2020) Fruit Myth or Fact. Is Fresh Fruit Better Than Unsweetened Frozen or Canned Fruit? Nutrition Today: 11/12 2020 – Volume 55 – Issue 6 – p 322-327 https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/Abstract/2020/11000/Fruit_Myth_or_Fact__Is_Fresh_Fruit_Better_Than.12.aspx

Hend Al (2022) Collagen Supplements for Aging and Wrinkles: A Paradigm Shift in the Fields of Dermatology and Cosmetics Dermatol Pract Concept. 2022 Feb; 12(1): e2022018. Published online 2022 Jan 1. doi: 10.5826/dpc.1201a18 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8824545/