The fountain of youth - right in front of us all this time!

In large part, your everyday lifestyle choices contribute to the way you age, and the rate at which your body ages. Diet,
environmental factors, exercise and the topical skincare products and skin care regimen you choose, all affect the way you are going to appear now and ten, twenty, and thirty years down the road. It's no surprise that lifestyle plays a pivotal
role in how one’s body and skin age over the years, since we've always known diet and exercise affect our energy levels, appearance, moods, and fitness level.

However, several key foods have been found to be very effective weapons -- not only against aging in general, but also against skin disorders ranging from acne, rosacea, thin skin, and photo aging (sun damage). These foods can even help reverse and repair sun and other environmental damage done to the skin. This powerful weapon is a group of chemical compounds called antioxidants. What they accomplish in high doses, along with adequate exercise, can mimic a surgical facelift over a relatively short period of time! Think about all of the damage your skin is
exposed to on a daily basis. It is your largest and most vulnerable organ, exposed to toxins and other damaging elements, like the sun, every day. These elements will actually accelerae the aging process by producing harmful compounds called free
radicals, which can damage cells, and in turn, damage the skin. Antioxidants actually fight free radicals, and reverse some of the damage already done by them in the body.

Precautions to be taken to prevent these nasty little free radicals from wreaking havoc on your skin include wearing sunscreen every day, getting regular, moderate exercise, using preventive skin care (cleansers, lotions, gels, creams, etc.:
l ) formulated with powerful antioxidants like Vitamin C and Alpha Lipoic Acid, and making sure you get an abundance of antioxidants in your everyday diet. Some examples of foods high
in antioxidants include berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.), citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, etc.), and vegetables rich in color, such as broccoli, zucchini, spinach, and summer squash.

While there are many foods to enjoy while living by the "anti-aging" diet, there are also foods that need to be either avoided all together, or strictly minimized. These are refined sugar, caffeine, and all starchy and white flour products. The
resulting surge of insulin created by these foods produces more free radicals and breaks down the cell's defenses against damaging elements, leaving you wide open to more skin damage (i.e., wrinkles, skin disorders, and other signs of premature aging).
These foods are highly inflammatory by nature, and while they may taste good going down, they are destroying good cells, and allowing for future damage by
weakening the cell's defenses further.

So, there you have it, some of the core concepts that will get you started minimizing and even reversing the affects of aging. What you do with these principles is up to you, it's just a matter of making some minor changes for a longer, happier
and healthier life.

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