Skip the pharmacy, these Foods Will Keep You Looking Young
Let’s get real for a minute: We all want to look younger and feel healthier. Men and women have tried to reverse the signs of aging for centuries and are willing to pay a small fortune to achieve it. According to WorldHealth.net, anti-aging product sales will surpass $291 billion by 2015. In facial care, anti-agers are expected to show the fastest growth in the U.S. market amongst all other skincare products, with 18% constant value growth expected over the forecast period.
People don’t realize that you cannot reverse aging with skincare products or lotions; that only goes skin deep and hides the signs. You have to go deeper to see that true reversal of aging starts from within. There is one key concept to keep in mind when trying to prolong the fountain of youth. You have a limited amount of vital energy — or “energetic currency,” as I call it — in your body. If you spend all that energetic currency on toxic processes instead of detoxing and healing processes, you will be using it up faster. The faster you use up that currency, the faster you will show signs of aging. And it’s not only how you spend that energetic currency that can affect aging, but whether you deposit that energy back in the bank. There are certain foods, herbs, spices and supplements that not only promote detoxing and healing processes, but also help to deposit that energetic currency back into your body and can help reverse the signs of aging from the inside out.
First and foremost, you want to eliminate foods that waste your energetic currency — like processed junk foods, high-sugar foods, genetically modified foods, and non-organic foods that are loaded with hormones, herbicides and pesticides. These foods waste energy by overtaxing your liver and other organs to cleanse your blood — when these organs are too “fatigued,” accelerated aging and disease begins. Second, you want to add foods that support your digestion and immune system, which also help cleanse the body, like fermented foods, as well as foods that are nutrient-dense and rich in free-radical-fighting antioxidants, which we call superfoods.
Going back a step, I’d like to go back to free radicals to help understand how aging starts from within. These microscopic particles pass through cell walls directly into the DNA and damage it through oxidation. Skin is built of collagen, a strong connective tissue that helps skin look firm. As we age, the collagen breaks down because of oxidation caused by free radicals. Free radicals have also been linked to cancer and many other types of diseases, but can be fought with antioxidants that neutralize them. Environmental factors such as pollution, radiation (e.g., from cell phones), cigarette smoke and herbicides (in non-organic foods) are what spawn an overproduction of free radicals. Normally, the body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur. To neutralize this damage, you need to be eating the right antioxidant-rich foods.
So let me share with you some of my favorite foods that won’t exhaust your internal energetic currency, can help fight free-radical damage and can dramatically decrease signs of aging.
1. Mushrooms
We all hated mushrooms growing up, but you need to rethink your feelings and taste buds about these little guys, because they are packed with vitamin D, a powerful antioxidant, and some even have vitamin D3 and D4. Your body absorbs vitamin D into the skin to make it look healthy and younger.
2. Açai Berries
The dark purple superfood is packed with more antioxidants than almost any other berry on the planet. Think of it as a blueberry on steroids! Originally from the Amazon, açai berries (pronounced ah-sah-ee) have gained mainstream popularity in recent years and are now widely found in the U.S. They taste amazing and make a killer smoothie, a tasty protein shake or nutritious breakfast bowl with yogurt topped with granola. This superfood helps deposit your energetic currency back in the bank by keeping your heart strong and your cardiovascular system and blood cells functioning properly, all while helping to fight free radicals.
3. Kimchi
This Korean food is fermented cabbage doused with hot sauce. Fermented foods are a natural probiotic and help promote healthy digestion by supporting the good bacteria that live in your gut. Healthy digestion is key to fighting aging because 80% of your immune system is found in your gut and digestive tract. If you do not have healthy digestion, you will be spending a lot of your energetic currency on trying to repair your immune system. Adding fermented foods into your nutrition is imperative to help slow down the aging process.
4. Seaweed
Seaweed is made up of different organisms, including chlorella, which is a type of blue-green algae. Seaweed with chlorella helps to detoxify the heavy metals in the body we are exposed to from canned foods, certain seafood, and lead paint, among others. It is also a very powerful antioxidant capable of fighting the radiation we are exposed to on a daily basis from the environment, like from cell phones. If you like Japanese food, sushi is a great way to consume seaweed. You can also get your own seaweed from most health-food stores.
5. Avocados
Avocados are actually a fruit and one of my favorite superfoods. Avocados are super low in carbs and sugars, and very high in fiber. They leave you feeling satiated, which is the smart man’s way of saying full and happy. Avocados are also high in good fats and vitamin E. Many experts consider vitamin E to be the most important antioxidant, because it protects cell membranes and prevents the enzymes associated with them from being damaged by free radicals. Several studies have shown applying vitamin E to the skin can reduce damage caused by sun exposure and limit the production of cancer-causing cells.
BONUS FOOD!
Dark Chocolate
We all have a sweet tooth and love to give into our cravings every once in a while — I know I do. But if you’re going to cheat, do it with dark chocolate. It improves vascular function in overweight men. Plus, it contains flavonoids, which are responsible for cellular structure and act as a great antioxidant. It’s about the only chocolate out there that is actually semi-good for you, so cheat responsibility!
Keep these foods in mind the next time you go shopping. These healthy treats, combined with good exercise, will be everything you need to naturally slow down aging from within.
The best exercise to help you stay young is a strong sex life. There is so much research out there that shows that regular sex leads to happier and longer lives. So the next time you’re having that special night with that special someone, bring some fresh strawberries and mangoes with her favorite kind of dark chocolate — and it’ll be as if you’ve found the fountain of youth!
