The fountain of youth, the elixir of life, the water youth and what not; since the dawn of time, we, the humans have been searching for that magic potion which shall stop our ageing process and ultimately dying. But our bodies are designed and fated to age. What exactly is ageing? From a single cell, we develop into complete beings and keep growing and developing for years after our birth. Then there comes a time when our bodies are fully developed where we are at our best at this time. We are the healthiest, most energetic than we shall ever be. The sheer glow of our youthful skin makes us want to stop the clock. But soon enough the whole process starts reversing; our bodies start weakening down. We started slowing down, and so does the repairing power of our cells.
Wrinkles are a troublesome issue for most of the people but truth to be told, they are only an outward sign indicating so much more which is happening inside our bodies. Weakened muscles and bones, damaged cells, slowed down bodily processes; there is so much more which is taking place inside our bodies. And all this prevents us from living our lives to fullest because if at 50 years of age we want to jump like 20-year olds, we would, in all probability end up with fractured bones not just bleeding scrapes if we fell.
Can we stop ageing? The honest answer is, no. There exists nothing even in our modern world which might completely stop or reverse the ageing process. But it’s a process, right? We don’t know age overnight; it takes years. Can we slow the process? Can we increase the number of years it takes for our bodies to age? Definitely. Read on.
How can we naturally slow down the ageing process?
You must have heard of Botox. It is a quite popular anti-ageing remedy among movie stars. It is a kind of bee venom which when injected to the face; in simplest of the terms, effectively paralyses it. But a stone like the unfeeling face is not something most of us would envy, and this and other so-called remedies do nothing for what is taking place inside our bodies.
Mother Nature has got an answer to almost all our problems. And the ageing problem is no exception. There exist some super foods which heal the body and slow down the ageing process, and the catch is that some of these foods can be easily found in our kitchens.
13 most Effective Anti-Ageing Foods and Supplements that you should Eat
We are what we eat. No, really what we put inside our bodies shows up clearly in our skin and overall health. So, it is smarter to consume something natural than to load our bodies with chemicals and highly processed, unhealthy foods.
Here, we are enlisting the most effective food items and supplements which have been proven to slow down the ageing process. Â Make sure to incorporate these into your daily diet, and these miraculous anti-ageing foods will essentially heal your bodies from within.
Foods that Prevent the Ageing
1. Dark Chocolate
Get that grin off your face; we are not talking about candies and over the counter chocolates here. Your usual chocolate contains a bare minimum of cocoa for flavouring and is instead loaded with milk solids and sugars. Such chocolate would only harm you. Dark chocolates are somewhat bitter and contain a much higher percentage of cocoa in them. Most commonly found dark chocolates have around 50% of cocoa content but if you can find one with higher content, all the better. Dark chocolate is loaded with anti-oxidants and consuming a small piece regularly will provide you with great health and skin. In the world of anti-ageing foods, dark chocolate is pure gold.
2. Turmeric
Turmeric is well known for its healing and anti-bacterial properties. So, is it even surprising that it heals the body cells and slows down the ageing process? It has a powerful pigment named curcumin which seems to help prevent the end caps of our DNA from shortening, which is a leading cause of ageing and degenerative diseases.
3. Olives
Italians are one of the best-looking people on the planet with their amazing skin and healthy bodies. And their everlasting affair with olives has got a lot to answer for this. Consume the olive fruit, if possible. They are a great source of polyphenols and phytonutrients that help protect your DNA and also, keep you looking and feeling younger. Or drizzle your food over with the extra virgin olive oil. This golden elixir with its negligible fat content will never disappoint you.
4. Walnuts
Walnuts are one of the greatest sources of vitamin E. And do you know they call vitamin E, the beauty vitamin because of its anti-ageing and cell repairing properties? Walnuts or any other nuts are great anti-ageing foods.
5. Avocado
Avocado is the health world’s newest protégée. This superfood is loaded with fatty acids, antioxidants and a lot of other nutrients. Jam-packed with the inflammation-fighting fatty acids which help keep the immune system functioning properly, it also helps in keeping your arteries healthy, thereby ensuring an adequate blood flow throughout your body and thereby, a healthier body. So, go ahead and have some guacamole.
6. Green Tea
Green tea is unprocessed tea. Tea has got amazing health benefits, but much of it lost when it is processed, and we ruin it completely when adding in the milk. Green tea is loaded with anti-oxidants, flavonoids and lot many other phytochemicals. It is prepared with just plain hot water and consumed with a dash of honey or lemon. In addition to the anti-ageing benefits, it’ll also help you manage your weight issues.
7. Oranges and lemons
Oranges, lemons, berries or most of the citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C and some flavonoids that act as antioxidants. Vitamin C is great for your immune system in addition to its anti-ageing properties. Also, citrus fruits have brilliant anti-carcinogenic properties. But it is much healthier to have the whole fruit, rather than just the juice.
8. Mushrooms
These tiny little umbrellas’ doppelgangers like foods are bursting with taste and flavour, and on the top of that, these are one of the few food items which are a natural source of vitamin D. Â Vitamin D helps in absorption of calcium which in turn is necessary for bone health. So, adopting mushrooms in your diet will prevent ageing disease like osteoporosis and provide you with healthier, stronger bones.
9. Tomatoes
Your humble tomatoes are loaded with an antioxidant called lycopene which protects the skin from damage and ageing. And the catch here is, once you cook the tomatoes, it becomes so much more easy for your body to absorb lycopene. So, unlike other greens and veggies, cooking doesn’t deplete tomatoes of their brilliant benefits although overcooking sure will.
10.Yogurt
Yogurt is filled with probiotics. The healthy bacteria found in yogurt helps in keeping your digestive tract hale and healthy. It improves your digestive health substantially, thereby improving the absorption rate of all the nutrients. A healthy stomach means a healthy body.
Supplements for Anti-Ageing
11. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is called the beauty vitamin. This amazing vitamin repairs your cells reverses age-related skin damage and is an antioxidant that helps repair and build tissue in addition to increasing your blood flow. It is already used as an ingredient in most of the beauty products. Taking vitamin E supplements can provide you with glowing young skin and amazing hair all while repairing your body from within.
12. Vitamin C
Vitamin C’s anti-ageing benefits are already well described. Vitamin C is not only utmost necessary for collagen production and maintenance, but it is also an amazingly potent antioxidant which neutralizes the free radicals in the skin, hence, preventing the sagging and wrinkling of the skin. The antioxidants in the supplements will provide you with smooth, youthful skin and shining hair.
13. Fish oil
Fish oil refers to the oil that is derived from the tissues of oily fish. It contains both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Its omega-3 fatty acids are one of the essential nutrients which are important in preventing and managing heart disease. The fatty acids in fish oil supply hydration to skin and help in reducing inflammation. The omega-3 fatty acids also increase the blood flow throughout the body, which can help reduce joint pain and swelling.
What are the benefits of Anti-Ageing Food?
The term anti-ageing food speaks for itself, these food items slow down the ageing of your body. Lesser wrinkles, strong and healthy bones and muscles, healthier cardiovascular system, well-functioning digestive system, glowing youthful skin and an overall healthy body; well, the anti-ageing foods provide you with all this and a lot more. A healthier body also in turn results in probability of a much longer lifespan where you can enjoy living to the fullest, unhampered by a weak body. Are you really questioning the benefits of anti-ageing foods and why they should be a part of your daily diet? Seriously?
Precautions while taking such Food
Excess of anything is never good. Rules of nature are all about maintaining the balance and if one tilts too much towards one side, downfall is inevitable. This also applies to the anti-ageing foods and anti-ageing supplements too. Your body needs a well-balanced diet to remain healthy and if you start relying way too much on a singular kind of foods and supplements, you’ll be depriving the body of the other foods and nutrients. So, include these foods but make sure your diet has a balance of all necessary nutrients.
In addition, you should make sure that your body doesn’t have an allergic reaction to any of the mentioned foods. Nut allergy is a pretty common occurrence. So, before incorporating any new food item in your daily you must make sure that your body is compatible with it.
One must be especially careful before taking any dietary supplement. Any supplement can prove disastrous if it is taken without taking in consideration any pre-existing medical conditions. In such situations, it is all better to consult your doctor before starting the intake. For example, if you suffer from vitamin K deficiency, intake of vitamin E might aggravate your condition. Also, even if you are completely healthy and suffer with no medical conditions, you should be careful to not to overdose on the supplements.
So, eat healthily, take care of your body and live the life you always wanted to!
