Aging Gracefully Using Antioxidants

It seems that everyone is looking for the fountain of youth in beauty products, creams, serums, or worse yet – surgery. While aging is a natural part of life, the effects of aging can be minimized by making a few changes to your lifestyle that are not as costly or risky as some other methods. The secret to aging gracefully using antioxidants is perhaps found in ways that many people don’t even think of, such as the foods they eat.

You’ve heard it before that a healthy diet can do wonders for your body, but did you realize that it could actually help to fight the effects of aging? Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants as well as vitamins and minerals your body needs to function at its peak.

The effects of aging are more than just wrinkles and sagging skin. Brain function decreases and memory loss is incurred, as well as risk factors for diseases increase. Antioxidants are believed to be the key to unlocking longevity and avoiding disease. Phytonutrients are part of the family of antioxidants and work to rid the body of “free radicals”, which cause illnesses like cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

Foods that are rich in anti-inflammatory, as well as antioxidants, can literally slow the effects of aging at the cellular level. Certain aging effects can actually be reversed by eating foods such as cold-water fish as well as fruits and vegetables that are brightly colored. Foods that are considered pro-inflammatory can actually speed up the aging process and should be eliminated from your diet whenever possible. Saturated and trans fats, sugar, and starch make insulin levels rise which in turn sets off an acceleration of the aging progression.

Oxidation is the process of browning and drying out. If you have ever noticed what happens when you cut an apple in half, you’ve noticed what oxidation can do. While the process of aging can never be stopped completely, the premature effects of free-radical damage can be halted by the use of antioxidants such as green and white tea and rose hip oil. Vitamin C is perhaps the most important of all, and when blended with Vitamin E, the benefits are increased as these vitamins reduce the effects of UV light, and help speed up the healing function.

Other vitamins that are vital antioxidants are Vitamins A, B-6, B-12, Beta-carotene, Zinc, Folic Acid, and Selenium. Making sure you are supplying your body with enough of these antioxidants is vital, and whether you ingest them through nutritional supplements or apply them topically by way of creams, it only matters that you are receiving them.