Is Your Diet Aging You?
Simple strategies to keep you young, inside and out.
By Gina Shaw
WebMD Feature
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD
Did you look in the mirror this
morning and think, "Wow, I look great!"? Or did you think, "When
did I get so old?"
If it was the latter, you might want
to take a look at your refrigerator, kitchen cupboard, and dinner table for one
of the culprits.
Aging happens to all of us, of course.
And there’s no way to put the brakes on it, no matter what the latest
"nutraceuticals" may claim. But an unhealthy diet can send your aging
process into overdrive and leave you looking years older than you really are.
And, it probably isn't doing the inside of your body any favors, either.
Quality
Counts
Timothy Harlan, assistant professor of
medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, a former restaurateur known
as "Dr. Gourmet," and author of Just Tell Me What to Eat!,
says, "There’s an incredible amount of evidence that says that eating junk
puts your body into an inflammatory state. Poor-quality foods, like trans fats,
cause inflammation -- and aging is basically a chronic inflammatory
state." Harlan asks: "Can you look older because you’re eating
crap?" And he answers: "Absolutely."
For example, too much sugar and
processed carbohydrates in the diet can lead to the production of what are
called AGEs -- advanced glycation end products. "These are associated with
a number of diseases, like heart disease and
diabetes,” says Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD, a nutrition policy consultant for the
California Center for Public Health Advocacy. What's more, she says, "they
also damage the collagen and fibers of your skin."
But it's not just your looks that are
on the line. Eating more than you should of foods that ramp up inflammation --
or that clog your arteries or pack on extra pounds -- can be bad news, from
head to toe.
Foods to Limit
1.
Potato chips
and French fries. Anything that’s
deep-fried in oil is laden with trans fats, which contribute to inflammation
throughout your body. According to the American Heart Association, you should
keep trans fats to less than 1% of your daily diet.
2.
Doughnuts
and sugary pastries. These
pack a multiple whammy. Often they’re high in trans fats and, of course,
they’re packed with sugar, which is also linked to inflammation. And they
produce those wrinkle-generating AGEs Giancoli talks about.
3.
Hot dogs,
bacon, and pepperoni -- any
processed meats. Sad to say, the meats on your favorite home-delivery pizza and
ballpark dogs aren’t doing you any favors. They’re high in saturated fats and
also contain nitrates, both of which contribute to the inflammatory process.
4.
Less-than-lean
red meats. The key with meat is to keep it lean to
minimize saturated fats, which are big producers of inflammation and no friend
of your arteries. The USDA's 2010 dietary guidelines recommend eating a variety
of protein foods,
including lean meats. The American Heart Association suggests that you keep
saturated fats from all sources (not just red meat) to less than 7% of your
daily calorie intake.
5.
Alcohol. This is a tough one: Some alcohol
may be good for you, but too much can absolutely age you prematurely.
"Research says there’s a sweet spot for alcohol," Harlan says. That’s
one drink per day for women (such as a 5-ounce glass of wine or 12-ounce glass
of beer) and two for men. If you drink, on average, one or two alcoholic drinks
per day, that may be good for your heart. More than that and you may be revving
the aging process and its associated diseases such as liver
disease and certain cancers. If you don't drink, health experts don't advise
you to start. And if you do drink, talk to your doctor to make sure your
drinking is in line with your particular health concerns.
More importantly, Harlan says, eating
a diet rich in high-quality foods can reduce inflammation and help
keep you looking your best. "It’s very clear that following a
Mediterranean-style diet reduces the risk of a number of illnesses associated
with aging, like cancer,
Alzheimer’s, and heart disease."
Foods
to Favor
Harlan and Giancoli are both reluctant
to pick out a list of "superfoods" that help to keep you looking
young and healthy.
"There are people who have these
theories that foods that are very high in antioxidants somehow slow the aging
process. And there is some scant evidence of that in animal models,"
Harlan says. "But don’t just pick out a few foods and focus on them. The
minute you start talking about individual foods, people lose sight of the big
picture."
So stay away from fad diets that
are all about salmon and acai berries,
he says. "I want you to eat lots of broccoli and sweet potatoes and salmon
and chickpeas and good-quality chicken. Eat a healthy variety of
foods and that will keep you looking your best."
That's not just one opinion. In
general, many sources are now saying that a traditional Mediterranean style
diet -- rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean
protein -- is your best option for overall health.
Another important factor, Giancoli
adds, is eating wholefoods, closest to their natural state as possible.
"Don’t just eat plants; eat them pretty close to how they were when they
came out of the ground or off the tree," she says.
So instead of "superfoods,"
here’s a list of five foods that are key elements of the Mediterranean diet and
are examples of the kinds of foods you need to be getting more
of.
1.
Romaine
lettuce. Plain old Romaine salad is high in
vitamins A and C, antioxidant vitamins that help battle inflammation. Other
dark leafy greens that should be on your list include broccoli, spinach,
arugula, watercress, escarole, and endive.
2.
Tomatoes. Along with watermelon, grapefruit, guavas,
asparagus, and red cabbage, tomatoes are particularly high in the antioxidant
lycopene.
3.
Salmon. As with other marine fish such as tuna and herring,
salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation.
4.
Lentils. Beans are one of Harlan’s favorite sources of
protein and are loaded with fiber and antioxidant vitamins. Try black beans,
split peas, limas, pintos, and even fat-free refried beans. "Your skin is
essentially made of protein, so if you don’t get enough healthy protein in your
diet, your skin will reflect that," Giancoli says. "Along with fish,
beans are a great way to get it."
5.
Oatmeal. Studies have found that whole grains such as
oatmeal, whole wheat breads and pastas, brown rice, couscous, and quinoa help
to reduce inflammation. "These also have B vitamins in them, like thiamine
and riboflavin, which are important for skin as well," Giancoli says.
"Deficiencies in them cause rashes and
scaly skin appearance."
And you have to keep eating healthy to
stay looking good. "Skin sloughs off all the time, so you need regular
incoming doses of vitamins, nutrients, plant chemicals that we call
phytonutrients, healthy fats, and proteins," Giancoli says. "If
you’re not getting enough of the good stuff on a regular basis, you won’t be
able to produce healthy new skin cells in the way that you should."
If you eat a diet like this, will you
look better in the mirror? "That depends," Harlan says. "I
looked pretty ugly in the mirror before! But if you eat healthy, you are
absolutely going to look better."
