Who wants to look years younger than your actual age? Most of you do, admit it. It’s hard keeping up with all these magic creams, night serums and day serums. Besides, are they really good for your skin? And do they really work as well as the manufacturers advertise? If you read the labels on a lot of them, they are filled with harmful chemicals that you should be avoiding anyway. What you need to be doing is protecting your skin from the free radicals floating around in the environment and bombarding your skin.
What if there was a way to get rid of those pesky wrinkles naturally? If you increase your intake of foods filled with natural anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, you will find you have better results. Would you be able to follow a diet like this? Here are five foods you can eat that will help banish those wrinkles and give you younger looking skin.
1. Blueberries
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that blueberries are higher in anti-oxidant properties than strawberries by approximately 40 percent. Remember the anti-oxidants protect your skin from the free radicals from the environment that are constantly attacking your skin. They are also full of vitamin C, which encourages the growth and formation of collagen. Collagen renewal helps keep the skin looking younger and also decreases the effects of aging.
2. Selenium-Rich Foods
Selenium is a trace mineral that is necessary to all functions of the body. This important nutrient is vital to immune system function. You want to start eating more foods that are a good source of selenium. Adding seasonings such as mustard seeds and garlic to your foods while you’re cooking not only enhances the flavor without falling back on salt, but it helps to protect your skin from being damaged by the sun. You can also find high selenium content in raw tofu and green vegetables. Protecting your skin with vital nutrients is a key part of the healthy aging process. The quality of your skin is also improved when you eat Crimini mushrooms raw chopped up in a salad. Like most mushrooms, crimini mushrooms can provide us with unique immune system support. But contrary to public belief, these common button-type mushrooms have recently been shown to surpass some of their more exotic mushroom counterparts (like shiitake or maitake mushrooms) in terms of immune system benefits. All of these foods are rich in selenium, which helps to delay the aging process.
3. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are full of lycopene. Studies have shown that lycopene is great for decreasing skin redness, as well as cell damage from sunburn. The protection from sunburn seems to work best if you eat a serving of tomato paste each day. If you cook the tomatoes, you increase the absorption of the lycopene, which is even better. Adding a touch of extra-virgin olive oil will also enhance your lycopene absorption. Think about it – the more lycopene you absorb, the less chance of you getting a sunburn. If you don’t get a sunburn, your skin won’t dry out and you won’t get those crow’s feet wrinkles and other wrinkles associated with sunburn. Plus, you won’t get the dried out, leathery looking skin that comes from being out on the sun for years and years with little to no protection and little moisture replenishment for your skin. So eat tomatoes!
4. Sunflower Seeds and Nuts
Sunflower seeds are full of vitamin E, which can give protection against the free radicals in the environment. Certain nuts have fats in them that combat wrinkles. Excellent nuts to eat for this purpose are almonds and cashews. However, avoid the roasted and salted version.
5. Orange and Leafy Vegetables
The orange vegetables are packed with anti-oxidants. This group includes vegetables such as pumpkin, pepper varieties, and different types of squash. Their anti-oxidant properties help to protect the skin from the free radicals in the environment.
The leafy vegetables that you want to eat are those that are full of iron. They also have anti-oxidant properties as well as vitamin A and lutein. Spinach and kale are examples of the greens that fall in this group. With the different properties, your skin is protected and can look much younger if you add them to your diet.
Conclusion
So how do you prevent or get rid of wrinkles if you already have them? Change your diet! Don’t just add these foods to your grocery list and let them sit in your kitchen. Start eating them and making delicious meals with them for yourself and your family. Aging is a process that we all have to expect, but we do not have to age badly. If you want to look at younger and have beautiful hair, skin, and nails treat your body well by fueling it with the 5 foods I’ve shared with you in this article. You can look younger! So get up and get started!
Kris T. Smith is speaker, master personal trainer, and certified nutritionist specializing in helping women look younger, lose menopause weight, and embrace their beauty. He’s the author of The 7 Day Menopause Diet Guide and founder of the My Menopause Fix Blog and the Host of the MMF Podcast on iTunes. If you liked this article and would like to receive more tips, and strategies on menopause fitness, menopause exercise, and motivation sign up for our free newsletter call The MMF Hot Flash Report at http://mymenopausefix.com