Age gracefully

Feeling and looking young is more within your control than you think. Much of what we’ve assumed are the inevitable consequences of aging – wrinkles, memory loss, an escalating risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer – results more from the lifestyle choices we make than from the natural aging process. And out dietary choices are just as important as using sunscreen, getting exercise and other preventative tactics.

Using nutrition to help a natural and healthy aging process with disease prevention is about several factors. These all cover a support for the body’s processes of renewal, repair and damage protection and a limitation of degeneration, cell damage and the DNA mutations that stop cells replicating correctly and that can be a cancer risk.

Our aim is to support renewal whilst reducing degeneration – we cannot fully stop the ravages of time, but we can help your body to function to its full capacity.

These days we tend to suffer from degenerative diseases that are product of the times in which we live. Previous generations would have worried more about infectious disease such as scarlet fever, TB or cholera, whilst we live longer and now suffer the ravages of degenerative conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease.

The ability to renew can have a positive effect on the more obvious signs of aging, like wrinkles caused by poor hydration and lack of essential fats and hair loss caused by poor protein digestion and low B vitamins.

Here are some top nutrition and lifestyle tips to help you age gracefully and in style:

Eat your green, reds, yellows, purples, oranges….people who consume diets loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables have lower disease rates, more energy and less risk for weight gain (which can lead to health problems) than those who skip these foods, according to numerous studies published over the years. Recent research has supported that we should be aiming for 8-10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, not as daunting as you think if you snack on fruit, raw veg and home-made soups and add a bit more veg to breakfasts and lunch. Try to go heavier on the veg as fruit can be high in sugar…..

Avoid sugar and foods containing sugar – it quickly ages tissues by damaging DNA and causing inflammation.

Fibre-rich foods lower a person’s risk for developing age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and hypertension. Sources include beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas.

Omega 3 fatty acids in oily fish like salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines actively reduce inflammation, a major cause of ageing and degenerative disease.

Keep hydrated – if you have been very dehydrates up until now, build up slowly to fluids, aiming for 2 litres of total fluid per day.

Digestive health is at the root of good detoxification, absorption and reducing inflammatory reactions – increase prebiotics foods to help to feed probiotics, the beneficial bacteria in the gut and include chicory, onions, leeks, garlic, beetroot, cabbage and Jerusalem artichoke. Sauerkraut, lemon, ginger and peppermint tea all help to increase digestive juices. Cinnamon, cloves, garlic, rosemary, oregano and turmeric all have antibacterial properties and can help keep the gut clean of unwanted problems.