The Best Anti-Aging Foods

Everybody is concerned about aging and growing old, but they're not the same. Aging is a biologic process, but growing old is optional. When we think about growing old, we think about wrinkled skin, gray hair, aching joints, slower mobility, poor memory. All of those largely can be ameliorated with adequate detoxifying enzymes. We are not living on the same planet that our grandparents grew up on. They lived on a much cleaner planet, so we cannot eat the way our grandparents did and think that we're going to avoid premature aging. It's important to eat organic as much as possible, not overcook your food, avoid packaged, processed things that are subject to high eats. But most importantly, you need to put things in your body that increase on a genetic level your body's production of detoxifying enzymes. Broccoli is one of the most important foods you can eat if you're concerned about premature aging because it's loaded with nutrients to promote detoxification. Broccoli contains indole-3-carbinol, which changes the estrogens in a woman's body from the type that promote breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer to the type of estrogen that actually helps protect against those cancers. You can consume foods like broccoli, which contains sulforaphane, which on a genetic level increases the body's production of detoxifying enzymes and helps rid it of these toxic substances that promote premature aging, as well as diseases like cancer. Broccoli can be steamed, juiced. It can be added to various smoothies. But broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are a key part for detoxification and for avoiding premature aging. Kale is one of the most important anti-aging vegetables that there is. It contains isothiocyanates, which on a genetic level increase the body's production of detoxifying enzymes. Kale is loaded with a type of fiber that actually binds toxins in the small intestine so that they can be more easily excreted. 100 calories of kale contains 350 milligrams of alpha-linolenic acid, an excellent plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. Kale can be cut into half-inch slices and then lightly steamed. And it's best if you can find organic kale for inflammation, detoxification on multiple levels. Kale is an excellent part of any diet. Beets are critical for an anti-aging regimen because they are some of the major promoters of detoxification. Beets contain a nutrient called botanin, which is very powerful on a genetic level at upregulating the genes that code for detoxifying enzymes. The leafy green part of the beet can be cooked like Swiss chard or kale. And it is very good for your eyes. All parts of the beets are good. When you cook beets, it's best to cut them into quarters. You can roast the beets for just under an hour, or you can steam them for just under 15 minutes. Make sure beets are part of any anti-aging detox regimen. Cilantro is a green leafy vegetable that is loaded with chemicals that are important for anti-aging and detoxification. Cilantro contains nutrients called apigenin. Those induce on a genetic level the body's production of detoxifying enzymes. It's excellent at removing heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic. Coriander is just the seed of the cilantro. You can buy it as regular seeds, or you can buy it as a ground spice. The coriander is an excellent seasoning for meats, rice dishes, and vegetable. And cilantro is very good in green smoothies, as well as a garnish for pasta dishes and meat dishes. For a great all-round anti-aging detox nutrient, think not only about the cilantro leaf, but think about the seeds, which are known as coriander, as a spice. Avocado is one of the healthiest fruits you can consume to protect against premature aging. The way that avocado is best eaten is if you make a small nick in it, and then just peel the outer layer. Because just underneath the outer layer is the green portion of the avocado, and that's where most of the carotenoids are stored. It's very rich in dietary fiber that helps with the correct mixture of bacteria in your gut. This lowers inflammation throughout your entire body. In addition, there are nutrients in avocados that induce the body's production of detoxifying enzymes. It's also very good for helping maintain an ideal body weight. Just half an avocado added to a salad has been found to induce satiety for hours after a meal. Against aging, for ideal body weight, for detox, avocado is the fruit of choice.