The 12 Top Anti-Ageing Foods
Many of what are considered signs of ageing-wrinkled skin, a fading memory, diminished physical capacity and an increased susceptibility to infection-are actually little more than deficiencies of critical chemicals called antioxidants. You don’t have to sit by and watch your body disintegrate. Instead, you can eat the following foods to help hang on to and replenish your bio-mechanical vitality. Just about any fruit or vegetable will make contributions to your quest for youth; here are 12 you shouldn’t ignore.
Avocado
True, avocado is high in fat, but much of it is “good” fat, the monounsaturated type, which resists oxidation. Avocado is high in glutathione, an antioxidant which helps neutralize fat in other foods. Research also suggests that eating avocado lowers and improves cholesterol better than a low-fat diet does.
Berries
Blueberries have more antioxidants called anthocyanins than any Other food-in fact,3 times more than the second-richest sources, red wine and green tea. Both blueberries and cranberries help ward off urinary tract infections. And a study showed that older people who ate strawberries had the lowest rates of all kinds of cancer.
Broccoli
The green stuff provides an awesome array of antioxidants. Scientists at John Hopkins Institute discovered a particularly strong one called sulforaphane. Served to animals, the broccoli chemical stoked the activity of detoxification enzymes that slashed cancer rates by two-thirds. Broccoli is packed with vitamin C, betacarotene, indole, glutathione and lutein, and is also a rich source of the trace metal chromium, which is a life extender and protects against the ravages of out-of-control insulin and blood sugar.
Cabbage
People who ate cabbage once a week compared with once a month had only
66 percent of risk for colon cancer, one study found. Cabbage also seems to deter stomach cancer. Savoy cabbage (the crinkly type) is the strongest one; you can eat it raw or lightly cooked, for the best effect. The betacarotene, indoles, glucoinolates and isothiocyanates in these vegetables may prevent certain cancers.
Carrots
These are legendary in fighting off ageing diseases. In a recent study, men eating a couple of carrots a day lowered blood cholesterol by 10 percent. Many studies pinpoint beta-carotene, carrots’ main antioxidant asset, as a powerhouse against ageing and disease. People with low levels of beta-carotene in their blood are more apt to have heart attacks, strokes and various cancers.
Citrus Fruit
The National Cancer Institute has called the orange the “complete package of every class of natural anticancer inhibitor known, including carotenoids, terpenes, flavenoids and vitamin C”. Grapefruit, too, has a unique type of fibre that reduces cholesterol dramatically and may reverse the ageing disease atherosclerosis.
Grapes
Grapes contain 20 known antioxidants that work together to fend off oxygen free-radical attacks that promote disease and ageing, according to researchers at the University of California. The antioxidants are in the skin and the seeds, and the more colourful the skin, the greater the antioxidant punch.
Onions and Garlic
They might give you bad breath, but they help prevent cancer, thin your blood (discouraging clots) and raise the good type (HDL) of cholesterol. Red and yellow onions (sorry, not the white ones) are the richest of all foods in quercetin, a celebrated antioxidant that inactivates cancer-causing agents, inhibits enzymes that spur cancer growth and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral activity. The allicin in garlic lowers the bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It reduces blood pressure, boosts immunity and has antibiotic properties. Allium compounds are also found in spring onions, leeks, chives and shallots.
Spinach
Heavy in lutein, an anti-ageing agent which rivals beta-carotene for effectiveness, spinach also has beta-carotene plus a good dose of folic acid, a brain and artery protector.
Tomatoes
These are the richest source of lycopene, which new research suggests helps to preserve mental and physical functioning among the elderly. High levels of lycopene also reduce your risk of pancreatic cancer.
Green Tea
Research indicates that green tea may have some anti-cancer effect. It contains polyphenols, a kind of antioxidant. Green tea has also shown promising results for heart and liver diseases.
Oats
An excellent heart medicine. About half cup of dry oat bran or a cup of dry oatmeal puts a dent in your blood cholesterol and regulates the sugar level.
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The 12 Top Anti-Ageing Foods
Many of what are considered signs of ageing-wrinkled skin, a fading memory, diminished physical capacity and an increased susceptibility to infection-are actually little more than deficiencies of critical chemicals called antioxidants. You don’t have to sit by and watch your body disintegrate. Instead, you can eat the following foods to help hang on to and replenish your bio-mechanical vitality. Just about any fruit or vegetable will make contributions to your quest for youth; here are 12 you shouldn’t ignore.
Avocado
True, avocado is high in fat, but much of it is “good” fat, the monounsaturated type, which resists oxidation. Avocado is high in glutathione, an antioxidant which helps neutralize fat in other foods. Research also suggests that eating avocado lowers and improves cholesterol better than a low-fat diet does.
Berries
Blueberries have more antioxidants called anthocyanins than any Other food-in fact,3 times more than the second-richest sources, red wine and green tea. Both blueberries and cranberries help ward off urinary tract infections. And a study showed that older people who ate strawberries had the lowest rates of all kinds of cancer.
Broccoli
The green stuff provides an awesome array of antioxidants. Scientists at John Hopkins Institute discovered a particularly strong one called sulforaphane. Served to animals, the broccoli chemical stoked the activity of detoxification enzymes that slashed cancer rates by two-thirds. Broccoli is packed with vitamin C, betacarotene, indole, glutathione and lutein, and is also a rich source of the trace metal chromium, which is a life extender and protects against the ravages of out-of-control insulin and blood sugar.
Cabbage
People who ate cabbage once a week compared with once a month had only
66 percent of risk for colon cancer, one study found. Cabbage also seems to deter stomach cancer. Savoy cabbage (the crinkly type) is the strongest one; you can eat it raw or lightly cooked, for the best effect. The betacarotene, indoles, glucoinolates and isothiocyanates in these vegetables may prevent certain cancers.
Carrots
These are legendary in fighting off ageing diseases. In a recent study, men eating a couple of carrots a day lowered blood cholesterol by 10 percent. Many studies pinpoint beta-carotene, carrots’ main antioxidant asset, as a powerhouse against ageing and disease. People with low levels of beta-carotene in their blood are more apt to have heart attacks, strokes and various cancers.
Citrus Fruit
The National Cancer Institute has called the orange the “complete package of every class of natural anticancer inhibitor known, including carotenoids, terpenes, flavenoids and vitamin C”. Grapefruit, too, has a unique type of fibre that reduces cholesterol dramatically and may reverse the ageing disease atherosclerosis.
Grapes
Grapes contain 20 known antioxidants that work together to fend off oxygen free-radical attacks that promote disease and ageing, according to researchers at the University of California. The antioxidants are in the skin and the seeds, and the more colourful the skin, the greater the antioxidant punch.
Onions and Garlic
They might give you bad breath, but they help prevent cancer, thin your blood (discouraging clots) and raise the good type (HDL) of cholesterol. Red and yellow onions (sorry, not the white ones) are the richest of all foods in quercetin, a celebrated antioxidant that inactivates cancer-causing agents, inhibits enzymes that spur cancer growth and has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral activity. The allicin in garlic lowers the bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. It reduces blood pressure, boosts immunity and has antibiotic properties. Allium compounds are also found in spring onions, leeks, chives and shallots.
Spinach
Heavy in lutein, an anti-ageing agent which rivals beta-carotene for effectiveness, spinach also has beta-carotene plus a good dose of folic acid, a brain and artery protector.
Tomatoes
These are the richest source of lycopene, which new research suggests helps to preserve mental and physical functioning among the elderly. High levels of lycopene also reduce your risk of pancreatic cancer.
Green Tea
Research indicates that green tea may have some anti-cancer effect. It contains polyphenols, a kind of antioxidant. Green tea has also shown promising results for heart and liver diseases.
Oats
An excellent heart medicine. About half cup of dry oat bran or a cup of dry oatmeal puts a dent in your blood cholesterol and regulates the sugar level.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.