Anti-Aging Diet
You can spend a lot of money on the perfect anti-aging creams and lotions, botox or cosmetic surgery. It will probably help you look better for a while and that is great. We all want to look better. However, it will not slow the aging process. Your chronological age is very clear and we all either celebrate our birthdays or try to hide them every year. While we have not quite found the way to immortality yet, anti-aging research is already providing us some good ideas of what will help make our bodies look and feel biologically younger. Scientifically, testing anti-aging theories in humans obviously takes many years. If you are undergoing any changes in your nutritional program, you may want to know how any diet or exercise program helps you individually. There are some physical properties in the human body that may be used as biomarkers of aging. For example, body temperature and insulin levels are considered biomarkers of aging since they increase over time. Other biomarkers of health like blood pressure, pulse, and cholesterol levels should be checked regularly and provide valuable insight into how your dietary approach is working.
Dietary Approaches to Anti-Aging
The Calorie-Restricted Diet, an approach to restricting your caloric intake while still getting enough nutrients, has been shown to extend the life-span of rodents by up to 50 % and has also shown promise in studies with primates. There are different levels of caloric restriction. The extreme versions of CR can be 40% to 50%, but some health benefits can be observed by restricting calories by only 10%. Calorie Restriction has been shown in short-term human studies to improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, potentially reduce DNA damage and improve mental functioning. In order to find the right approach to a calorie-restricted diet it may help to use the Body-Mass index to determine a weight that would still be healthy. Given that almost two thirds of the US population is overweight or obese, using a calorie-restricted diet to reach the low-end of your healthy BMI range may not be such a bad idea (see chart below). A physician should be contacted prior to undertaking any calorie-restricted diet.
* Without Shoes **Without Clothes
Food Choices on an Anti-Aging Diet
Sometimes it seems hard to get enough nutrients from food when eating a non-restricted diet. Most food choices on a calorie restricted diet should be non-starchy fruits and vegetables with some whole grain and sufficient protein (either vegetarian or lean meats) and healthy fats (avocado, flaxseed, nuts). Eating this way will also make it easier to curb cravings. Top food choices that show up on anti-aging lists are:
- Berries – plenty of anti-oxidants and low in calories
- Leafy Greens (Kale, Romaine, Swiss Chard) - vitamins A, C, and K, folate, iron and calcium, and fiber
- Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussel sprouts) – they have been shown to have anti-cancer properties
- Flax seed – healthy omega-3 , lignans and fiber
- Hemp seed – excellent source of protein, essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega-3 and omega-6 in a healthy 3:1 ratio.
- Legumes (lentils, beans, peas) – rich in protein and low in fat
- Nuts – especially Walnuts – healthy fat, but use in moderation
- Green Tea – rich in catechin EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), low in caffeine and has been shown to have protective properties for cancer and heart disease
- Plenty of Water (filtered)
Author: Angela Hubner
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