Is there really such a think as anti-ageing? Sadly, there isn't a magic apple you can eat that will suddenly knock twenty years off your looks, but there are foods and liquids that will help your skin to keep young looking, longer.
There are indeed foods for "anti-ageing" that may help you look and feel years younger. It is now thought that the antioxidants present in particular foods slow the ageing process in human cells.
Antioxidants offer quite a few positive health benefits. It has also been suggested that antioxidants can help to prevent diseases that include cancer and Alzheimer's. Antioxidants help to fight Free Radicals that damage the body's cells. This includes your skin and internal organs.
Apples are a good example of a food that may help slow the ageing process as well as providing other helpful benefits. Apples contain not only antioxidants but pectin, which helps to lower your cholesterol levels.
Other foods that are particularly good for anti-ageing include avocados, carrots, kiwi fruit, strawberries and grapes. Berries with their high vitamin C content help because vitamin C helps add new collagen to the skin.
Garlic is good for killing off germs connected with skin, intestinal and respiratory infections. Eating tomatoes is thought to help protect against cancer and heart disease because they are a rich source of lycopene, an anti-cancer agent and type of antioxidant. Eating tofu is also good as soybeans contain isoflavones that help correct hormone imbalances. Even chocolate is said to add a year to your life if eaten regularly. And red wine boosts circulation to the skin as well as being a protection against heart disease.
Of course if not consumed in moderation, red wine and chocolate will quickly undo most of the good of the other more obviously healthy foods. At the end of the day, we are what we eat. Eating fresh food as part of a balanced diet will help keep you looking fresh and balanced too.
To tell people to keep drinking water may sound like an incredibly obvious statement. As our bodies are mainly made up of water, its clear that we need to keep drinking plenty of it to avoid becoming dehydrated. Surely, we know when we have to keep drinking water because we feel thirsty. Yet, in fact, its more complicated than that as many of us are suffering from the symptoms of dehydration without even realising it.
Water makes up over 60% of our body weight. A loss of as little as 2% of this can make us feel tired, listless, and cause headaches. As we get older, our bodies ability to tell us when were thirsty lessens. Urinating, sweating and even breathing causes us to lose fluids. Exercise can cause fluid loss to occur before feelings of thirst set in.
Many people use the 8x8 rule; meaning consuming eight glasses of eight ounces a day to ensure they get as much as they need. This translates as approximately 1.9 litres. However, it can only be considered a rough guideline as how much fluid your body needs varies considerably between individuals. If you find you are constantly thirsty, this could be a sign of diabetes and you should consult your doctor.
Pregnant or breast feeding women should make sure to consume more fluids to keep themselves healthy. You can also get your fluids from other sources. An estimated twenty percent should come from your food intake. Fruit and vegetables are a particularly good source. H20 is the essential substance of human life; make sure you're getting enough of it. Otherwise, you'll find that your energy levels are greatly reduced and your overall sense of well being will be lessened.
We can't stop the onset of ageing - it's a biological inevitability. However, we can follow some simple rules in order to give ourselves the best chance of looking and feeling young. From your skin tone and colour through to keeping your body youthful inside.
So whether it really makes a difference or not, by eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water, you really will see the benefits in how you feel and it will give you more energy.