Did you know the diet we incorporate into our daily lives affects the aging of cells? According to doctor Isabel Viña (@isabelvinabas on social media), what we eat everyday impacts on our health, but also on how fast our cells deteriorate. It’s true we sometimes feel the passage of time on our physical appearance or the energy, but this process starts way earlier in the inside of cells.
However, the most important thing is that an accurate diet is what can help us delay these changes and keep our organisms in better conditions for longer. So, let’s learn more about what food we should include in our diet, shall we?
Diet and cellular aging
Following a diet rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, legumes, and whole grains is closely related to a slower cellular aging. Studies show that healthy eating patterns, like the mediterranean or high fiber diets, are associated with a lower “epigenetic age.” This means that, when it comes to cellular aspects, the organism appears biologically younger than their actual age.
However, high added-sugar diets are related to a higher epigenetic age, which speeds up the deterioration of the cells. On the contrary, diets based on plants, including veganism, offer promising results to reduce this process.
An important point is polyphenols, which are natural compounds in certain foods that influence DNA methylation and help reduce cellular aging speed.
Foods high on polyphenols
Doctor Isabel Viña highlights several foods which are high on polyphenols that you should include on your diet:
- Green tea: this is one of the main recommended foods because, thanks to its high amount of polyphenols, it acts like antioxidants and protects DNA from any damage.
- Turmeric: it’s known for its curcuminoids, turmeric helps prevent or delay cellular aging.
- Berries: blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries are great because they contain antioxidants, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins, which protect the cells.
Beneficial herbs and vegetables
Apart from fruit, spices, and tea; herbs and vegetables also reinforce a diet focused on delaying cellular aging:
- Rosemary: when added to food, it gives you rosmarinic acid, which strengthens cellular protection.
- Garlic: thanks to its allicin, garlic is another key food for your cellular health.
- Broccoli: although this is not part of the previously mentioned study, doctor Viña highlights its importance having in mind other researches. These vegetables activate the NRF2 pathway genes, which are linked to less cellular aging.
Importance of diet
The connection between what we eat and cellular aging is closer than we might think: an accurate diet gives you compounds that protect and maintain your cells working efficiently. However, a diet rich in sugar and poor in vegetables, makes deterioration appear earlier.
So, the best thing to do is to include foods like green tea, turmeric, berries, rosemary, garlic, and broccoli to your daily routine. By doing this, you will see the difference in how we age inside.
So…
Caring for what we eat is a very powerful tool we have. Now that you know that the diet you do on a regular basis can influence your cellular aging, you’d better start trying this out, don’t you think so?
What’s more, you also know what foods you should include on your diet, so you already know how to improve your health and aging much slower with energy and wellbeing. Oh! One thing you should remember: exercise is also important for your health, so combining both a healthy food and exercising is the perfect combination to improve your outside and inside.
What are you waiting for? With patience and perseverance, your body will be grateful for the efforts you will be making.