Super Foods Part 2

6 Anti-Aging Foods and Drinks

Red Wine - Although I am not a wine drinker, it's impossible to ignore the benefits that consuming a glass of wine a day could have for you. Red wine is full of antioxidants and in certain wines such as pinot noir, they contain high amounts of Resveratrol which is found in the skins of grapes. Recently Resveratrol has undergone a lot of testing to see if extends the lifespan of mice who eat a junk food diet, becauase it's thought that the Resveratrol compound mimics some of the effects of calorie restriction. Resveratrol showed remarkable protection against the damaging effects of consuming a bad diet, and many people had rushed out to buy resveratrol supplements based on that study. Later came another study showing that Resveratrol failed to extend the lifespan significantly for mice that consumed a regular diet and were not obese, but it did confer some protection against aging damage, and there was an increase in lifespan when low dose resveratrol was combined with a mild level of calorie restriction. The amount of resveratrol that you will get from red wine is not anywhere near the amount given to mice in these studies, but there is a significant amount of evidence showing that drinking red wine, at least a glass a day, is very beneficial for your health. Studies have shown that Red Wine might protect you from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other age related diseases.

Tomatoes - These are one of my favourite fruits. I grow my own tomatoes now, usually the small cherry tomatoes, sweet million variety, and they have such a delicous sweet taste that I have never experienced from store bought tomatoes, so I enjoy them everyday during the summer months. They are easy to grow and maintain also so I highly recommend that rather than spending money buying tomatoes, you should really consider growing your own this year. It's best to start very soon by sowing the seeds indoors and then take them outdoors when there is no danger of the plants dying. So why do I consider this one of the best foods? Well it's low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals. It also contains something called lycopene which is beneficial in helping prevent cancers like prostate cancer, and there is evidence that adding green tea and broccoli to the diet of men could lower mens risk of this disease even further. As for anti aging benefits, lycopene is a strong antioxidant and there was one study had shown that the lycopene gives people better protection from sun damage, and that it boosts levels of procollagen in the skin so that your skin stays youthful for longer. Tomatoes also contain a significant amount of vitamin K which could also help keep your bones stronger. I recommend that men consume plenty of tomatoes for prostate health. Remember to cook the tomatoes, use tomato paste, or tomato sauce, as these have higher bioavailability. Make sure that you consume tomatoes with a little fat to help absorption also.

Nuts - Nuts are very good for your health and might help you live longer. Almonds contain significant amount of vitamin E, Magnesium and Monounsaturated fat. Almonds have been shown to protect again various diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and also help you lose weight and protect from the problems that come with that excess weight. Walnuts are also very healthy for you as they contain many minerals, one of the highest being Magneisum. Walnuts are also a good source of ALA which is converted to DHA/EPA, these are found in fish and are benfeicial for lowering inflammation and protecting against depression, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many other diseases. Include just a handful of nuts in your diet everyday, you can mix them with fruit, put in your oatmeal, or as I do you can put them into a yogurt. Also eating nuts on a daily could extend your life by upto 3 years according to one study on seventh day adventists in California.