Meera Lester - 365 Ways to Look - and Feel - Younger: Everyday Tips to Reduce Wrinkles, Improve Memory, Boost Libido, Build Muscles, and More!

chapter three
Eat Anti-Aging Foods

Eat Foods High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Certain fish like bluefish, herring, mackerel, rainbow trout, salmon, sardines, tuna, and whitefish are good sources of low-fat protein and are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, especially good for brain nutrition. Omega-3 essential fatty acids possess a natural anti-inflammatory known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The average American diet contains too much Omega-6 fatty acids (found in most types of vegetable oil) and too little Omega-3. If you are striving for a healthy balance, try cutting back on foods high in Omega-6 in favor of ones that are high in Omega-3.

Try Black Current Seed Oil

Black current seed oil, evening primrose oil, and borage oil contain the essential anti-inflammatory agent known as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Ingested as part of your regular diet, those oils can help strengthen your bodys immune system. Black current seed oil, or Ribes nigrum, is particularly rich in essential fatty acids, necessary for such bodily functions as regulating body temperature, insulating nerves, providing energy, protecting tissue, and regulating metabolism. Because black current seed oil is especially high in gamma-linolenic acid, which is instrumental in making prostaglandins, it is prized as an effective anti-inflammatory herb. Prostaglandins regulate the menstrual cycle in women and black current seed oil has been used to alleviate menstrual cramping. You can usually find black current seed oil in health food stores or on the Internet. Taken in capsule form as a supplement, the recommended daily dosage is one to three 500-milligram capsules.

Choose Veggie Chips

To have a youthful body, you will need to give yours the right nutrition. That doesnt mean that you can eat the way you did when you were younger. Maybe you ate enough chips in your teens to take down a potato field and you never put on a pound. However, your body changes over time. Replace those salty, high-calorie chips with baked veggie chips or dried fruit snacks that are wholesome and good for you. Even better, choose to snack on crunchy raw carrots, apples, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower.

What you eat profoundly affects your health, not only today, but also in your older age.

Eat Beans and Other Non-Meat Sources of Protein

The need for protein increases slightly as you age, yet many older people tend to eat less than they did when they were younger. In the minds of many, protein means red meat, but as you get older, its important that you get your protein with as little fat as possible. How? Increase your consumption of fish, legumes, nuts, and grains. They can be eaten in a wide variety of ways, and theyre far less expensive than meat.

Nibble on a Bran Muffin

A bran muffin at breakfast is a great way to start the day with a little fiber. The whole fiber phenomenon started in the 1970s, when researchers noticed that certain groups in Africa appeared to have a lower incidence of colon cancer as a result of their high fiber consumption. Later studies also found an association between high fiber intake and reduced rates of breast cancer. However, its important to note that fiber alone may not be responsible for these benefits. Many diets high in fiber are also low in fat, and this could play an important role in reducing cancer risk. Choose low-fat bran muffins, since muffins generally contain high amounts of fat. If you make a batch at home, you can control the amount of fat and youll have enough muffins for the whole week. Fiber is an important part of a nutritionally sound diet. Do all you can to make sure you are getting sufficient daily amounts.

Take Milk Thistle for Your Liver

Your liver is the only organ in your body with the ability to rejuvenate itself. It is your main source of detoxification, especially from alcohol, nicotine (including second-hand smoke), and carbon monoxide. As the liver is exposed to more and more pollutants, it has to work harder to expel them. Use of milk thistle to treat liver disease dates back two millennia. Milk thistle is indigenous to Europes Mediterranean area as well as in the Middle East and North Africa. Almost everyone can benefit from a milk thistle diet supplement. It is primarily marketed in the United States in capsule form. Capsules containing 200 milligrams of a concentrated extract represents 140 milligrams of silymarin, a flavonoid complex found in the seeds of milk thistle. One to three tablets a day are recommended, or follow instructions on the manufacturers label.

Buy Organic Foods

Increasingly, markets and groceries are stocking organic produce, fruits, beverages, and meats. Expect to pay higher prices, because it is costlier to produce items free of pesticides and raise animals for meat outside of the standard industry practices of injecting animals with hormones to fatten them before they are shipped to market or dosing them with strong antibiotics. Organic meat, for example, comes from animals that have been pasture, hay, silage, and grain fed. To be certified organic, such animals cannot have been fed any mammalian or poultry by-products. The feed mills that supply the food for organic livestock must be FDA inspected and certified. Produce, too, must meet certain criteria to be labeled organic. Make it a point to patronize organic markets, such as Whole Foods Market, North Americas largest organic and natural foods retail store, The Fresh Market, with stores throughout eastern and southern United States, or health food grocery outlets in your area.

Check with Your Doctor Before Taking or Using Anti-Aging Products

Before taking over-the-counter anti-aging supplements or engaging in any other dramatic lifestyle or dietary changes, its a good idea to consult with your physician if you have a chronic health condition or disability that could be affected by such changes. Certain foods can react adversely with certain medications, and some antiaging supplements may result in physical changes that could affect medical treatment. Even though the majority of over-the-counter supplements are considered generally safe and effective, seek your doctors approval before using such products.

Eat Probiotic-Rich Yogurt

Youve probably seen the television ads for Activia yogurt extolling its benefits for digestive tract health. In fact, almost everyone is interested in consuming more probiotic foods because they are so healthful. Probiotic (meaning pro life) foods introduce live organisms into the gut, whereas prebiotics are nondigestible food substances that act as food for the beneficial microorganisms that are already present in the gut. The prebiotics encourage growth and stimulate the activity of friendly bacteria species such as L. acidophilus and various types of bifidobacterium. There are a few preliminary studies in humans that relate the consumption of bifidobacterium to increased immunity. As it turns out, probiotic-rich yogurt is considered by many to be a superfood. In a scientific study published in the Journal of Digestive Diseases, individuals with some gastrointestinal disturbances benefited from eating probiotic yogurt. One study of older people indicated that a mixture of bifidobacteria and acidophilus bacteria decreased chronic inflammation of the colon and increased immunity. Existing evidence from animal and human studies suggests a moderate cholesterol-lowering action of fermented dairy products. If you suffer from irregularity or gastrointestinal discomfort, give probiotics a try. Put a cup of plain, unflavored yogurt into a blender and pure it with steamed broccoli for a healthy soup or vegetable dip, or put strawberries, raspberries, or bananas in the yogurt and blend into a smoothie.

Develop a Taste for Sushi and Seaweed

The oceans provide an amazing quantity of mineral-rich foods that rival the most nutrient-dense land produce. Of these, dulse, arame, hijiki, and kombu are proving themselves to be effective in weight-loss studies and preventing osteoporosis. A favorite first course in Japanese restaurants is miso soup. It contains dried seaweed and tofu, tastes delicious, and is easy to make using the following recipe. Serves 4.