When you reach your 30’s, you’re starting to do some damage control. By your late 30’s, your cells will die rapidly, and it’s harder for new, healthy ones to be created. You’re left with your collagen production going down and your health deteriorating.
The good news is you can work against that. With the right diet, you can add years to your life, protecting your cells and getting active against the signs of aging. You can even prevent some age-related diseases, such as heart disease and osteoporosis.
It’s all about focusing on foods that give you the right nutrients. Sure, eating junk food isn’t going to harm you now and then, but most of your meals need to be packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
It’s Especially Important to Get Your Antioxidants
The most important food group you want to focus on for anti-aging is antioxidants. These include polyphenols, vitamin C, and vitamin E. The antioxidants fight against oxidative stress in the body, usually caused by free radicals.
You’ve likely heard about antioxidants in the fight against cancer. Sure enough, antioxidants are good for preventing cancer. The free radicals are linked to abnormal cell growth. But that’s not all. Free radicals are linked to decreased collagen production, blemishes and pigmentation damage, and various other signs of aging.
It’s time to protect your whole health from anything linked to free radicals and oxidative stress, and the best way to do that is through antioxidants.
So, that brings us to this list of food. All the food on here will have nutrients that help to protect the whole body. Many of them are filled with antioxidants, but there are many other nutrients that you need to add into your diet.
Stock Up on Olive Oil
Make a switch from the vegetable or corn oil and opt for olive oil instead. This is one of the best oils to use in your cooking. It’s also good for topical treatments on the skin!
Olive oil has been used for decades to a healthy lifestyle. It’s full of polyphenols from the olives used to create it. These antioxidants pack a powerful punch, preventing most of diseases that are caused primarily by aging. You can lower your risk of heart disease and cancer by switching out your vegetable oils for olive oil instead.
The great news is that because it’s so popular, it’s cheap. You can easily find it in the grocery store. The best option is extra virgin olive oil, but any olive oil is going to be better than vegetable oil.
Another benefit to this oil is that the fats are healthy. Your body does need fat to survive, but you want to get the monounsaturated fats you’ll find in olive oil—vegetable oil is full of saturated fats. When you get monounsaturated options, they won’t clog the arteries. Instead, they create a protective lining that makes it easier for the blood to flow through.
Another option is coconut oil. You can switch between the two if you’d like. Coconut oil offers antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Get More Red Wine
If you’re a beer or white wine drinker, make a switch to a glass of red. You only need one glass of red to get the proven health benefits. Any more than a glass or two and you end up doing damage that outweighs the good.
Wine is made from grapes, so it shouldn’t be that surprising that there are some health benefits. Red wine especially contains resveratrol, which is an active ingredient that slows down the aging of the cells. It works on a genetic level, offering you larger benefits than most products and options on the market.
There are also links that red wine helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and memory loss. Thisis linked to the resveratrol. Since the cells don’t age as quickly, they don’t become damaged or die quickly. It’s easier for them to grow back normally and healthily.
It is worth noting that the studies have been conducted on animals. There are a few human studies, but this is something still being researched. In a small amount, the studies are proving positive.
Top Your Porridge with Blueberries
Blueberries are one of the most powerful fruits available. All berries have antioxidants, but blueberries are the best. They help to fight off cancer and oxidative stress, reducing inflammation throughout the body.
Inflammation is one of the main reasons for people feeling old. In your 30s, you can start showing signs of rheumatoid arthritis. This is an inflammation of the joints, making it difficult to walk and move your body. Getting more berries will help to reduce the inflammation and keep arthritis at bay.
Studies have also shown that rats live for longer. When converting from rat years to human years, researchers found that blueberries can boost life expectancy by 10 years. The rats that ate blueberries had better coordination, balance, and other cognitive functions.
Sure enough, dying cells won’t just affect the look of the skin. Abnormal cells don’t just lead to cancer. They can also lead to memory loss and poor cognitive function. Free radicals have been linked to causing Alzheimer’s disease, which is a debilitating condition, usually affecting people over the age of 50.
It’s extremely simple to get blueberries in your diet. You can eat a handful raw, but you can also top your porridge. Add more oats for your health. We’ll get onto the reasons why shortly.
Add More Fish to Your Diet
We’ve just mentioned how your brain health is affected by free radicals and oxidative stress. Well, you need to do something that will reduce inflammation in the brain and has been linked to improving the memory and cognitive functions. You need to add more fish to your diet.
This isn’t about just any fish. You want to get oily fishes, like salmon and tuna. They’re much better than white fish like cod and haddock, although they are a little more expensive.
Oily fishes are full of omega 3 fatty acids. It’s the omega 3 fats that have been linked to reducing inflammation in the brain. They help to keep cholesterol build-up to a minimum and protect the tissue connections within the brain and the body. There are also links that omega 3s help to protect the heart health.
You don’t need a lot of fish to get all the benefits. Scientists recommend that you get no more than two portions a week to maintain your health. The problem with oily fishes is that they also have higher mercury levels, which in large amounts will outweigh the good the omega 3s do.
Don’t Forget About the Yogurts
It’s time to stock up on your yogurts. Although you need to make sure you get the right ones. Skip the sugar-filled, flavored options and focus on the natural and Greek varieties. These are much lower in sugar, preventing an issue with insulin resistance and Type II diabetes.
Plain yogurt will give you a variety of benefits. The first is the calcium, helping to reduce the age-related disease known as osteoporosis. Without calcium, your bones will start to weaken. They thin out and become brittle, putting you at risk of injury. This is especially common in older women after menopause, when it’s harder for the body to absorb the calcium.
Yogurts will also help to support the digestive system. Most of your immune system is in your gut, but it tends to be overrun by bad bacteria. You need to get the good stuff in there. Yogurts are full of good bacteria that will overpower the bad and help to protect the intestines from damage. You will find it easier to absorb any of the nutrients that you do eat and reduce inflammation and discomfort in your digestive tract.
You can also use yogurt on your face. The proteins in yogurt will soak in and help to produce more collagen. Your skin remains elastic and flexible, reducing the signs of scarring or age-related thinness.
Get More Nuts in Your Diet
If you’re not allergic to nuts, you need to start eating more of them. Brazil nuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, and pistachios nuts are among the best options, but there are others that will help.
First of all, one Brazil nut a day will give you your recommended daily allowance of selenium. This is a nutrient that we tend to be deficient in. While it doesn’t initially affect your overall health, it does affect your energy levels. If you don’t feel like you have the energy to do more, you are more likely to sit and do nothing.
Nuts overall are also full of healthy fats. They tend to get a bad reputation because of their fats since so many people few all fats as bad. However, the fats will help to protect the arteries and reduce clotting. You’ll get all the same benefits of olive oil in a healthy and filling snack.
Another major benefit is the phytochemicals, including antioxidants. You’ll get plenty of support to fight against oxidative stress in your body.
You Can Enjoy Some Chocolate
Don’t worry about giving up all chocolate. It can be good for your health but in a small amount. You will also need to get the right type.
Skip the milk and white chocolate. You want to find dark chocolate—the darker, the better. This may taste bitter, but you will get all the goodness without the fatty elements added for milk and white varieties. You don’t need a lot of it. Just a couple of squares a day is more than enough.
If you do want to avoid bars of chocolate, you can opt for tubs of cocoa instead. Make chocolate drinks or add it to your desserts and yogurt to make the mostof the health benefits.
Raw chocolate is full of flavanols, which are needed to keep the blood vessels supported and functional. When you have good working blood vessels, you keep your blood pressure at a normalized level. You’ll reduce your risk of all types of age-related diseases, including heart disease and kidney disease.
Chocolate is also full of antioxidants while being low in sugar (yes, really!). You can lower your risk of developing cancer, dementia, and Type II diabetes by eating a small amount of chocolate regularly.
Eat More Oats
Porridge oats are a necessity in your diet. They make the perfect quick breakfast, offering you something filling and healthy. At the same time, they are low on the glycaemic index. They help to keep your blood sugar down, unlike most other breakfast staples.
Not only do low glycaemic foods help to prevent Type II diabetes, but they can also prevent the growth of bacteria that causes acne. They help to balance the hormones and keep the oil production normalized. They are also linked to boosting collagen production to keep wrinkles at bay.
Oats are also full of fiber, keeping your digestive system working effectively. You’ll be able to keep pushing toxins and leftover food out of your body, reducing inflammation and digestive discomfort.
Do watch out for eating too many oats. They are filling. The higher fiber quantity can lead to some bloating if you’re not used to eating it.
Get More Spinach and Kale
Finally, it’s time to turn to your dark leafy greens. Kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts and other foods are full of phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds. They will effectively work against all oxidative stress in your body.
While giving your body all the nutrients it needs, they will also help to protect against sun damage. The UV rays are one of the most common reasons for signs of aging to appear. The sun will create dark spots and cause pigmentation damage. By protecting your body against them, you can have glowing, beautiful skin as you get older.
And let’s not overlook the lutein and beta-carotene in your dark leafy veggies. These two nutrients are good for the eyesight, reducing the risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts later in life. They won’t completely stop the process of aging, but they have been proven to slow the processes down.
It’s time to add the right foods to your diet. In your 30s, you want to take some action against the signs of aging, while preventing others. As you get later into your 30s, it will be mostly action rather than prevention. The foods above will set you on the right path.
