With passage of time, all of us get worried about the effect of aging on our bodies. Although the aging can not be stopped or reversed it can be reduced significantly by eating certain foods. These food groups have the “strength” in helping you in loosing the weight and also in turning back the time.

It is not a great secret that eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps in losing weight since these are low in calories and high on the nutrition values. The recent studies carried out on the effects of fruits and vegetables have shown that many of these provide great anti-aging benefits.

Blueberries are known for their property of improving memory, but berries of different type have antioxidant properties. To explain in simple words it means that they are able to fight off free radicals. Free radicals are the molecules that cause widespread cell damage and also chronic inflammation. The inflammation caused due to the free radicals is irreversible and has been thought to be responsible for many other diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and many more. Eating berries will help you to slow down the process of aging. Berries are rich source of Vitamin C which helps in keeping the skin smooth.

For better eyesight, including dark leafy greens such as spinach is highly beneficial. The dark leafy green vegetables are a rich source of pigments lutein and zeaxanthin which are beneficial in protecting your eyes from the damaging effects of ultraviolet light. These vegetables are also Vitamin K rich which is important in reducing the rate of bone loss and also helps in preventing fractures.
Protein is another food group which becomes important with age. The muscle mass starts to drop every year which tends to slow down the metabolism significantly making it easier for the weight to increase. The consequence of this is that the increased weight increases health risk and reduced muscle mass tends to upset the balance. This results in decreased strength levels and slow reveries from illness and injuries.

To beat these effects, it is recommended that the consumption of skinless chicken and turkey, eggs, beans and seafood is increased. In case of being a vegetarian, you can rely on beans and dairy products which are low fat. Minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and potassium help in regulating blood pressure and help make bones stronger. It is important to remember that calcium by itself is not sufficient for bone health; it requires to be supplemented with protein for best results.

Omega fatty acids found in seafood are a great way to reduce the chronic inflammation. Recent research has shown that omega-3 fats which are obtained from fish are helpful in improving moods and attitude. If you are a vegetarian plant sources such as walnuts, flax-seed can be used to fulfill the daily needs of omega-3s.

Whole grain foods have been shown to help in controlling the weight as these are rich in fibre which helps in giving a feeling of fullness. They rank low on the glycemic index which is also beneficial. Eating foods rich in fibre helps in reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, stroke and blood pressure. They are also helpful in reducing gum diseases.

The best strategy to stay healthy and reduce the rate of anti-aging is regular exercising. An active person has well maintained muscle mass, good metabolism and also healthy heart and lungs. It has been found that running helps in encouraging a long life. People who tend to stay active have lesser chances of death due to heart disease, cancer, stroke and many neurological diseases. It is best to include strength training also in your exercise routine so as to maintain muscle strength.

Red wine is another well kept secret for anti-aging process. It is a strong anti-oxidant which helps in reducing inflammation and helps de-clog the arteries. Resveratol, a compound in red wine helps in fighting against the cell deaths in heart and brain and therefore can be a great way to prolong your life.

Coffee is also a great drink for lowering the the risk of type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. It has also been found that coffee lovers also have a lower risk of heart disease. Coffee is rich in anti-oxidants, chlorogenic acids which play a protective role against diseases.

Consuming tea is a great way to lower the risk of heart attack, strengthening of immune system, protecting the tooth enamel, and fighting the memory loss due to aging. Tea can be had in any of the forms; green, black, white, or oolong, since they all come form the leaves of camellia sinensis, or the tea plant.

Dark chocolate and nuts are a great way to reduce the aging process. Nuts have been shown to not promote weight gain even though they are calorie dense. This is because of the reasn that nuts are filling and people tend to eat less after consuming nuts.

Dark chocolate has cocoa flavanols which is believed to lower inflammation, keeping the blood pressure in control, averting platelets from coagulating and increasing brain energy.