8 Anti-Aging Foods For That Natural Summer Glow

The $532 billion dollar beauty industry continues to grow, promising quick fixes to the signs of aging in a bottle. But more women are increasingly searching for alternatives to maintain their natural beauty organically. 

The reality is that beauty starts from within. As a board-certified holistic nutritionist and certified fitness coach, specializing in sculpting bodies without surgery, I believe a proper diet is the best investment a woman can make for herself. The secret is, you can rejuvenate your body and your skin by transitioning to a healthy, active lifestyle, which includes eating disease-fighting foods.

Morphing Your Body into a Younger You

Scientifically, aging is considered the slow oxidation of our bodies. The human body contains billions of cells, and unfortunately, when the cell begins to die, your body deteriorates from the inside out. Signs of this process are both cognitive and physical, internal and external. Your body begins to feel the symptoms of organs breaking down, you experience loss of memory, and your skin begins to reflect signs of aging and discoloration. 

Aging is considered the slow oxidation of our bodies.

The question is, how do we slow down oxidation and keep our cells thriving? Water. By hydrating your body with water and digesting nutritional foods, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, fiber, and youth-preserving compounds like nitric oxide, you can provide your body with all the elements it needs to thrive. 

Each of the colorful foods on this list is packed with one or more of these benefits.

The Better Berries! 

Berries are a cancer-fighting food, an immune booster, and a guard for the liver and brain. They’re also known to reduce exercise-induced inflammation. Berries are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as an age-defying antioxidant called anthocyanin, which gives berries their deep, beautiful color and health benefits. These may help protect the skin from damage due to the sun, stress, and pollution by moderating the inflammatory response. 

Quick Tip: You can blend berries in a morning smoothie or fruit bowl.  A personal favorite is adding berries to my oatmeal for breakfast.

Walnuts, the Waistline Shrinker

Walnuts have the highest levels of antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids compared to other nuts, and they beat out other nuts in suppressing cancer cell growth. Researchers found walnuts particularly linked to preventing cancer deaths. People who ate more than three servings of walnuts per week appeared to cut their risk of dying from cancer in half! 

When you eat walnuts, you burn more of your own fat.

Walnuts promote a healthy gut, boost metabolism, and support weight control. When you eat nuts, you burn more of your own fat. Studies have proven that while control-diet subjects were burning about 20 grams of fatty tissue within an eight-hour period, a group eating the same number of calories and fat, but with walnuts included in their diet, burned about 11 more grams of fat than the control group. 

Quick Tip: Add 1/4 cup of walnuts as a daily snack, and your body will be re-energized and sculpted. 

Papaya Lover

This delicious superfood is rich with a variety of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It improves skin elasticity and minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Papaya contains vitamins A, C, K, and E, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. The wide range of antioxidants in papaya help to fight free radical damage and delay aging. 

Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, one of nature’s best anti-inflammatory agents.

Papaya also contains an enzyme called papain, which provides additional anti-aging benefits by working as one of nature’s best anti-inflammatory agents. It’s also found in many exfoliating products. So yes, eating papaya (or using products containing papain) helps your body shed dead skin cells, leaving you with a glowing, vibrant complexion! 

Quick Tip: One papaya a week can be added to smoothies or salads, or used in a facemask. The combinations are endless!

Organic Nettle Leaf, the Lifesaver

As a superb green food, nettle leaves are rich in chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals, protein, and amino acids and support the alkalinity of the body. If you look at their mineral content compared to other healthy foods, like spinach and kale, nettle surpasses them. Nettle also provides significant doses of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and silica. One cup of super-infused nettle leaf tea offers about 500mg of bone-building calcium in a highly bioavailable form. 

One cup of super-infused nettle leaf tea offers about 500mg of calcium. 

Some additional benefits include diuretic properties (Be aware, you will pee...a lot), a gentle kidney cleanser, and a mild antihistamine. They help you eliminate uric acid, which relieves gout. You can also enjoy this true food herb as a sprinkle in broths and soups. Nettle can also be found in powder form, in capsules, or smoothies. This herb does well as an infusion or decoction. 

Quick Tip: Anywhere from one teaspoon to a full ounce of organic nettle tea can be taken daily to gain all the benefits. There are many options online for where to order. 

The Green Giant

Greens are considered one of the healthiest food groups that can prolong your lifespan. The minerals that the body gains from eating greens include calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. Greens provide anti-inflammatory benefits which help to prevent strokes, diabetes, depression, and heart disease. These giant plants also allow the body to enrich itself with vitamins, such as folate and antioxidants. 

Green leafy vegetables also help the body process plant-based nitrates. In order to have the proper balance of nitrate, a plant-based diet is highly recommended. Nitric oxide is formed from plant-based nitrate, which plays an important role in the prevention of heart disease and high blood pressure. Greens are high in fat-soluble nutrients and are alkaline-forming, which helps to protect muscle mass and reduce the risk of gout and kidney stones. 

Eating greens helps to prevent strokes, diabetes, depression, and heart disease.

High consumption of this dark greenery is also linked to lower rates of cognitive decline. The high consumption of produce helps with increased physical attractiveness, reduced facial wrinkling, improved dental health, stronger immune system, and reduced free radical DNA damage. Don’t miss out on the rewards of eating your greens!

Quick Tip: A mix of cooked and raw vegetables is the easiest way to gain all the nutrients. Smoothies are also a great way to get all of the advantages they have to offer. However, make sure to drink whole food smoothies (not made from juice), and it’s better to use a straw to prevent enamel erosion. You can find affordable greens at nearby farmers markets.

Load Up on Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which gives the body "good" fats that have been shown to naturally have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omegas, along with lignans and soluble/insoluble fiber. Flaxseed contains 75 to 800 times more lignans than other plant foods. This incredible seed also helps with estrogen levels and possesses antioxidant qualities. Integrate flaxseed into your diet, and your body will thank you. 

Flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Quick Tip: I heartily recommend 1 serving of ground flaxseeds per day, which is a light, nutty powder that can be sprinkled on oatmeal, salads, soups, smoothies—just about anything you’re eating. You can even bake with flax without damaging the lignans or omega-3 fatty acids. 

Legumes

Legumes consumption gives the body advantages such as a slimmer waistline and lower blood pressure. A variety of beans can help regulate sugar, insulin levels, and cholesterol. Beans are stacked with fiber, folate, and phytates, which may help to reduce the risk of stroke, depression, and colon cancer. One of the most nutrient-dense legumes is lentils. This leguminous plant is the powerhouse of protein, iron, zinc, and potassium.  

Quick Tip: When lentils are sprouted, their antioxidant power doubles. Making lentil soup is my absolute favorite!

The Magical Mushroom

Mushrooms are the best fungi your body can digest. Mushrooms benefit your body with a high level of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, and by balancing your blood sugar. The magical qualities of these fungi help to support your brain health, cognition, and nervous system, as well as increase your stamina. There are about 14 thousand species of mushrooms for you to choose from. Don’t miss out on all the supernatural benefits from them!

There are about 14 thousand species of mushrooms.

Quick Tip: Avoid eating mushrooms raw; cooking makes the beneficial starches more digestible and usable to the body and inactivates potential toxins. Eat more tender and tasty mushrooms like shiitake and maitake in stir-fries and soups. Tougher reishi, chaga, and turkey tails can be simmered for a few hours to make broths, teas, or decoction tinctures. You can also use dried mushroom powders, which you can add to soups, broth, and stews, or take specially made capsules. 

Closing Thoughts

If a pill could do what these eight anti-aging power foods do, drug companies would be raking it in! There are all sorts of beauty trends and gimmicks that are constantly targeting women’s desire for instantly younger-looking skin, but with a heavy price. You can apply as many anti-wrinkle creams as you’d like, but the truth is applying a whole-body approach addresses the underlying patterns that cause the appearance of aging skin. The benefits that come along fill the human body with health, youth, and the freedom to have a limber frame, flat belly, and a stronger heart. Combine these colorful foods in your daily diet to rejuvenate yourself naturally!