Anti-Aging - Seven Steps Towards Looking And Feeling Younger
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by: Guest
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Despite what most of us think, aging is not a bad thing. With aging comes experience, wisdom, and yes even beauty. Yet, we are always trying to figure out the best ways to ward off premature aging. If you are like me, you want the wisdom, but not the wrinkles. And you are always looking for ways to lessen age-revealing wrinkles so as to fool people into believing you are younger than you actually are. Perhaps you even spend a lot of money in the process and are always dissatisfied with the results. But looking young and keeping fit is in your own hands. Despite what the advertisers may tell you, there are no miracle drugs or anti-aging creams that alone will keep the wrinkles away. Many years of research has shown that nutrition and exercise help slow down significantly and can even reverse the signs of aging skin. According to that research, there are steps you can take to lessen the looks of aging and here are seven important ones.
1. Eat a healthy diet. This is probably our biggest downfall when it comes to our health. The secret to a longer and healthier life truly is in our food choices. As they say, to look good on the outside, you first have to take care of the inside. And you start doing so by being more aware of the foods you eat. To live longer, healthier lives, the focus should be on having a diet low in fat, meat, refined grains, and sugar, and a diet high in fiber foods (such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains). High fiber foods are “good carbohydrates” and provide important vitamins, minerals, and plant chemicals essential to good health. The food choices you make should include plenty of green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, and cantaloupe), and should limit the intake of sugary foods and refined grain products (such as white bread and salty snacks). Your choices should also cut down on animal fat which is rich in saturated fat and which has adverse health effects. Choose instead lean meats, skinless poultry, and low-fat or non-fat dairy products. Choose fewer foods with trans fat which is supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils which are found in most processed foods and foods we buy at fast food restaurants. Choose to eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. Choose to substitute butter or stick margarine with olive or canola oil. When making all these choices, keep portions moderate. Our serving sizes have doubled in recent years, especially in restaurants. When placing an order, split a dish with a friend and never “supersize” your order. Better yet, eat at home where you have more control over what you eat.
2. Avoid foods high in fat and sugar. Even though I covered food choices in number 1 above, I felt the need to list this separately. That is because too much sugar in our diet significantly accelerates aging. Advanced studies show that sugar increases free radicals in the body which also accelerates the aging process. Sugar also leads to obesity, which can take years off a life. Just one daily 12-oz. can of soda can add over 16 pounds of weight over the course of a year. Skip the soda and drink fruit juices that contain no fructose. Start avoiding sugar and you will slow down the aging process.
3. Take essential vitamins. Again, this relates to number 1. If you eat right, you will get the proper vitamins. It is always best to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, but there are supplements for those of us who don’t eat the proper servings of nutrient-rich foods. However, remember that supplements are just supplements. They cannot replace what you can get from foods. You should also have vitamins in your skin care. When choosing skin care products, look for products that contain essential vitamins and few chemicals or parabens, such as Pangea Organics which are plant-based products that are completely paraben free. So, what vitamins should you take to ward off the aging process? (A) Vitamin A ... is necessary for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue and is great for skin disorders, such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and sun damage. It is a cancer fighter as well. Sources for Vitamin A include yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, such as carrots which are heavy with Vitamin A, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and mangoes. (B) Vitamin B ... improves skin texture and tone, as well as hair and nail structure. Sources for this vitamin include milk and eggs. Vitamin B-12 is an essential nutrient necessary for building red blood cells, immunity, and other body functions. Because Vitamin B-12 is usually found in foods of animal origin, vegetarians should take extra caution to be sure they do not have a deficiency. Oranges are great for Vitamins B-6 and B-12. Spinach and blueberries have Vitamin B compounds as well. (C) Vitamin C ... can reduce fine lines and wrinkles and may lessen the severity of sunburns. Foods rich in Vitamin C include citrus fruits and vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and leafy greens. (D) Vitamin D ... comes from the sun and it is covered in more detail in number 4 below. However, sources rich in Vitamin D include cod liver oil, milk, and eggs. (E) Vitamin E ... (also from the sun) is an antioxidant that shows to have anti-inflammatory effects on the skin. When applied topically, Vitamin E has been shown to improve moisturization, softness and smoothness. One source high in Vitamin E is almonds. (F) Vitamin K ... doesn't do much for your skin from the inside, but studies have shown that topical Vitamin K works well to reduce circles under the eye. When combined with Vitamin A in a cream, Vitamin K can be even more effective for those dark circles while at the same time reducing wrinkles.
4. Take a daily dose of cod liver oil. If you only do one thing for your skin and overall good health, this is the one it should be, and it just may be the fountain of youth you’ve been looking for. Take this for one year and you will most likely look like you had a face lift. This fish oil is great for maintaining youthful skin due to fact that it has large amounts of omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin A, and the sunlight Vitamin D … essential nutrients that most of us don’t get in our daily diet. For many of us, the words “cod liver oil” doesn't sound too appealing and it is hard to swallow. But cod liver oil taken orally helps moisturize skin and it reduces wrinkles. Mixed with zinc and applied topically, it is great for many skin conditions. Besides restoring youthful skin, cod liver oil is great for many other things. The Vitamin D it provides helps build strong bones and helps prevent osteoporosis. It contains fatty acids that aid in the development of the brain and the nervous system. Many diseases respond well to treatments that contain cod liver oil, including heart disease and cancer. Cod liver oil contributes to faster wound healing and, of course, improvement in skin quality.
Related: Anti-Aging - Seven Steps Towards Looking And Feeling Younger
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