Contrary to common belief, the secret to a lively and youthful skin is not expensive cosmetics and face masks. While that is surely helpful, the secret is somewhat different, and lucky for you, always readily available.
It is to add rich anti-aging foods to your diet. Experts have claimed that eating various anti-aging foods can help reduce inflammation and protect from skin aging.
In today’s article, we will share the top 10 anti-aging foods you can consume for longevity and healthy glowing skin.
10. Beans & Legumes
On a broader scale, foods are divided into three categories: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each of these 3 classes has unique health traits and affects the body differently. Talking about beans and legumes, they play between the two classes; proteins and carbohydrates.
Legumes are dense in vitamins, phytonutrients, minerals, and other healthy components, which help fight against various diseases and promote heart, gut, and liver health. In addition to that, legumes have been associated with skin health and anti-aging properties. Because they are rich in antioxidants, it helps slow the aging process.
On the other hand, beans are a diverse food on their own; you have kidney beans, black beans, fava beans, and many others, all of which can be uniquely included in a diet to prepare an optimally healthy diet.
Both are extremely nutritional, easy to prepare, and budget free, so you can easily include them in your diet whether you wish for healthy skin, weight loss, or just a healthy diet.
9. Walnuts
Walnuts perfectly befit the statement, “big things come in small packages.” Do not take walnuts lightly because of their size; the health benefits that it offers are long and amazing. For starters, walnuts contain fatty content, protein, fiber, and phytochemicals, each with its own unique health benefit.
The omega-3 content of the walnuts helps in promoting longevity and youthful skin. Studies have indicated that individuals who regularly consume walnuts in their diet are more likely to age healthily without the risk of chronic diseases or impairment.
So, if you wish to improve the quality of your life by making healthier choices, adding walnuts to your diet might be a good idea, to begin with.
8. Watermelon
Watermelons can be quite beneficial when it comes to anti-aging. Loaded with vitamins such as A, C, and E, watermelons can help the skin against damage and make it look fresh and hydrated. Similarly, watermelons are also quite rich in antioxidants making them an ideal addition to the diet for people aiming for healthier and glowing skin.
Similarly, since watermelon is more than 90% water, it can help keep your body hydrated, which is essential for vibrant and hydrated skin.
7. Flax Seeds
Flax seeds contain lignans and omega-3 fatty acids, which offer different health benefits. The lignan content can help cleanse the body and reduce the risk of developing diseases, while the omega-3 content can help promote skin health by developing cell membranes.
Both these contents in collaboration support healthy skin function making it appear lively, fresh, and plump, which ultimately helps against premature aging.
6. Avocados
Some love it, some hate it, but one cannot deny avocados’ health benefits. Avocados have a long list of health benefits, from the skin to cardiovascular health, but how exactly do avocadoes promote health? Well, for starters, avocadoes are quite rich in fats, healthy fats, of course. In addition, avocados are also quite dense in fibers, vitamins, and minerals, all the components required for a healthy body.
But above all, it is the fat concentration that avocados are quite famously known for. The high concentration of monounsaturated fats promotes skin health by helping construct a skin membrane that protects the skin against harm. Similarly, avocados can also promote healthy skin by fighting free radicals in the body.
Avocados are quite versatile in their preparation. From salad to sandwiches, you can include it in your daily diet to help fight against aging.
5. Vegetables
Vegetables are extremely healthy owing to their nutrient-dense properties and low calories. In addition to those properties, vegetables are a vast class of food, each with its unique characteristics. Generally, all vegetables are enriched with antioxidants that are highly effective against weight, heart diseases, and other diseases.
Vegetables such as carrots, pumpkins, and potatoes contain a high concentration of beta carotene, a type of carotenoid. Carotenoids have shown to be very effective against skin damage. By building a sort of a protective layer between the skin and the UV rays, carotenoids can fight against premature skin aging.
Similarly, vegetables are also very rich in vitamins such as vitamin C, which helps in collagen production and ultimately lowers skin aging by promoting skin health. Include different vegetables in your diet to ensure you get the best of the health benefits different vegetables offer.
4. Dark Chocolate
For all the chocolate lovers out there, you can now consume chocolate without guilt. Dark chocolates are helpful against UV inflammation which can harm the skin. Moreover, it can also help retain skin moisture-boosting skin health and reducing the risk of premature aging.
Moreover, other benefits of dark chocolate include improved sleep, reduced stress, and lowered skin aging.
So, adding a bit of dark chocolate into your daily diet can be beneficial; however, before you do so, do calculate the sugar content, or else you will be doing more harm than good to your body.
3. Green Tea
One cannot think of health and not mention green tea. Health and green tea are quite synonymous, thanks to all the wonderful health benefits that it has to offer.
Green tea is very effective against free radicals, which are a byproduct of cell functioning. These radicals in high concentration can damage the cells and ultimately the body and the skin speeding up premature aging.
To battle these radicals, the antioxidant properties of green tea come into play. By stabilizing these radicals, the damage caused by the radicals can be greatly reduced and even completely finished.
Other health benefits of green tea include protection against heart diseases and aging.
Having a few cups of green tea a day can be quite beneficial for health, needless to mention the fat-burning properties of the tea, which can be quite beneficial for people looking to drop a few pounds.
2. Fish
Fish as we know it is one of the healthiest sources of food you can consume. It is enriched with proteins and sometimes healthy fats that are vital to the body’s optimal functioning.
The protein helps build and recover muscle, while the fatty content improves blood pressure and cardiovascular health.
When it comes to anti-aging, studies suggest that fish, particularly fatty fish, can be extremely beneficial. Fatty fishes like salmon are enriched with omega-3 fatty acids that aid in skin protection by creating enforced barriers to protect the skin from damage and boasting anti-inflammatory properties to improve skin health further.
Salmon, one of the most popular types of fatty fish, contains an antioxidant, astaxanthin, which helps promote skin health. Studies indicated that people with sun-damaged skin who consumed a diet enriched with astaxanthin and collagen saw significant skin improvement.
Moreover, fishes contain a mineral called selenium, which aids DNA synthesis and protects the skin against UV damage.
1.Olive Oil
Olive oil may not be regarded typically as food, but for the amazing health benefits it offers, it would be unfair to not add the extra virgin olive oil to the list.
From cooking to seasoning, oil is widely used to prepare many dishes. Contrary to common belief, oil does not necessarily have to be bad for health, provided you are using the right oil. This is where the extra virgin olive oil comes into play.
As the name suggests, this is one of the purest and the healthiest types of oils you can find. Enriched with healthy fats that are essential for the body and antioxidants that help cleanse the body. Replacing your standard cooking oil with extra virgin olive oil can do wonders for your body. Studies conducted on diets prepared with olive oil have shown a lowered risk of diseases and complications, including cardiovascular complications, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer types, to mention a few.
Similarly, another study has shown that the oil’s anti-inflammatory properties due to the rich concentration of the antioxidants are linked with anti-aging characteristics. So not only is the extra virgin olive oil equipped with the healthy fats to boost body function but also the antioxidants to help with anti-aging.
