FOODS THAT SUPPORT HEALTH AGEING

Learn what are skin foods and how to incorporate them into your everyday life. Ageing is process of life but looking your age isn’t :).   This little brief is to help you walk through that process looking your best.  While what you put on your skin plays a part it is only one part.   The foods we consume on a daily basis can greatly affect our fitness, our skin. appearance, quality of life and disease risk.

The body relies on certain nutrients to help support the natural ageing process and some of these can even help slow down the signs of ageing and promote healthy skin. 

Please note that eating specific foods isn’t going to necessarily make you look noticeably younger but proper nutrition plays its part in ageing and can help make you look and feel your best. 

These are the main categories of foods that you want to include in your diet.

– Healthy sources of protein
– Healthy Fats
– Foods that are full of antioxidants

Here are my top researched nutritious foods that can support healthy ageing.  You may already be including these in your diet, but there may be some that you are not. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Considered one of the healthiest oils on earth.  It is rich in healthy fats and antioxidants that have been shown to help reduce inflammation and oxidative damage.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) which makes up about 73% of the oil.  Some studies have shown that a diet rich in MUFAs may help reduce skin ageing. 

This oil is also rich in anti-oxidants.

You must choose cold pressed extra virgin Olive oil as it is higher in antioxidants and is less processed than the other forms. 

Can be added to a salad with a bit of lemon juice 🙂

Green Tea
This you may have heard of before,   It is high in anti-oxidants which help fight free radicals in the body.    Free radicals can damage your cells if they are present at high levels. Green Tea is specifically high in particular antioxidants called polyphenols.   These have the ability to help reduce external skin ageing. 

Add a cup of Green Tea to your diet. 🙂

Fatty Fish (Vegan: Flaxseed Oil)
Fatty Fish (or Flaxseed Oil) are high in Omega 3 fats.  Research has show that this particularly fatty acid has been linked to a strong skin barrier and may help decrease inflammation that damaged the skin.

Salmon is one of the most popular types of fatty fish.  It is also high in protein which your body uses to help produce collagen.

A great substitute also high in Omega 3 is Flaxseed Oil.  See the following link to one of my favourite brands of Flaxseed Oil and all the great benefits it has:

Dark Chocolate:
We all love our chocolate! But what you may not know that in particular Dark Chocolate has some pretty good benefits for the skin.  It is a rich source of polyphenols which play the role of antioxidants in the body.  

It is also rich in flavanols (flavonoids).

“Flavonoids help regulate cellular activity and fight off free radicals that cause oxidative stress on your body.  In simpler terms, they help your body function more efficiently while protecting against everyday toxins and stressors., its thought that a diet rich in flavanolds and other antioxidants can help protect the skin from sun damage and help slow skin ageing.” 

In a 24 week study, participants that consumed a flavanol-rich cocoa beverage experience significant improvements in their skin elasticity and wrinkles compared with those in the control group. 

The higher cocoa content, the higher the flavanol content so go for a dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids and try to stay away from those with sugar (if you can 🙂 )

Vegetables:
Not a hard one to pick.  You have probably been told since you were a child to eat your vegetables :).  You can’t go too wrong with which ones you choose.  Most of them are nutrient rich and low in calories (a double bonus!).

One of the key nutrients you want to look for are those that are high in carotenoids, like beta carotene an lycopene.  Some research has suggested that a diet high in carotenoids may protect the skin against the sun’s UV rays.

Here are some vegetables high in carotenoids:
– Carrots
– Pumpkin
– Kale
– Spinach

The other benefit of vegetables is that a number of them are also rich in Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and plays a crucial role in collagen production.  Collagen production begins it decline around the age of 25 onwards.

Here are some vegetables high in Vitamin C:
– Parsley
– Green Chillies
– Broccoli

Eating vegetables of different colours ensures you get a variety of antioxidants that can help your overall health and benefit your skin.

Pomegrantes:
We have chosen this one particular fruit due to its multitude of healthy nutrients.  They are high in fibre, potassium and vitamin K.   They are rich in antioxidants   A study done on this fruit found that they may also help support healthy skin ageing by decreasing UV skin damage.

The antioxidants found in this beautiful fruit may also help protect the skin’s existing collagen and help promote the production of new collagen.

Avocados:
These are rich in healthy fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals,  Their high content of monounsaturated fat may help promote healthy skin.  One particular study done showed that a diet rich in plant-based fats was associated with better health in older adults.

Add some avocado to a salad or sandwich.

Collagen peptides
Collagen is the body’s most abundant protein.  The highest amounts an be found in both the skin and joints.   During the process of ageing our body begins to break down collagen and produce it less effectively.  This can result in gradual signs of skin ageing including wrinkles and sagging skin. 

This process in unfortunately inevitable and just a natural part of the ageing process.  However consuming foods that support the formation of collagen can help keep your skin healthier for longer.   This would include protein-rich foods and Vitamin C.

Reducing activities that accelerate collagen breakdown can also help.  These specifically include tanning and smoking.

An additional solution is to consume hydrolysed collagen peptides.  This is a smaller form of collagen that your body can absorb much more efficiently.  This may lead to improved skin elasticity, moisture, firmness and help in reducing wrinkles.  Choose a good quality collagen supplement from a trusted and established producer. There are a lot out there and I am still tracking down my most recommended.

My advise is to always consult a healthcare professional before adding such a supplement to your diet.  Each and every one of us is different and what we consume and what our body uses varies from person to person.  One may or may not need to add a collagen supplement to their existing diet.  So check first 🙂

Ultimately:

As you can see the foods that you eat can play their role in the overall health of your skin and how it is affected as you get older.   From the list above foods high in protein, healthy fats and antioxidants have the most skin benefits. 

Along with that consider these habits to further protect and improve the health of your skin:
– protecting your skin from the sun
– avoiding smoking
– staying physically active
– Using appropriate skincare products and ones that don’t contain chemicals that in the long run can damage the skin more than they can help.

Hope you found the above informative 🙂

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