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A lot of emphasis is placed on staying out of the sun, to prevent wrinkles and related signs of aging. This is a very valid point, as it is very important to prevent sun damage to the skin, which accelerates the process of photoaging, but the way in which and what we eat can have an equal impact on our aging process and related aging signs.
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To sum up the nutritional requirements to slow down aging to some degree we have included the following:
Increase your intake of antioxidants - that being vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A (beta carotene), selenium etc.
Antioxidants can be vitamins, as well as other nutritional compounds that help rid the body of free radicals, which are formed naturally in the body. Excess free radicals are formed when the body is subjected to pollutants, sunlight, stress etc. Free radicals are formed when an unstable oxygen molecule upsets the applecart in the cells and the chain reaction which is then instigated can not only cause damage to the cell, but can also attack and change the genetic code contained in each cell -damage to this code can lead to the formation of cancer.
- For more information on antioxidants please click here.
Increase your intake of water - a minimum would be the eight glasses of water your grandmother always talked about. Another way to work out the amount of glasses of water (250 ml) that you need per day is to divide your kilogram weight by eight - that would give you the minimum amount of glasses of water required per day. If you for instance weigh 75 kilograms, and you divide it by eight, you will get to 9.375 - which would indicate that you need at least 9 glasses of water per day.
- Conversion of measurements:
- 250 ml = 8.5 fluid ounces
- 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
The amount of coffee or carbonated (fizzy) drinks you have per day does not count as part of your fluid intake - you should actually limit the amount of coffee and carbonated drinks that you consume daily.
Excessive fat should be avoided in your diet - but keep in mind that the body does require fat to function properly, and even your brain requires a certain amount of fat to work optimally.
For cooking purposes you could also look at cutting down on fried foods, and when using oil for cooking, rather use either olive or canola oil.
Fatty meat should be trimmed and lean meat should rather be used - but even better still - increase your intake of fish and chicken and cut down on red meats.
The other benefit of increasing your fish intake is that you also increase your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, which in turn is helpful in cutting down on the risk of developing heart disease, while it also helps to boost your immune system and has also been speculated to help prevent certain cancers.
Although processed foods may be convenient, the nutritional value could be compromised, and a vast array of additives are in most cases used to either preserve the foods or make them appear more attractive - the downside of this is that these additives can negate the nutritional value of the foods - especially when looking at vegetables and fruit.
Although most people are aware of the health risks associated with being overweight or obese, a lot of people are not aware that being slimmer and eating less can influence your longevity.
Certain studies have indicated that a reduction of calorie intake can positively influence your general health as well as extend your lifespan - but even without taking this into account - the health risks - such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart related diseases should be enough reason to look at being a slimmer you.
There are a lot of indicators to show that people on a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables have far less risk of disease and illness. Not only do they supply the body with bio-available nutrition, which in most cases contains no cholesterol, they add fiber to the diet, which in turn helps to minimize the risk of hypertension, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, while looking after your bowel movements and digestive system.
The minimum daily intake of fruit and vegetables would be 6 servings - yet to help boost your body's way to help fight ageing, you could increase this intake to around 8 servings per day. An easy way would be to have 2 servings at breakfast, 1 at morning break, 2 at lunchtime, 1 at afternoon break and 2 again at supper.
Although some medical practitioners may still underplay the importance of vitamin supplements, a good balanced supplementation of vitamins and minerals can go a long way to help ward off, or at least slow down, the aging process.
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When the body ages the absorption of nutrients, like vitamins, is done far less efficiently. For this reason, greater amounts of vitamins are required by the body to ensure adequate intake.
A point in case is vitamin D - in your twenties you would need at least 200 IU per day, but in your 60s you would need at least 600 IU.
As we can see from the above, eating is far more than just to still your hunger, it can make a positive contribution to slowing down aging, while increasing your longevity - and more importantly the quality of your life.
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