THE ANTI-AGING POWER OF FOOD
I just turned 34 about a month ago. I’ve been cognizant for over 10 years of the importance of starting young when it comes to preventing aging. However, being aware that I am rapidly approaching my mid-thirties and working in an industry, as well as living in a city, that overemphasizes the value of looking young at all stages of life, I can’t help but feel the pressure to know more and do more.
With this being on my mind often, I can’t help but continue to go back to what I find so intriguing… the power of food. I have written and preached for years about the healing powers of food for skin issues such as acne, rashes, and inflammation. I’ve also shared my own experience with how much my anxiety, depression, and poor sleep significantly improved by changing the way I ate. So I began to wonder if food can be another powerful tool when it comes to aging. Based on what I’ve found, it plays a significant role.
FOOD IS MEDICINE
What we put into our bodies affects how we look, feel, sleep, and function through life. Rather than our first instinct with pain, or not feeling our best, be turning to over the counter or prescription meds, why don’t we stop for a moment, and do a quick inventory of what we’ve been putting in our bodies? Because we want the quick fix. We don’t care what the long-term cost is as long as we get easy and quick relief. It’s the same for aging. We want the quick, no effort, no time fix. Well, I’m sorry but that does not exist. Even the products I sell to my clients and use during their facials take time and consistency to see results. As someone who is pro-Botox, even that takes time to set in and wears off in just a few short months.
SO WHAT FOODS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
The list of the primary foods that we want to take in as much as possible to contribute to anti-aging are avocados, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon, green tea, sweet potato, pomegranate, red wine, spinach, parsley, nuts, salmon, tomatoes, fermented foods, manuka honey, dark chocolate, brussels sprouts, strawberries, mushrooms, olive oil, turmeric, coconut oil, and garlic. Within my research, I’ve found that all these foods have 2 things in common. They are all anti-inflammatory as well as antioxidant rich. Inflammation is the number one cause of aging. So, incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into our diet is critical. Consistently and frequently taking in antioxidants is like sending a million soldiers to protect you all day from free radical damage. Free radicals are no joke when it comes to aging. They are life sucking, little enemies that break down collagen, elasticity, and the worst part, they damage our DNA. All day. Every day. We have to protect ourselves, and we have to heal.
Take this list and fall in love with it. Take this list and make it the foundation of your diet. Sure, you can still eat other foods. The hard part for most isn’t incorporating these foods into their daily diet, it’s the food they need to cut that is difficult. We have to eliminate the foods that are doing the opposite of anti-aging; the foods that are accelerating it.
FOODS TO AVOID
Since we went through the foods we should be eating and studied a little bit on why we should be eating them, we have to take a good look at the foods we need to avoid as well. While the foods above may reverse and prevent aging, there are a lot of foods that accelerate it: foods that contain processed sugar, gluten, chemicals, and are just heavily processed in general, chips (yes even baked), boxed and canned foods, fast food, candy, ice cream, microwaveable meals (that includes diet meals), most dairy (especially cow milk), bars, protein drinks, and soda.
If your goal, like mine, and so many others is to do whatever you can to prevent and reverse aging, then I suggest doing a recall on your cabinets and fridge if you regularly buy anything from the “foods to avoid” list.