You've probably heard that you are what you eat and according to Dr. Steven Masley, the author of Ten Years Younger Diet, (Broadway Books, 2007) what you eat can make you look and feel younger.
Adding the right foods is more important than cutting out unhealthy choices, Masley writes. But which foods do you add? In the following excerpt, Masley reveals 16 items to add to your grocery list for a younger you.
The sweet 16 vitality foods
1. Green Leafy Vegetables. For every serving (1 cup) of green leafy vegetables you add to your daily diet, you cut your risk of a cardiovascular event by 25 percent. That means just 2 more cups daily of green leafy vegetables should slash your risk for a stroke or heart attack nearly in half. That's a powerful change with very little effort. Greens are also loaded with calcium, fiber, and folic acid, as well as a host of cancer-preventing plant pigments. Spinach, dark green lettuce, broccoli, collard greens, bok choy, and kale are just a few of the greens you can choose from. You should aim to enjoy at least 2 cups of green leafy veggies every day.
2. Lean, not mean, protein. Seafood, chicken and turkey breast, beans and soy, and nonfat dairy products are excellent lean protein sources. While chicken and turkey may not contain many anti-aging compounds, eating more of them does suppress hunger and makes it easier to feel satisfied on fewer calories. If you include healthy protein with each meal, you'll minimize surges in blood sugar levels, too. For weight control, I encourage you to enjoy 20 to 30 percent of your calories from healthy, lean protein sources.
By contrast, mean proteins include fatty dairy products (such as 2 percent milk, with 35 percent of calories from fat), most red meats, sausage, and dark meat poultry, which are loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat.
Boosting brain function
3. Seafood. Studies show that there are many anti-aging benefits from eating seafood. In fact, fish consumption can actually lower risk of death, as well as reduce irregular heartbeat, blood stickiness, and triglycerides. Seafood consumption can also improve blood sugar regulation, boost brain function, and decrease inflammation in people with inflammatory bowel disease or rheumatoid arthritis. Pass the fish, please!
4. Beans and legumes. One-half to 1 cup of beans daily lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) by 5 percent while raising your healthy cholesterol (HDL) 2 to 3 percent. Beans also suppress hunger and help to stabilize blood sugar levels, and are loaded with cancer-fighting compounds. Yes, they're known as the "musical fruit," but studies have shown that if you eat beans daily for a month, gas production drops. It is best to begin by consuming them in small quantities every day (say 1⁄4cup) and gradually increase portions over time.
There are dozens of different types, and you can enjoy them as a side dish or add them to soups, salads, rice, and pasta dishes. If you don't have the time to soak and cook dry beans, canned beans will make your life easier; just rinse them well before eating, to wash away any extra salt and sugar that might be packed in the can.
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 | Excerpted from Ten Years Younger by Steven Masley, M.D. Copyright © 2007 by Steven Masley, M.D.. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. |
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