We’ve all heard the old adage “you are what you eat” but this has taken on a whole new meaning in recent years as new diet plans have been revealed that are said to be good for your skin as well as your body. How does this work? Well in recent years, research has shown there are specific foods that you can include in diet plans which can really help to slow down the anti-aging process. And best of all it doesn’t mean you have to stop eating your favourite foods – all most diet plans need are a few tweaks.
What Foods to Include
Anti-aging diet plans focus on foods that have high anti-oxidant properties such as strawberries, black currants and elderberries. Anti-oxidants not only help to keep your skin looking young but they also help to prevent against diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. However anti-aging diet plans should also contain foods rich in the following:
- Vitamin E – this helps maintain healthy skin and can be found in sunflower seeds, almonds and avocados.
- Vitamin C – this helps to keep wrinkles to a minimum and it should ideally be taken on a daily basis. Citrus fruits, peppers and broccoli are all high in Vitamin C.
- Magnesium – another popular addition to anti-aging diet plans, magnesium is again good for the skin. It can be found in dark green vegetables and nuts.
- Lutein – found in parsley and brussel sprouts, lutein can help to minimise wrinkles and has anti-cancer properties. A definite must in your anti-aging diet plans.
What Foods to Avoid
Anti-aging diet plans should avoid foods that are high in simple carbohydrates and sugars quite simply because they can increase the blood sugar to such a level that it actually speeds up the aging process. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and fibres are much better options and should be taken instead where possible. Sugar also affects collagen which leads to skin damage. Over time it can make skin inflexible and rigid which leads to an onset of wrinkles and is best to be omitted from your anti-aging diet plans.
Anti-aging diet plans don’t require you to rework your eating habits completely. With just a few tweaks you can eat healthily and prolong the aging process.