From Farm to Home & Restaurant: Food Waste Facts
By EXO Team on Jan 13, 2020
Food waste has serious implications for public health and the environment. Learn the facts on food waste, a...
Anti Aging Foods to Stay Healthier Longer
By Ashley Mingesz on May 30, 2019
The food we eat impacts our body profoundly. By making food choices based upon their nutritional content, we can combat many of the most common causes of aging. These anti-aging foods can help keep you healthier and younger for longer!
Share
What forms your food choices?
Most of us strive to eat a healthy diet, while still enjoying our meals. It’s well known that balance is key when choosing what we put into our bodies. Vegetables, fruits, protein, and grain are the delivery system for building materials used to form our cells from the inside out.
When searching for anti-aging foods, you will find that all of them fall into the whole food category. These foods are anti-aging in nature because they’re packed with antioxidants, B12, vitamin C and Iron, among other key nutrients.
Consuming foods rich in antioxidants will help the body fight off free radicals, which can cause infection and some cancers. The natural prevention of cell damage, using nutrient-rich food is our first and best defense in the battle against waning health.
Foods to avoid
It's hard to imagine that there was a time in the not so distant past when pre-packaged food was not a common source of nutrition. I'm not talking about the hunter-gatherers of prehistory, our grandparents remember the time before
M&M’s and Triscuits.
Processed food didn't get its start until the early 1940s. In the beginning, added chemicals were minimal, then as the popularity of “fast food” began to grow, so did the amount additives.
Most artificial ingredients used in processed foods are filtered out by the kidneys and liver, but they still affect the body in a negative way. When the body craves more of these delicious, convenient, calorie-dense snacks, this is no accident. Processed foods have been engineered to be addictive with high concentrations of sugar, salt, and fat.
While your body systems are expending precious energy filtering out artificial ingredients, and excitotoxins, other essential processes are being neglected. The carcinogenic nature of these chemicals initiate and promote free radical production, causing damage to the bodies DNA and it’s cellular antioxidant defense system. Limiting your consumption of pre-packaged, artificially processed food will do wonders for your brain and bodies lasting health.
Which foods have anti-aging benefits?
There are so many options to choose from once you make the decision to eat with a purpose. Below is a carefully selected list of nutrients, and the foods they are found in. You’ll want to add many of these to your anti-aging diet. Some of them may even surprise you.
This is a polyphenol compound found in certain plants and was originally popularized because of its high concentration found in red wine. Resveratrol may provide many health-promoting and anti-aging effects. The “French paradox” is responsible for our understanding of this nutrient.
In 1981 epidemiologists observed far fewer sufferers of coronary heart disease in France than in other areas of the developed world. They attributed this anomaly to the French people’s long term, moderate consumption of red wine. This hypothesis led to studies that showed improvement in diabetes, a decrease in elevated blood pressure, and an anti-inflammatory effect with increased consumption of resveratrol. More recent studies have found inconclusive evidence of resveratrol’s effect on human body systems. However pre-clinical human trials show significant increases in the numbers of circulating T cells.
Indulging in natural, nutritious food is the best way to keep your body
functioning at peak levels. Grapes and nuts with a side of soft cheese
make a perfectly decadent snack that can be easily enjoyed any time of
day while working to get into your diet. Here are some other options to
try.
- Dry red wine
- Apples
- Raspberries
-
Blueberries
-
Plums
- Peanuts
This nutrients main benefit to the body is to maintain healthy nerve cells, assist in the production of DNA and RNA and support proper brain function. Many people associate B vitamins with an energy boost, but that’s not the only thing B12 is responsible for. This vitamin plays a large roll in healthy brain activity as well.
A lack of B12 can lead to a risk of addictive behavior, decreased efficacy of antioxidants, the manifestation of ADHD and lowered cognitive functioning. A healthy, sharp mind is essential to vitality. B12 can be found in over the counter supplements, as well as in some all-natural protein powders such as our Pure Cricket Powder, which can be mixed into everyday dishes
Get in your B12 with a smoked salmon eggs benedict for a luxurious
Sunday brunch. Make sure to also include some of these other nutritious
foods to your weekly grocery list.
- Sardines
- Salmon
- Liver
- Eggs
- Clams
These are so important because of their effect on free radicals within the body. Surprisingly the foods that rank highest in the concentration of antioxidants are beans. We have all heard about the free radical busting powers of berries, but some beans rank up to 4000 times higher in antioxidant capacity per serving.
Free radicals essentially damage our cells by stealing their electrons and can cause significant damage to living cells. Antioxidants combat the oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Some over the counter vitamins can have a small impact on curbing oxidative stress, however, the phytochemicals in plants provide far greater benefits to the cells we aim to preserve.
The good news is, chili is now a health food! This easy, one-pot dish
makes for great leftovers and freezes well. These next tasty foods will
also make great additions to your anti-aging diet plan.
- Red kidney bean
- Pinto bean
- Artichoke
- Prune
- Wild blueberry
- Blackberry
- Dark chocolate (85% cacao)
- Cricket Snacks (studies have shown they have nearly twice the antioxidants as Orange Juice!)
Many of the nutrient-rich, whole foods described above are delicious,
and already part of a balanced diet. Adding more of the ingredients that
have this profound anti-aging effect to your daily eating routine can
have you feeling and looking more vibrant by the day.
Let us know how the anti-aging diet is working for you!
More Articles
Why Are Crickets So Expensive?
By Abir Syed on Dec 20, 2019
If you've heard all the hype around cricket protein, you may still have a lingering question. If crickets r...
How to Get Rid of DOMS and How to Prevent it
By EXO Team on Oct 10, 2019
We’ve all experienced it – delayed onset muscle soreness. But, how can you prevent muscle soreness, and tre...