Age Defying Foods
This May, our focus at Performance Institute is on exploring the most effective age-defying strategies. It's important to clarify that we're not against aging; rather, we aim to empower people to maintain a youthful and vibrant sense of well-being, regardless of their chronological age. We want to help people increase their healthspan – that is the number of years they are healthy, inspired by life, independent and capable of doing the majority of the things they still want to do.
In my previous post, I delved into the transformative impact of strength training as a powerful strategy to enhance healthspan.
Today, let's shift our focus to the foundational foods that should feature prominently in your meals if you're committed to optimizing your health for as long as possible. (As a side note, if your current goal is body recomposition — shedding body fat while preserving or gaining lean muscle — these foods are equally beneficial for you!)
This will be a 2 part series. The first part will focus on foods that are already a major fixture in the Ramsbottom household routine. Make sure you check out the video if you want to find out exactly HOW we incorporate the following foods into our diet several times/wk. The second part of the series will focus on foods that currently only eat occasionally, and I’ll share with you how we’ll actually go about incorporating them consistently in the future.
Health and HealthSpan Promoting Foods:
Cruciferous Vegetables (i.e. broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, collard greens, turnips) Populations that eat the most Cruciferous vegetables have lower rates of cancer and heart disease. These vegetables are rich in sulforaphane, which has been linked to better blood sugar control, reduced inflammation and blood pressure, and potential protection against UV-induced skin damage.
Blueberries: These delicious antioxidant powerhouses are both vaso-protective and anti-inflammatory which promote healthy blood glucose, sugar, and metabolic functions. Blueberries also help reduce the effects of aging on vision and cognition and population based studies have demonstrated a relationship between blueberry consumption and slower cognitive decline in older women. Other studies have suggested that blueberries can also improve a person’s motor coordination and short term memory
Leafy Green Vegetables: Among all of the different types of vegetables, green leafy vegetables have been proposed as having the strongest protective relations against cognitive decline. A 2018 study found that 1-2 daily servings of leafy green vegetables were mentally younger than those who rarely consumed them. Try adding any of the following green leafy vegetables in salads, stir fries or shakes. Think of 1 serving as being equivalent to the size of your fist.
Nuts and Seeds: Regular consumption is associated with reduced cognitive decline and protection of muscle tissue with age. Studies have shown that nut eaters have lower risks of heart disease and certain cancers. Nuts like almonds and seeds such as pumpkin seeds are rich in Vitamin E, crucial for skin health and UV protection, while others like walnuts, chia, and flaxseeds offer Omega-3 fats beneficial for both skin and brain health. Enjoy nuts and seeds on their own or pair them with a piece of fruit, as a snack, toss some nuts or seeds on your salads, sprinkle them on/in yogurt or oatmeal or add them to your shakes.
Sweet Potatoes: are also thought to be a potent longevity promoting food thanks to them being an excellent source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C and E. Together these help promote skin cell turnover, aiding skin elasticity as well as supporting healthy vision. Both orange and purple sweet potatoes are thought to have many health benefits. In our household, sweet potatoes are our preferred carb mostly because in addition to their health benefits, they are super easy to cook and they taste great. On Sundays, we will often cook up several large ones either in the oven or microwave and use them as a base of our lunches throughout the week. Left overs are also delicious pan fried in a little olive oil and sprinkle of salt to make quick “home fries or hash browns”
Stay tuned in future weeks for the second part of this post that features other age defying foods that are not as prominent in the Ramsbottom household and find out the strategies I’ll be using to get them into our regular meal and snack rotation.
Interested in getting help with your nutrition?
Consider Nutrition Coaching or get on our twice annual Drop 2 Sizes waitlist. Contact us info@pitraining.ca or call 604-291-9941.
