Your Best You with Anti-Aging Foods

Being truly beautiful doesn't come just from creams, lotions and make-up that you put on the outside

One easy way to get fruits and veggies into your diet is with smoothies!

of your body. Beauty begins on the inside, with what you put into your body on a daily basis.

Anti-aging foods also help you to avoid age-related diseases such as arthritis, high blood pressure and heart disease. Let's face it, if you are in pain or worried about your health, you won't be feeling your most beautiful. Not to mention that the pharmaceuticals given out by doctors to manage the symptoms of these diseases also cause physical harm to our bodies over time. Eating the right foods can help our bodies to heal from the inside out, keeping us younger, longer.

Eating lots of nutritious food also helps to keep body weight at a healthy level and being at a body weight where we feel good, also helps our confidence and self-image.

To get the most from any anti aging diet, you eat a wide variety of foods from the following list:

•Fruits and vegetables keep you young and healthy. Eat a wide variety of colors to get the most nutrition from these anti-aging foods and eat fruits and veggies from 5 to 9 times daily to gain maximum benefit.

Impossible to eat this much fruit and vegetables, you say? Why not try drinking a nutritious green smoothie for breakfast. I make a big pitcher full every morning and my husband and I both drink it for breakfast and lunch. It makes a wonderfully nutritious meal on the go too. I just throw in any fruits and veggies I happen to have, with a base of green tea.

•Fish like salmon and sardines contain omega3 fatty acids which are important for healthy brain function as we age. Plus they have anti-inflammatory benefits which helps ward off arthritis and keeps your nervous system healthy. You should eat fish at least twice a week and take a quality omega 3 supplement daily.

I found some tasty canned, wild-caught salmon at Costco. I think it was 6 cans for about $12. I add it to salads or eat it on crackers. It's one easy way to get fish into my diet.

•Whole grains - get 3 servings of whole grains daily. Since many people are sensitive to gluten, which is found in wheat, try some gluten free grains, like quinoa or millet. You can make a batch of quinoa and keep it in the frig for several days, then add a spoonful to salads. I also add quinoa to soups or make a pilaf out of it. Great with chicken!

Grains give us B vitamins, fiber for colon health and phytonutrients to help with controlling weight and lowering cholesterol levels.

•Beans and legumes contribute lean, non-meat protein and vital nutrients to an anti-aging diet. Beans are very low in calories so they help keep our weight down as we age. Three to 4 times a week is all it takes. Keep canned beans around to add to many recipes such as kidney beans to a salad, cannelloni beans to Italian pasta dishes or black beans in Mexican dishes.

•Probiotics, or good bacteria, from yogurt, kefir and other cultured foods boost your immune system so you stay healthy as you age. Eat yogurt or some product with active probiotics daily or take a supplement.

•Nuts contain heart and brain healthy fats and lots of B Vitamins to keep your heart and brain in good working order, which is vital as you age. These vitamins also help keep your skin soft and supple. Nuts are also full of protein. I keep bags of slivered almonds or walnuts around to add to salads or eat as a snack.

•Water - Drinking lots of water is one of the best anti-aging tips! Lots of water keeps toxins flushed from the body and keep skin and muscles well hydrated. Skin cells look plumper and healthier. Water benefits circulation, and all other organs in the body. It even helps with weightloss.

Green or white tea is a super anti-aging and anti-cancer food. These teas are full of antioxidants, which keep us healthy and our bodies from breaking down over time. Studies also show that drinking 3-4 cups of green or white tea daily to cut your chances of getting a debilliating stroke.

Other foods that make the "superfood list" include blueberries, acai fruit and goji berries. These superfoods boost brain power and the immune system and contain many anti-cancer and anti-aging, nutrients.

As you can see by the list, anti-aging foods are the nutritional power foods that not only help with healthy aging, but offer good health at any age. When you feel healthy, you also feel and look more beautiful. You have more energy and feel less stressed.

Some people feel like it may be too hard or too expensive to eat this way or they don't want to give up the sugar and other empty calories, like chips. Once you start eating healthier though, your body starts to crave this way of eating and you look and feel so much better, that you'll never want to go back to eating the way you once did.