The Best Anti-Aging Superfoods

Healthy, whole foods not only provide you with life-giving nutrients, fuel, and keep an ideal weight, they also help keep you young. Study after study proves that maintaining an optimum weight can add years of healthy vitality to your life.

Ultimately, the simplest and most effective way to achieve good health and a long life is to focus on the nutrition you are putting into your body on a daily basis. You can add years to your life and preserve your looks by making smarter food choices, so start right now by including more of these amazing and antioxidant-rich foods to your diet.

Wine

Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory loss. Any kind of alcoholic beverage seems to provide such benefits, but red wine has been the focus of much of the research. Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that likely contributes to its benefit, and, according to animal studies, may activate genes that slow cellular aging.

Watermelon

Watermelon is packed with antioxidants and can help you look and feel younger. One particular antioxidant that watermelon contains is citrulline, which helps rid the body of dangerous toxins, boost metabolism, and keeps the immune system healthy. The outside rind of the watermelon contains Vitamins A, B, and C, while the seeds contain Vitamin E and zinc. The inside of the watermelon, which is normally consumed, is extremely porous and filled with water that helps our bodies to stay hydrated. Try using a food processor to combine the seeds and rind into a watermelon juice or smoothie to reap more of the benefits of this super food.

Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat to fight aging. With the highest concentration of antioxidants of all berries, they help combat both the physical and mental effects of aging. Blueberries contain anthocyanins that have been shown to help improve memory, and even slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. These fabulous berries are also a great food to help fight inflammation, which leads to a number of diseases and contributes greatly to skin aging. Try incorporating half a cup of blueberries into your diet a few times a week, by eating them as a snack, or adding them to cereal, muffins, oatmeal, or Greek yogurt.

Avocado

Avocados are chock-full of anti-aging components. They contain high levels of Vitamin E, which is what helps you achieve perfect glowing skin and healthy hair. They have alkalizing components to help balance the pH levels of your body, and creates internal balance which helps prevent disease and helps you look younger.

This food also contains monounsaturated fatty acids, that are great for heart health and help you absorb other nutrients. This means that when combined with tomato salsa or another recipe containing anti-aging super foods, your body is better able to absorb all of the age-fighting nutrients.

Lemons 

These citrus fruits are a rich sources of antioxidants that prevent free radical damage responsible for pre-mature aging of your skin. Vitamin C helps to maintain your skin’s elasticity to prevent the formation of wrinkles and decrease blemishes.

Olive Oil

Hailed as an item of luxury in ancient Greece and Rome, olive oil helps maintain youthful glowing skin and hair. Olive oil is a key ingredient in many recipes, dressings, and dips, and has huge amount of anti-aging properties. This delicious oil contains monounsaturated fats, which promote a healthy hearts and reduce the risk of cancer. Recent studies have also shown that olive oil contains large amount of antioxidants, which help lower internal and external signs of aging.

Green Tea

Anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects of green tea may delay signs of skin aging, such as sun damage, expression lines and wrinkles. Catechins in green tea can also help prevent skin cancer due to sun exposure. A study published in the October 2011 issue of the journal "Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications" found that EGCG inhibited a type of skin cancer called melanoma in laboratory animals, by inhibiting genes that activate inflammation.

Organic Eggs 

First off, research has ended the debate, and has shown that there is no link between egg consumption and heart disease. Eggs are now revered as a superfood as a single egg contains 9 essential amino acids, and six grams of the highest quality protein you can put in your body. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones. Eggs also provide lutein and zeaxanthin for your eyes and vision health, choline for your brain, nervous and cardiovascular systems, along with naturally occurring vitamin D.

Leafy Greens

Like eggs, leafy greens such as spinach, kale, turnip greens, collard greens, and romaine lettuce, are all great sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. Studies have shown eating foods rich in these antioxidants can significantly reduce your risk of age-related macular degeneration, as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Greens are also packed with cancer-fighting antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C, and sulforaphane. Dark, leafy greens are also rich in vitamin K, a nutrient that plays a role in reducing bone loss and preventing fractures.

Spinach provides folate, which research shows can dramatically improve your short-term memory. Eating folate rich foods helps lower your risk for heart disease and cancer by slowing down wear and tear on your DNA. Spinach has a very high ORAC score, which is a measurement of a food's ability to destroy the free radicals that cause damage in your body. The higher the ORAC score, the better a food is for you.

In addition to these internal health benefits, leafy greens help maintain glowing, youthful looking skin and ward off shorter-term illnesses such as colds. You can be sure to get enough greens by adding them to salads, sandwiches, or soups.

Broccoli 

Broccoli is another vegetable that is awesome at fighting physical signs of aging. Rich in Vitamin C, Broccoli helps prevent wrinkles by synthesizing collagen to create smooth, more firm skin. Broccoli has also been linked to preventing age-related skin dryness. Sulforaphane in broccoli helps to rid your body of dangerous toxins by increasing the production of enzymes. Broccoli also contains lignans, which help prevent cancer and heart disease, as well as warding off cognitive degeneration.

Chlorella

Chlorella, a single-celled fresh water algae plant, is often referred to as a near-perfect food. Its range of health benefits is astounding as it boosts your immune system, improves your digestion especially if constipation is an issue, it enhances your ability to focus and concentrate, increases energy level, balances the body's pH levels, normalizes blood sugar and blood pressure, reduces your cancer risk, and even freshens your breath.

Garlic 

A component of garlic known as allicin, causes the familiar strong smell and flavor, but is also an extremely effective antioxidant. As allicin digests in your body it produces sulfenic acid, a compound that reacts faster with dangerous free radicals than any other known compound. Garlic is also a triple threat against infections due to its antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. It is effective at killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including MRSA, as well as fighting yeast infections, viruses and parasites.

Garlic helps relax and enlarge the blood vessels in your body, improving blood flow, especially to your heart.This can help prevent conditions like high blood pressure and life-threatening events such as a heart attack or stroke. Garlic also inhibits the formation of plaques in your arteries, and prevents cholesterol from becoming oxidized, a condition that may contribute to heart disease. Both garlic and onions can increase your protection against at least five forms of the deadliest types of cancer such as breast, colon, ovarian, prostate and esophageal.

Salmon & Tuna

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, salmon and tuna are great foods for staying youthful and healthy as you age. EPA is one of the omega-3 fatty acids in these two types of fish, and it has been shown to help keep skin firm by preventing the breakdown of collagen and reducing inflammation. This anti-inflammatory characteristic also helps prevent the formation of skin cancer, and you should try to eat them twice weekly in your meals.

Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, & Carrots

Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and carrots all contain beta-carotene, which gives them their orange coloring and provide a number of healthy aging benefits. Beta-carotene contributes to healthy skin and eyes, and helps reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis. Beta-carotene helps protect your skin from sun damage and signs of aging by preventing the breakdown of collagen in skin. These orange vegetables also contain high amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, which help you maintain a healthy immune system.

Tomatoes

The tomato is actually an anti-aging powerhouse, as they contain large amounts of the antioxidant compound lycopene, which contributes to heart health and can help ward off diseases such as cancer. Lycopene also helps protect against sun damage and wrinkles by preventing the breakdown of collagen in skin.

While tomatoes are hugely beneficial to aging on their own, cooking these vegetables helps to release even more lycopene, and sundried tomatoes contain the highest amount of this potent antioxidant. By regularly adding tomatoes to your meals, you will see the anti-aging results.

Coconut Oil 

Besides having loads of health benefits when consumed, coconut oil has also benefits when applied to the skin as a natural moisturizer and can be used in the place of any body lotion. Coconut oil also has plenty of anti-aging benefits that help protect the skin from free radicals that cause skin to look older.

(Courtesy of forwarded mail from Chang Kong)