It’s impossible to reverse the aging process, but getting older doesn’t have to feel bad. These foods can help you look and feel a bit younger.
After celebrating your tenth 25th birthday, you begin to realize that the long-running joke is wearing on you.
11 Foods to Help You Look and Feel Younger
The fine lines, love handles, and achy joints that come with age stop your quest toward the fountain of youth.
Get ready to stay young forever!
These 11 foods will keep you looking and feeling like you’re in your prime year after year.
Fatty Fish
Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, herring, and mackerel make the perfect ‘shore-style’ dinner. But these beachy delicacies are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, the latest nutrient-themed buzzword.
Yet, the benefits go well beyond “heart-healthy.”
Omega-3s support healthy vision, prevent inflammation, and can even decrease your risk of colon or prostate cancers.
On the quest toward remaining youthful, omega-3-rich fish also:
- Add elasticity and moisture to skin
- Enhance bone strength
- Ease joint pain and tenderness
- Lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
A vegan diet isn’t always the end-all-be-all. Visit your grocery store’s fresh seafood section, fire up the deck grill, and enjoy a tender salmon dish!
Blueberries
As the old saying goes:
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
But while whoever coined that phrase was undoubtedly on the right track, blueberries might be an even healthier alternative to our old friends, apples.
These delicious, poppable purple snacks blend well with yogurt and ice to make fruit smoothies.
And a 1999 USDA study discovered that blueberries also help inhibit age-related diseases. This is due to the high antioxidant levels present in blueberries, which protect your body from free radicals (faulty molecules associated with age-related diseases).
Because of their nutritious compounds, blueberries are highly recommended in one’s diet. If, for any reason, you find yourself struggling to include them in your meals, taking antioxidant supplements is a great alternative.
Remaining young also means keeping your mind sharp!
11 Foods to Help You Look and Feel Younger
Avocado
Avocados reached ‘viral’ territory in the last few years. Yet, this critically acclaimed superfood is more than just trendy. These fruits are also rich in healthy fats, vitamins, and a little-known pigment called beta-carotene.
Sprinkling avocado chunks into garden salads or slathering the mashed version on a toast can:
- Revive low energy levels
- Reduce cholesterol levels
- Boost visual acuity (thanks to its antioxidants)
- Delay or relieve osteoporosis
With your newfound energy jolt and healthier bones, you can continue your yoga, tennis, or even marathon-level habits. Nothing feels more youthful than pummeling opponents on the court or setting PRs in the squat rack!
Black Beans
Black beans may fall outside the tight boundaries of the traditional paleo diet, but this dinnertime staple and rice’s unofficial best friend also delivers healthy aging benefits. You can also combine them with one of these rice alternatives lists from Proper Good.
Like nearly all members of the bean family, black beans are loaded with antioxidants, protein (15g/cup), and minerals like potassium.
Black beans can delay cataracts and other vision-related ‘milestones’ that come with age, and the high levels of potassium and calcium nurture healthy bones. Maintain an active lifestyle without aches and pains!
Walnuts
Walnuts stole the limelight in recent years, with research suggesting a handful a day could be a weight loss’ hack.’ Yet, if you want to make a long-awaited return to those college glory days, these antioxidant-rich nuts can help.
Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids to preserve heart health, walnuts can also:
- Ward off certain types of cancers (notable breast)
- Delay mental and cognitive decline
- De-clog your arteries
- Boost your memory, focus, and concentration
- Bolster overall physical health
Remaining youthful starts with taking care of your insides. Next time you’re seeking a topping for a frozen yogurt scoop or bowl of cereal, grab a small handful of fresh walnut halves.
Kale
A nutrient-packed green in the spinach family, Kale began replacing lettuce in salad years ago. Now, we can tack ‘anti-aging veggie’ onto its long list of perks.
The dark, leafy green is loaded with vitamins A and C, beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. These antioxidants destroy free radicals in the body that damage everything from skin cells to DNA.
Kale supports healthy collagen, preventing natural fine lines and wrinkles from each passing year. Add a cup of kale to your protein blends, or fire up some kale chips if you crave flawless and touchable skin.
Spinach
It’s no secret that spinach is good for you, credited with Popeye’s muscular physique and superhuman strength. But this dark, leafy green is also a great safeguard when anti-aging is your goal.
Loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, spinach can:
- Add a shiny touch to your hair
- Smooth and firm your skin
- Lessen your risk of broken bones
- Prevent age-related visual problems, like macular degeneration
Not a fan of salads or veggie-heavy dishes? Sneak some spinach in your smoothies (it’s almost tasteless), shred it over pizza, or mix it into soup.
Olive Oil
While oils earn an unfair reputation in the culinary world, olive oil is one of the few that pack a healthy punch. Just one tablespoon of it delivers antioxidants and vitamins (E and K) that guarantee those anti-aging benefits.
Olive oil can ward off severe health conditions like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, but it can also fend off age-related diseases.
Replace that corn oil with extra virgin olive oil to reduce joint inflammation (arthritic) and combat cognitive decline (Alzheimer’s).
Pomegranate
Pomegranates are one of the most majestic-looking fruits on the planet. Rich in polyphenols (antioxidants), fiber, and vitamins, these delicious red fruits are also anti-aging powerhouses.
Infuse some pomegranate into your morning smoothies if you want to:
- Lessen joint aches caused by arthritis
- Improve your short-term memory
- Boost workout performance by warding off early fatigue
- Regenerate skin and outpace wrinkling
- Protect against UV skin damage
The latest research suggests that pomegranate could fend off age-related muscle degeneration when interacting with the gut’s microbes. Sometimes, staying young means living free of aches and pains.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed became yet another modern trend, thanks to a slew of studies pointing to its overall health benefits. High in fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids, this seed — and its oils — deserve a spot in your daily routine.
This superfood can delay brain aging, relieve cholesterol in the arteries, improve skin appearance, and possibly prevent certain cancers.
If you want to stay sharp and radiate health from head to toe, sprinkle flaxseed into your yogurt, smoothies, or toast.
Barley
Grains are notoriously shunned in today’s society. Yet, barley boasts anti-aging properties that are drawing the masses.
Nutrient-wise, this cereal grain has it all: fiber, manganese, and copper.
But, in terms of youthful perks, we’re talking about:
- Fast-tracked cell regeneration
- Enhanced immunity
- Lower risk of osteoporosis
- Clear, elastic, and young-looking skin
- Less noticeable hair loss
The battle here is two-fold: remain young and fend off age-related health concerns. Mix barley to your soups and desserts to feel and look like you’re not a day past thirty.
11 Foods to Help You Look and Feel Younger
“I wanna be forever young” may very well be the most relatable song lyric on the planet.
But it’s a bit more complicated than adding 11 foods to your diet.
Other ways to look and feel young include:
- Cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol
- 150+ minutes of exercise per week
- Sleeping 7-8 hours a night
- Learning how to cope with stress healthily
- Maintaining a healthy weight
Once you know how to stay young forever, you can overcome the dread that comes along with aging.
