Six Anti-Aging Foods: Diet to a Younger You!

At my local Wal-mart, I found myself in the cosmetic department facing a dozen shelves bursting with anti-aging products. From anti-aging creams to serums to lotions, they all promise to reduce wrinkles, fade discoloration, even skin tones, shrink pores, and make you look younger.

Whether or not these anti-aging products work is hard to tell. But even if these anti-aging products did what they promised, they don't actually reverse aging and make you younger. No, they're just cosmetic "band-aids" to the inner health problems that are aging you on the outside. It's like putting a new paintjob on a car without tuning up its engine.

In this health article, I'll show you 6 foods to keep you feeling younger on the inside, and looking younger on the outside. What you eat has a huge effect on how you age, and some foods may help keep you looking and feeling young for years to come.

Research suggests that certain nutrients can have distinct anti-aging effects. These anti-aging nutrients include antioxidants (like Vitamin C), omega-3 fats and monounsaturated fats (source). The following 6 Anti-Aging Foods are all bursting with these youthful nutrients, reversing the signs of aging from the inside out!

6 Anti-Aging Foods to Keep You Looking Young and Feeling Healthy:

1. Anti-Aging Food: Berries. They're full of antioxidants called polyphenols, a type of powerful antioxidants that have been proven to protect your brain from the effects of aging (source). All sorts of berries are high in polyphenol anti-aging oxidants, but cherries and cranberries are especially high in these youthful nutrients.

2. Anti-Aging Food: Cruciferous vegetables. Think "cruciferous" for "crucial"! These vegetables include veggies like broccoli, which is high in something called diindolylmethane, a chemical that has been proven to help slow aging in women due to hormonal changes as you get older (source). Diindolylmethane, also known as DIM, can help protect shield against cancer. Start eating more broccoli, cauliflower and mustard greens. These are all high in diindolylmethane (DIM), and will help protect against the health side effects of aging.

3. Anti-Aging Food: Garlic. Garlic is high in an anti-aging nutrient called allicin, which keeps your heart young and healthy (source). Allicin has been shown to lower cholesterol and keep the heart pumping blood for years to come. You can get your allicin from raw garlic, or from dehydrated garlic supplements like the sort made by Kyolic.

4. Anti-Aging Food: Tumeric. A mainstay in Indian food, tumeric is good for more than just making a tasty meal. Tumeric has been show to boost the immune system, helping with things like arthritis and infections which may result from a weakened immune system as you get older (source).

5. Anti-Aging Food: Beans. Beans aren't just high in protein and fiber. Beans can also help slow the signs of aging. Beans are naturally high in something called lignans, which can help prevent aging in women and can shield women from breast cancer (source). Flax seeds are also a great source of lignans.

6. Anti-aging Food: Tomatoes. Tomatoes are high in the antioxidant lycopene, a carotenoid which can lower cholesterol and protect your heart from aging, as well as reverse the signs of sun damage on your skin (source). Its easy to incorporate more tomatoes into your diet: Add tomatoes to your favorite soups or stews, or eat more whole wheat pasta with organic tomato sauce.

Other antioxidant-rich, anti-aging foods:

Other anti-aging foods that will keep you looking young include spinach and green tea, as well as foods rich in healthy fats like fish and olive oil.