The best diet to look and feel younger

 

Well really, there's only one rule.  That is: seek nutrients!  By extension, this also means that it's best to avoid sugary carbs and processed foods like chips, pretzels, cakes, chocolate bars, pasta and rice.

 All of these foods raise your blood sugar and lower your insulin sensitivity, thus increasing your risk of diabetes (which you are at greater risk of as you age!).  Meanwhile, these foods increase your caloric intake without offering any nutrients that could benefit your skin, hair, teeth or nails.  So why eat them?

 Instead, look for fruits, vegetables, salads, meats, berries, fish, nuts, and all the good things you would find in nature.  Smoothies are great (albeit high in sugar).  Look for these superfoods in the meantime!  Did you know that bone broth is rich in collagen?  If you're looking for a set diet plan that you can follow to make this happen, then there's no shortage of options.

The following will help put you on the right path:

• The Mediterranean Diet

•  The Paleo Diet

•  The Slow Carb Diet

And folks, don't start this later when you start to see the signs of aging creeping in.  Start now and you'll be able to keep those signs at bay.  Prevention is much better than cure!

Eat a lot or eat a little?

Here's another question: should you eat a lot or a little?

 In fact, this is one of the most important questions to ask yourself when looking younger is your goal!  On the one hand, there is a school of thought that says you should eat very little.  The last strategy is called 'calorie restriction' and it does exactly what it says on the tin.  The claim here is that by restricting calories you can actually reduce the rate of aging and thus keep looking younger for longer.

How does this work?  According to advocates, eating less means your mitochondria work less and therefore produce fewer free radicals as a result.  The body is forced to rely on ketones and becomes very energy efficient (eating a low carb diet can have a similar effect, as can intermittent fasting).

 Studies show that mice living on low calorie diets can extend their lifespan by up to 30% and there are a lot of enthusiastic people online trying this strategy right now.  Does it work for humans?  It is currently too early to tell.  But, with all that said, there are definite downsides to this strategy as well.

For one thing, it makes malnutrition likely.  While proper calorie restriction shouldn't lead to malnutrition, it's clear that it's much harder to get everything your body needs while eating a very low number of calories.  It's also pretty much unfeasible for many of us and not much fun.  And there's another argument too: actually having some puppy fat will help you look younger as you age.

 As we age, our skin gets thinner and we start to carry less subcutaneous fat (fat stored under the skin).  Thus, we begin to look much more drawn.  Compare a skinny old lady to an old lady who eats a lot and you'll find that the latter looks younger because her skin is smoothed out by the layer of fat beneath.  Meanwhile, they usually have more color and are actually healthier.

Some women claim that, as they approach their 50s and 60s, they are forced to make a choice between 'face' and 'body'.  What should you do?  The decision is entirely up to you, but just make sure that whichever method you use, you are emphasizing nutrients in your diet!

Skin care for anti aging

Anti-aging skin care is also about lifestyle, and how we treat our bodies will be reflected in the appearance of our skin.  While soaking up the sun will help you look tanned and healthy in the short term, over time it will damage your skin cells, which will create more wrinkles in old age.

 This can lead to age spots and further problems as the ultraviolet waves from the sun damage cell walls and cause mutations.  Sunscreen and shade can help a lot.  Likewise, it's important to make sure we get enough sleep.  One of the reasons for this is that our sleep is when our body repairs damage done to the body throughout the day and therefore can rejuvenate our skin in this way.

One of the ways this works is through the release of growth hormone, or HGH, which is a hormone that stimulates anabolism in the body, repairing wounds, rebuilding muscle, replacing damaged cells, and stimulating muscle and bone growth.  (although bones stop growing after puberty when the 'growth plates' close).

 In addition to sleep, another way to stimulate natural growth hormone production (synthetic growth hormone is widely used by bodybuilders and celebrities, but unfortunately it is illegal in most states and countries and very expensive in those that are not. unwanted effects, some of which are fatal) is exercising and taking hot showers, both of which will trigger an anabolic cycle.

HGH is perhaps the closest thing there is to a youth elixir at the moment, so anything you can do to boost it naturally should definitely be encouraged.

Creams and Other Products

Then the most obvious aspect of skin care – the use of anti-aging creams and products.  They will work in many ways, protecting your skin from the external onslaught of UV rays and environmental factors, and providing your skin with important topically applied nutrients and antioxidants.  They can also hydrate the skin or even tighten it in some cases to provide instant visible benefits.

 You should stick to a routine and apply your face creams in the morning and evening before bed.  This routine should start with an exfoliating cream or facial soap that will remove dead skin cells (which can interfere with the mechanisms of moisturizers and nutrients).

Exfoliation can also make your wrinkles appear shallower, plumping your skin up and giving your complexion a healthier glow (dead skin tends to look a little grayer).  All of these will instantly make you look and feel younger.  (Another way to get more glow is to tan a bit, and the best way to do this without exposing yourself to sun damage is with a self-tanning moisturizer. It's not a fake tan, it's a product  which will boost your melanin production naturally to give you a brighter complexion.  This can help prevent that gray, faded look that is associated with old age.) After that, you should use a protective cream

 like Protect and Perfect from No 7, which will protect your skin from UV rays and oxidative damage.

Finally, a rejuvenating moisturizer should be applied which should contain vitamins A and E both vital in skin repair and collagen which will help keep the skin plump and supple (it can be considered 'nature's Botox').  Some creams actually include collagen, but there is some controversy over whether this can really penetrate deep into the lower levels of the skin to have any benefit.

 Some products, like Bio Oil, claim to use carrier molecules and other strategies to get around this limitation.  Take a look at the back of the package when using any moisturizer and look for things like biotin (vitamin B7), retinol, green tea extract, CoQ10, etc.  getting rid of the hard-earned money.

There are numerous options out there, including using hemorrhoid cream around your eyes to tighten the skin and remove crow's feet.  If you want to give it a try, go ahead—but for the most part, there's no reason to overspend, and any healthy moisturizer (preferably something organic, like deep-sea mud) will do the trick.

 The moisturizing element will also help to hydrate the skin and keep it supple and supple.  As you apply these creams, you should use circular motions with your fingertips to massage your skin and encourage blood flow to the surface, which will help deliver more vital nutrients and keep your skin tone more even.

Using concentric circles moving inward towards the center of the face is also very relaxing and will help keep the skin subtle and supple.  Whatever products you choose, just make sure you use something to exfoliate, something to protect, and something to rejuvenate and hydrate.