These healthy, delicious foods are super-charged with important nutrients to help you live longer, and healthier and beat aging.
Add the following seven super foods to your shopping cart and you just might unlock the key to longevity. Sue Moores, MS, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, explains how these foods delay the onset of aging and the risk of age-related disease.
Yogurt
Dairy is often difficult to digest, but gentler yogurt is an easy way to get the calcium you need -- and more. One serving a day delivers a dose of healthy probiotics -- "good" bacteria that helps promote a balanced intestinal environment. "As we age," Moores says, "we can lose bacteria in our intestine, making it more difficult to prevent digestive diseases." The probiotics found in yogurt, namely acidophilus, serve as a natural defense against potentially harmful organisms. But all yogurt is not created equal: Read the container's nutrition label to ensure that the brand you choose contains active cultures.
Serving size: 1 cupCalorie
Count: 138Quick
Tip: Opt for plain, lower-fat yogurt, because the flavored varieties frequently contain added sugar.
Salmon
As the anti-aging ambassador of marine cuisine, salmon has omega-3 fatty acids, essential fats that reduce inflammation in the body, warding off a laundry list of age-related ailments: arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more. Plus, "fish is brain food," proclaims Moores. Its oils have been shown to strengthen memory performance and decrease the slowing of mental faculties as we get older.
Serving size: 3-4 ouncesCalorie
Count: about 150Quick
Tip: Toss canned salmon over salad as you would with tuna.
Blueberries
For a fruit that is often marginalized to muffins, we are sorely overlooking this power berry. Blueberries are another essential "brain food," because they consist of loads of phytonutrients, or plant chemicals, recently touted for their role in preventing age-related neurological disorders. Moores advises, however, to head straight to the source -- consuming dietary supplements in place of the pure berry is not guaranteed to provide you with as many of its benefits, not to mention the fruit's tasty pleasures!
Serving size: 1/2 cupCalorie
Count: 40Quick
Tip: You can profit from blueberries year-round: There is no significant difference in the nutritional content of fresh, dried, or frozen berries.
Flax Seed
It has been estimated that 30 to 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone, and flax is the gastronomic superstar of deterrence. The seed also promotes youthful, supple skin because of its high concentration of oils that, like salmon's omega-3s, lower the amount of inflammation in the body.
Serving size: 2 tablespoonsCalorie
Count: 118Quick
Tip: Sprinkle your daily serving of ground flax over cereal or oatmeal for an easy breakfast supplements.
Quinoa
"We tend not to eat as much when we consume foods that are high in fiber," says Moores, because they fill us up with fewer calories. The result? Consistently ingesting less helps us maintain a healthy weight and decreases our chances of developing diabetes. Light and fluffy quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has the dynamite nutritional content of the healthiest grains, but it is actually a plant seed, and it's jam-packed with protein, iron, B vitamins, and minerals, too. Serving size: 1/4 cup Calorie
Count: about 159 Quick
Tip: Instead of cooking quinoa in water, use low-sodium vegetable broth -- it will impart a rich flavor without adding fat.
Kale
Although often passed over in favor of its cousin cabbage, kale's crisp, dark leaves are bursting with micronutrients, potassium, and carotenoids, all essential for lowering risks of heart disease and even cataracts. Low-calorie kale is also calcium-rich, and its high concentration of vitamin A has been linked with a reduced incidence of cancer.
Serving size: 1 hearty cupCalorie
Count: about 34Quick
Tip: Combine steamed kale with something sweet, such as lightly sauteed onions, to offset its slightly bitter taste.
Red Beans
All beans are gold mines of age-defying nutrients, but research shows that red beans hoard the greatest amount of antioxidants -- key components in the quest for prolonged youth. These substances, such as vitamins D, E, and A, are believed to repair damaged cells in the body, and in doing so might avert the development of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, and cancer. Red beans are also packed with another longevity champion -- folic acid -- a dementia preventative. Serving size: 1/2 cupCalorie
Count: 310Quick
Tip: Opt for dried beans to get the most out of this legume; canned beans often contain too much salt.
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