How to Use Diet to Slow the Aging Process

Free radicals are unstable cells with an odd number of electrons. They steal electrons from cells' membranes, which eventually causes cells damage. When you have enough cell damage, it causes aging and eventually death. You can slow the aging process by changing your diet to fight free radicals with antioxidants and provide nutrients necessary to keep free of age-related diseases, while maintaining stamina, a youthful appearance and beautiful skin.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh or lightly steamed fruits and vegetables
• Free-range antibiotic-free animal protein
• Green tea or fresh juices
• Water
• Omega-3 fats

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Eat unprocessed foods. Highly processed foods contain other ingredients. These often have free radicals that cause cellular damage. Processing also removes many of the nutrients from foods that help produce collagen and elastin that keep the skin younger looking.

• 2

  Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. The less you cook foods, the more nutrients they contain. You'll find that steaming also keeps the nutrients in the vegetables and is close to eating raw foods.

• 3

  Consume foods high in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. Foods high in vitamins A, E, C and B3 all contribute positively toward improving the skin to keep you looking younger. Several studies including one by Maeve C. Cosgrove, et al. published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" show that a diet with adequate amounts of foods containing these vitamins help protect the skin from free radicals that produce signs of aging.

• 4

  Reduce your calorie intake. According to a study by A.V. Everitt, et al., at the

  Centre for Education and Research on Ageing and Anzac Research Institute, University of Sydney, you can slow down the progression of aging and age-related diseases by lowering your caloric intake.

• 5

  Include animal protein from free-range animals. A study by Smit, Liesbeth A., Ana Baylin and Hannia Campos, shows that people with higher amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in their blood had a lower incidence of heart disease. In a June 10, 2009 "Journal of Animal Science" article, researchers revealed products from grass-fed animal contained higher amounts of CLA, beta carotene, vitamin E, thiamin and riboflavin, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

• 6

  Add herbs and spices. Many herbs and spices contain phytonutrients as well as the traditional vitamins and minerals, but they don't add extra calories. Researchers from UC Riverside and UCLA found that turmeric, a spice used in curry powder, might reverse early Alzheimer's as well as slow down its progress.