The market is flooded with anti-aging news and products. Finding the fountain of youth has been a dream of men for centuries and scams have been around since the snake-oil salesmen. While there are still plenty of scams, significant strides HAVE been made in the anti aging nutrition field.
The basics still hold true: The RIGHT diet and plenty of exercise.
Studies have shown that certain foods and certain types of exercises work better on the aging body than others. Start with the basics here.
- Vitamins and supplements
- Which foods work faster?
- What is an antioxidant?
- Do I need hormone replacement therapy?
Anti aging nutritional products are based on the knowledge that one of the basic foundation blocks of health and healthy aging is good nutrition. Hardly a day goes by that we don't hear news telling us that a poor diet can lead to overweight, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or any of a long list of other ailments. The way to good health, we are told, is to eat well and get lots of exercise. Eating well means getting lots of whole foods - fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts - and limiting animal fat, hydrogenated fats, salt, sugar, and environmental pollutants. Eating well means a healthy body, a body that is resistant to the damage and deterioration seen with age.
Paying such close attention to diet is a tall order for many people. Most of us are busy and preoccupied with other things: putting together three nutritious meals a day just isn't an option. That's where anti aging nutritional products come in for those of us who want to add an anti aging aspect to our healthy eating plan. Indeed, some of these products do add an extra boost to nutrition by combining a number of ingredients known to combat the aging process in one supplement.
Anti aging nutritional products often contain a high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that mop up "free radicals" in the body, molecules produced during normal body functions that can cause cell damage and consequent aging. Knowledge about the role of free radicals in aging and disease processes, and about the protective nature of antioxidants, has blossomed in recent years. The main source of antioxidants in a normal diet has also been identified - fruits and vegetables and other plant products. Blueberries contain high levels of antioxidants. So does chocolate. A number of vitamins and minerals are antioxidants as well.
Of course, antioxidants are not the only things that anti aging nutritional products contain. As we age, our diets tend to become deficient in certain other nutrients that are important to good health, like Vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals. Lots of fiber is important as well, to aid digestion. Anything that contributes to good health contributes to an anti aging plan - the two things go hand in hand. And don't forget to add regular exercise and activity to that anti aging plan - it's very important to stay active. Anti aging nutritional products are only one part of a healthy lifestyle.
|
