16 anti-aging foods

14. Nonfat yogurt. Nonfat yogurt is the healthiest dairy food -- it's loaded with lactobacilli, healthy bacteria that normally live within your intestinal tract. Lactobacilli protect you from harmful bacteria, lower your cholesterol, and nourish your intestinal tract. For women, eating yogurt packed with lactobacilli is also associated with decreasing the risk of vaginal yeast infections. Eating yogurt has been shown to enhance your immune system, prevent intestinal infections, and possibly even help fight cancer. Plus nonfat yogurt is loaded with protein and calcium -- without the saturated fat of regular yogurt.

Nonfat yogurt is great in dips and sauces. Mix it with lemon juice, mustard, or soy sauce for a great veggie dip. Add it to curries at the last minute and use it in place of sour cream. Just don't cook it or it will curdle.

Go ahead, indulge
15. Red wine. Far from an indulgence, one 5-ounce serving of red wine a day helps keep you young. It raises your HDL, decreases your risk of clotting, lowers overall oxidation, and cuts your risk for dementia. It also improves insulin sensitivity -- helping with blood sugar regulation. The key is stopping at one glass, and definitely not drinking more than two. The risks from drinking more than two servings of alcohol daily are substantial and include devastating strokes, obesity, and cancer.

When choosing between types of alcohol, red wine is the richest source of antioxidants of all. But if you avoid red wine, I'd suggest white wine over beer, and beer over hard liquor. Of all the alcoholic choices, hard liquor is the most irritating to your liver. While 100 percent red grape juice does provide many of the antioxidants found in red wine, grape juice can raise blood sugar levels, potentially lowering HDL cholesterol levels.

In contrast, one serving of red wine a day raises HDL levels nicely. If you can't limit your red wine consumption to 1 to 2 servings daily, or if you just don't like the effects of alcohol, and you have good blood sugar control, 8 ounces of red grape juice daily with a meal would be a good alternative.

16. Cocoa and chocolate. Good news for chocolate lovers everywhere! A serving of cocoa decreases clotting and the oxidation of LDL into plaque. Pure cocoa also helps dilate your arteries -- improving their function, your blood pressure, and reducing the risk of clotting. Cocoa is rich in magnesium and packed with anti-aging and stress-relieving compounds. I find a cup of nonfat cow's milk or calcium-fortified low-fat soy milk mixed with cocoa to be a great dessert and surprisingly satisfying for my sweet tooth.

Real chocolate is a winner too. Like cocoa, dark semi-sweet chocolate is packed with anti-aging and stress-relieving compounds. It also decreases LDL oxidation. But again, pay attention and always read the ingredients label. Most “chocolate” is not chocolate at all but a mixture of sugar, milk, butter, and palm oil, with only a trace of cocoa. The milk in milk chocolate negates the benefits of eating dark chocolate. The first ingredient should be cocoa, the second cocoa butter, and the third sugar. Vanilla (or vanillin) and lecithin are acceptable too and make chocolate taste terrific. But if you see palm oil, milk products, or butter, search for another brand.

Chocolate is high in calories, so you can't eat a whole bar regularly if you want to lose weight. But in small amounts, real dark semi-sweet chocolate is wonderful. The Mayans of Central America were right to treat it like currency, and it's no wonder it took Europe by storm. So, if you can reasonably limit your chocolate habit to one to two squares a day for dessert, go for it. And savor every bite.

All of these terrific foods will optimize your ability to lower your cholesterol, stabilize your blood sugar level, improve your metabolism, suppress your hunger -- all part of fighting your aging enemies. What's even better, they'll make your meals taste great!

Getting older is inevitable, but it doesn't mean you have to stop living a vibrant life. Tell us how you stay youthful and energized and you could win a free yoga dvd.

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Excerpted from Ten Years Younger by Steven Masley, M.D. Copyright © 2007 by Steven Masley, M.D.. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.