Did you know that eating well can slow down the unforgiving aging process? Here are the foods that can help you keep your youthful appearance.
Pop quiz: how old is Christie Brinkley? And what about Tom Cruise? And Brad Pitt?
You might be surprised to hear these celebs are well-past their Best Before date, though it’s impossible to tell. The 62, 51, and 50-year-old stars, respectively, have taken on the battle with Father Time head on, and it’s clear they’re winning.
So how do they maintain their signature appearance over the years, allowing Cruise to continue the Mission Impossible series, for example?
Well, we’re not sure. But since the fountain of youth isn’t a real thing (as far as we know), we’ll take a guess that their diet plays a significant role in their graceful aging. And even if it doesn’t, eating well can slow down the unforgiving aging process.
To keep looking young, or to extend your Hollywood acting career, give these four foods a go.
Eggs
If you want to avoid the hassle of reading glasses, contacts, or other forms of eye equipment, eggs are an excellent food to upkeep your vision and the integrity of your eyeballs.
Egg yolks contain nutrients that can reduce the risks of age-related macular degeneration, as well as cataracts.
“Unfortunately, eyesight is one of the first things to go as we age,” says Emily Kyle, M.S., RDN, and owner of Emily Kyle Nutrition. “Thankfully, a diet rich in farm-fresh eggs can help combat the loss of vision through two powerful nutrients: lutein and zeaxanthin.”
In addition to the eye benefits, amino acids in eggs rebuild and repair tissues that may’ve deteriorated with age.
Raspberries
The red hue of raspberries is the key to its awesomeness; it turns red due to the abundance of antioxidants, which can help slow the aging process.
“Short-term experimental studies have shown that berries improve cognition — perhaps because they’re high in flavonoids, especially the kind called anthocyanidins, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions,” explains Maggie Moon, M.S., RDN, author of The MIND Diet.
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A Nurses’ Health Study also found that people who consumed ample amounts of flavonoids, including anthocyanidins, enjoyed a decrease in the cognitive aging process by an average of up to two and a half years.
Green Tea
“Tea has been touted for its anti-aging capabilities for centuries,” says Kyle. “Rich in antioxidants, it has the ability to help the skin repair itself from the common threats of everyday life, like sun damage, pollution, and poor nutrition or hydration status.”
Green tea also has a very high antioxidant makeup, giving it that same protection against cognitive aging that raspberries offer.
Cauliflower
The vegetable that most closely resembles the brain is ironically the best for the organ.
And it’s a relief the cruciferous veggie provides a boon to mind health, considering the popularity of cauliflower rice and pizza nowadays.
In studies, subjects who ate the most cruciferous vegetables performed better at cognitive tests,” says Moon. “Their brains were almost two years cognitively younger.”
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If you can’t stomach cauliflower – maybe it looks too brain-ish – you can sub with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, arugula, or any cruciferous veggie you enjoy.
Photo Credit: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
