Berries or Botox? Why I eat berries and broccoli every single day?
What you eat (and don't eat) can reduce signs of aging. What you eat and don’t eat can make a difference to your overall health.
Eating the right food can fight signs of ageing and negate the need for Botox!! A lot cheaper that’s for sure. . Not only does it cost less, but healthy food boosts your overall health as well.
Your skin's two major proteins, collagen and elastin, age over time.
Over time free radicals from oxidative stress like pollution, smoking, toxins increase cell damage such as skin damage and our skin ages. These free radical molecules damage these two proteins, which causes structural and functional alternations in your skin cells. Then sun rays, smoking and eating an unhealthy diet generate additional free radical molecules that further damage your skin.
Needless to say this all, makes our skin frail and more wrinkles!!!
What to do instead of Botox!
- Pump up the vitamin C; Vitamin C is not only an antioxidant to fight free radicals, but also helps make collagen. All the research is telling us to increase this C from foods to give us a much better complexion .
- Eat more: Head to the produce aisle for vitamin C. Red and green capsicum, broccoli, vegetable juice, strawberries, citrus fruit and kiwis are all vitamin C powerhouses.
- Eat less sugary foods; A diet lower in added sugars and refined carbohydrates may help the skin look more youthful. By contrast, "a high-sugar diet can damage collagen and elastin fibres, causing them to lose their elasticity, leading to more wrinkles and sagging skin," Farris says.
Foods High in Antioxidants to Eat More Often?
There's been a lot of buzz about antioxidants in recent decades. Antioxidants benefit you by helping prevent or delay certain types of cell damage. They counteract oxidative stress caused by free radicals, stable molecules created by exposure to pollution, smoking, toxins and excessive exercise.
This type of stress plays a role in a variety of diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and age-related conditions. An added bonus of eating more antioxidant-rich foods, is that they will make you look younger…by protecting your skin from free radical damage, helping your skin look more youthful and radiant, and perhaps reverse a little ageing.
How Do Antioxidants Protect Us?
They counteract the damage and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
There are thousands of antioxidants. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of substances that can act as antioxidants.
The best and highest sources of antioxidants to include in your diet.
Blueberries : Blueberries, in particular, are the most antioxidant-rich fruits and are high in anthocyanins, which are in the fruit's skin and are responsible for its blue hue. Linked to lower blood pressure, improved vision, reduced cancer cell growth and lower rates of diabetes and heart disease, they also thought to be anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. with 9,019 total antioxidant capacity per cup. Anthocyanins account for up to 60 percent of all the total polyphenol antioxidants in ripe blueberries, and the ripper the better. One cup of blueberries also contains 16 percent of the DV for vitamin C (a common, potent antioxidant) and 6 percent of the DV for vitamin E (another antioxidant).
Pomegranate: This little red fruit packs a punch when it comes to getting your daily vitamins. Half a pomegranate provides 16 to 19 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Vitamin C is an underestimated antioxidant that aids in the synthesis of collagen and neurotransmitters, and it also assists in protein metabolism. Trace minerals are present in small amounts as well. By eating half of a pomegranate, you'll get about 7 percent of your daily requirement of phosphorous and potassium. Phosphorous helps your body filter waste and repair cells and tissues; potassium is needed for healthy blood pressure, fluid balance, muscular contractions, nerve impulses, heart rhythms and digestion.
Research reviews say that pomegranate and its active compounds affect signalling pathways involved in inflammation, cell changes, and tumor growth and spread. Which means they play a very promising role is cancers The concentrated sources of pomegranate, such as juice and extracts, are touted as more powerful than the whole fruit.
Broccoli: There is a reason why I eat broccoli every single day. This green cruciferous vegetable acts as a methylation adaptogen and is high is antioxidants. This methylation cycle affects everything, from neurological health to preventing cancer, boosting immunity, and even mood stabilisation. Berries, lentils, citrus fruits, green tea and broccoli and other cruciferous are the bomb. Broccoli contains many vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Broccoli’s benefits include helping reduce inflammation, keeping blood sugar stable, and strengthening the immune system.
The Health Benefits of Green Tea : From fighting cancer to improving brain function, green tea is associated with a gamut of good-for-you health advantages. Green tea is a rich source of flavonoids, an antioxidant — aka bioactive compounds found in plants — that can combat oxidative stress and relieve inflammation. It is tied to decreasing heart disease and combats oxidative stress and relieving inflammation an d hence decreasing risk factors for heart disease cancers and ageing.
Green Tea May Aid in Weight Loss: If you're trying to shed some pounds, adding green tea to your daily routine may help you win the battle of the bulge. Not only is there a little caffeine in green tea, tbut the compounds in the tea may also increase fatty acid breakdown, says Langevin. Case in point, the same 2013 study published in the Journal of Research in Medical Sciences also found that ingesting four cups of green tea per day decreased body weight and waist circumference.
Apples: Apples in general may increase your collagen production but red delicious appear to have more antioxidants than others apples. An apple a day keeps the doctor away is a saying with some merit after all.
Tip | When you can, leave the peel on your apple: According to the study, polyphenols were five times more abundant in the apple skin than in the flesh.
Sweet Cherries: Cherries are high in flavonoids that can help protect against oxidative stress, inflammation. This sweet fruit also contains melatonin. Although melatonin is most commonly known as a sleep hormone, it has powerful antioxidant properties with anti-inflammatory effects,
Ways to Get More Antioxidants
Add Fruits and Vegetables to Every Meal - “Build upon your meals”
Deep-coloured fruits and vegetables — such as berries, apples, plums, tomatoes, carrots and broccoli — are packed with antioxidants that are linked to protecting cells against heart disease and certain cancers. Eat a minimum of 2 fruits per day. Start by adding berries and banana to your smoothies or açai bowls; build your lunch around a salad with a lean protein; add extra veggies to all dinners, carrot aand broccoli into a stir-fry at dinner to achieve an antioxidant-rich day.
Sip on Green Tea or better yet a matcha latte or smoothie
Green tea contains different types of antioxidants called catechins. Green tea is more beneficial when it's freshly brewed, as decaffeinated, instant and bottled teas generally have less antioxidants.
Make Dark Chocolate Your Dessert of Choice
The darker the chocolate the higher it is in antioxidants called flavonoids which give it that dark colour. Try pairing fresh berries with dark chocolate for an antioxidant-powered snack that's a crowd-pleaser.
Choose Red Wine Over White
Compared to green grapes, red grapes contain more antioxidants, which are found in the skin of dark red and red wine contains resveratrol and a group of antioxidants called anthocyanins. So, that's not an excuse to down the whole bottle. Women over the age of 21 should stick to no more than one glass a day while men over 21 shouldn't have more than two glasses, And if you don't drink, there's no need to start to reap the health benefits — simply snack on a bunch of dark red- or purple-skinned grapes instead!