9 Foods to Fight Signs of Aging

9 Foods to Fight Signs of Aging

Maintaining a nourishing lifestyle and eating well isn't only good for your internal organs-it's also beneficial for your skin! Here are nine wrinkle-fighting foods that can help you achieve a youthful glow.

1. Leafy green vegetables like spinach are beneficial because they are full of lutein, which provides your skin with an essential antioxidant mechanism by maintaining skin hydration and elasticity. Ideally, you should eat about 10mg daily, which is about 4oz of this vegetable.

2. Another food full of antioxidants that will help fight wrinkles is the bean. Among the different kinds, red beans are the best because they have the most antioxidants which help replace deteriorated collagen of the skin.

3. Another vegetable full of antioxidants and lycopene are tomatoes. Lycopene reduces the risk of developing cancer and happens to be more potent than Vitamin E supplements, which are often used to help the skin stay healthy.

4. It's okay if you're not into vegetables! Turkey is another wrinkle fighting food; turkey helps avert wrinkles because it is full of Vitamin B. It also has protein that slows the process in the skin known as cross-linking. So don't hold off until Thanksgiving to add this wrinkle fighter to your diet!

5. Goji berries are good for your skin because they are rich in Vitamin C, which helps combat skin destroying free radicals and boosts the production of collagen. Believe it or not, Goji berries have 500 times more Vitamin C per ounce than what you get from an orange. They also have antioxidants such as Vitamins B1, B2, B6 and E as well as linoleic acid, an essential fat that plumps up the skin making it look smoother and more youthful.

6. Full of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, flaxseed is another food to add to your diet. The more you eat, the fatter your skin cells will be thus camouflaging those wrinkles. Flaxseed is easy to add to dishes like cookies, breads, and smoothies.

7. The last vegetable on our list, beetroot, helps avert wrinkles and it's low in calories and high in fiber. This vegetable helps boost collagen production because it has a pigment called anthocyanin and also contains antioxidants. Consider currying, boiling, roasting, or pickling beetroot.

8. Chocolate. Don't you love it when chocolate makes the list?! Most of us see chocolate simply as a decadent snack or dessert, but few of us know it contains polyphenol, a substance that rids the body of the active oxygen that causes aging. Chocolate also protects us against one of the leading causes of skin aging-UV damage.

9. Salmon, just like flaxseed, has omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation and help lubricate the skin, keeping dried out skin and blemishes at bay. Essential fatty acids are essential for skin smoothness and younger-looking skin.

Many other foods play a role in preventing wrinkles and minimizing the effects of aging. Other guidelines for keeping your skin and your body healthy, like drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day and getting regular exercise are always good to follow. You may consider talking with a nutritionist or your doctor to uncover additional wrinkle-fighting foods to add to your diet.