I often get asked what I do to look younger than my age and while it’s a great compliment to hear, there’s no short answer to the question. For some, it’s genetics, but that’s not my case. So here’s a list I happen to follow to fight the aging process:
- Consume a lot of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and seeds
- Choose supplements carefully to prevent deficiencies (vitamin K2/D3, magnesium, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, etc). Most people are nutritionally deficient even if they eat healthy; and remember: Look for proof of cellular absorption and proof of performance.
- Avoid sugary foods and drinks—especially those carbonated drinks!
- Avoid trans fats
- Significantly reduce your intake of omega-6 foods, like corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil, margarine, sesame oil, mayonnaise and most salad dressings
- Consume more healthy fats, especially omega-3 fats, by consuming more walnuts, olives, olive oil, avocados, flax seed, chia seed, fatty fish, etc
- Reduce processed red meat such as sausages, salami, bacon, ham, hot dogs, etc
- Consume anti-aging foods like green leafy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale), blueberries, dark chocolate, salmon, walnuts, pomegranate, etc
- Avoid milk; it accelerates aging.
- Minimize alcohol
- Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water per day—that’s eight glasses per day. Drink it often, the more the better..
- Fast regularly. Eat within a 12-hour period, so your body can fast for 12 hours.
- Exercise moderately (ex: walking) for at least 20 minutes each day and intensely for at least an additional 20 minutes three times per week.
- Optimize your sleep. Make sure you sleep enough and go to bed around the same time each evening.
- Consider taking melatonin. Besides improving sleep, melatonin can also extend lifespan and slow down aging
- Slow down skin aging by protect your skin against the sun’s rays: (always wear strong sunscreen, and a hat when going outside in the sun)
- Brush and floss! Good oral health slows aging and reduces heart disease and Alzheimer’s
- Consider nutrition to treat health concerns instead of medication. People often underestimate the side effects of medication. Also, most medications treat the symptoms, not the root cause.
- Use high quality skincare (cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream, etc) but be aware that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on expensive skin care.
- Keep your protein up! Try to eat protein within an hour of waking up each day. We need more protein as we age and our bones need strong muscles to support them.
As always, if you need direction on any of these, just ask!
