16 anti-aging foods

You've probably heard that you are what you eat and according to Dr. Steven Masley, the author of Ten Years Younger Diet, (Broadway Books, 2007) what you eat can make you look and feel younger.

Adding the right foods is more important than cutting out unhealthy choices, Masley writes. But which foods do you add? In the following excerpt, Masley reveals 16 items to add to your grocery list for a younger you.

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The sweet 16 vitality foods
1. Green Leafy Vegetables. For every serving (1 cup) of green leafy vegetables you add to your daily diet, you cut your risk of a cardiovascular event by 25 percent. That means just 2 more cups daily of green leafy vegetables should slash your risk for a stroke or heart attack nearly in half. That's a powerful change with very little effort. Greens are also loaded with calcium, fiber, and folic acid, as well as a host of cancer-preventing plant pigments. Spinach, dark green lettuce, broccoli, collard greens, bok choy, and kale are just a few of the greens you can choose from. You should aim to enjoy at least 2 cups of green leafy veggies every day.

2. Lean, not mean, protein. Seafood, chicken and turkey breast, beans and soy, and nonfat dairy products are excellent lean protein sources. While chicken and turkey may not contain many anti-aging compounds, eating more of them does suppress hunger and makes it easier to feel satisfied on fewer calories. If you include healthy protein with each meal, you'll minimize surges in blood sugar levels, too. For weight control, I encourage you to enjoy 20 to 30 percent of your calories from healthy, lean protein sources. 

By contrast, mean proteins include fatty dairy products (such as 2 percent milk, with 35 percent of calories from fat), most red meats, sausage, and dark meat poultry, which are loaded with artery-clogging saturated fat. 

Boosting brain function
3. Seafood. Studies show that there are many anti-aging benefits from eating seafood. In fact, fish consumption can actually lower risk of death, as well as reduce irregular heartbeat, blood stickiness, and triglycerides. Seafood consumption can also improve blood sugar regulation, boost brain function, and decrease inflammation in people with inflammatory bowel disease or rheumatoid arthritis. Pass the fish, please!

4. Beans and legumes. One-half to 1 cup of beans daily lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) by 5 percent while raising your healthy cholesterol (HDL) 2 to 3 percent. Beans also suppress hunger and help to stabilize blood sugar levels, and are loaded with cancer-fighting compounds. Yes, they're known as the “musical fruit,” but studies have shown that if you eat beans daily for a month, gas production drops. It is best to begin by consuming them in small quantities every day (say 1⁄4cup) and gradually increase portions over time.

There are dozens of different types, and you can enjoy them as a side dish or add them to soups, salads, rice, and pasta dishes. If you don't have the time to soak and cook dry beans, canned beans will make your life easier; just rinse them well before eating, to wash away any extra salt and sugar that might be packed in the can.

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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.

Load up on cancer-fighting compounds
5. Soy. Soy products used to be limited to tofu, but today it's easy to enjoy a serving of soy a day. Most groceries carry soy-based veggie burgers, soy hot dogs and sausage, and calcium-fortified soy milk. These products lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels and are packed with cancer-fighting compounds -- fiber, antioxidants, calcium, and many anti-aging nutrients. Edamame (fresh soybeans out of the pod) make a terrific snack, and they're so easy to prepare -- just pop them into the microwave or boil them in water for a few minutes.

I recommend trying several brands of soy products because you may like some more than others. Years ago, when I first decided to try soy milk, I bought six brands at once, poured a glass of each, and taste-tested them until I found the one I liked best. A few were awful! None tasted like milk, and it took me some time to adjust to this fact. Then I tried my favorite brand with cereal, coffee, tea, and cocoa, until I was sure I'd found a combination I could enjoy daily. Now I drink a cup of soy milk every day. Even chocolate soy milk is a good choice, and although it has a few more calories than plain soy milk, it's a worthy dessert.

6. Whole grains. Whole grains such as barley, buckwheat, wild rice, quinoa, and oats are actually tastier than refined, processed grains, they're more natural, and they help prevent weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. When you follow the Ten Years Younger Diet, the fiber in whole grains (especially barley) blocks the blood sugar and insulin surge after a meal, so you'll stay satisfied for longer, too -- even though you've eaten fewer calories.

Detoxify your body
7. Cruciferous vegetables. Toxins -- poisonous foreign chemicals (such as heavy metals, industrial chemicals, pesticides, drugs, and various pollutants) -- enter your body through your skin and the air you breathe, but especially through your intestines. You also produce toxins in the form of free radicals when you metabolize hormones and drugs and burn calories for energy. As we've seen, these toxins accumulate in your body and can cause diseases, including cancer.

Fiber-rich cruciferous vegetables -- cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels spouts -- are high in chemicals that detoxify and remove cancer-causing compounds from your body. They're also great sources of vitamin C and calcium. You can eat these vegetables raw, steamed, or lightly sautéed, but be careful not to overcook them or they'll lose their valuable properties.

8. Berries. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, and bilberries, are among the brightly colored fruits and vegetables that have so many antioxidant benefits. They're also packed with fiber. Not only does sprinkling them over a salad or cereal make your meal visually more beautiful, but the colorful pigments found in berries are some of the most powerful anti-aging compounds known to science. Berry pigments seem especially important for protecting brain cells and the cells lining your arteries from free radical damage and consequential aging.

Go nuts for nuts
9. Nuts. Nuts are packed with protein, nutrients, anti-aging compounds, and fiber. They'll help you feel full, and while they do contain fats, they are mostly healthy fats that will lower your cholesterol. Recent research published in The Journal of Obesity Related Metabolic Disorders found that people who eat up to 3 ounces (2 to 3 handfuls) of almonds daily lose more weight than those who eat other complex carbohydrates. Nuts appear to benefit both your heart and your waistline -- every study to date has shown that eating nuts regularly decreases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death.

10. Flaxseed. Ground flaxseed is an excellent source of omega-3 fats (one of the key elements of the Ten Years Younger Diet). Omega-3 fats are good for everyone, but they are especially important for women with perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms.

One tablespoon of ground flaxseed daily is an excellent nutritional supplement. (Flaxseed oil lacks fiber and can go rancid quickly and become packed with free radicals, so it's a poor choice, and whole flaxseed passes through your intestinal tract without being absorbed.) You can use a coffee mill to grind it, or buy it freshly ground. I keep the ground seed in an airtight container in the refrigerator so it's handy to sprinkle on my oatmeal, smoothies, or salads; it has a pleasant nutty flavor. If you eat eggs, then consider buying omega-3-enriched eggs commonly sold in grocery stores; the hens have usually been fed flaxseed. Though more expensive than ordinary eggs, they have half the saturated fat and a healthy dose (up to 300 mg) of omega-3 fats into the bargain.

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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.

A little garlic goes a long way
11. Fresh garlic. Believe it or not, fresh garlic lowers your total cholesterol about 7 to 9 percent, raises HDL slightly, decreases clotting, lowers blood pressure, and boosts your immune function. But do stick to the real thing! Deodorized garlic (in pills) doesn't reduce cholesterol effectively because allicin, the chemical that gives garlic its aroma, is also what gives it its cholesterol-lowering punch. To maximize allicin, smash the cloves with a wooden spoon or the flat side of a chef's knife. Let the juices in the garlic sit for a few minutes. At home, I serve 1 to 2 cloves of garlic per person every day.

Throw it into your salad dressing, stir-fry dishes, soups, and rice dishes. Just about any meal goes well with garlic.

But do be careful. While completing my chef internship at the Four Seasons restaurant in Seattle, I discovered that if you overcook garlic until it turns brown, it becomes bitter, and this also ruins its medicinal properties. So add crushed or finely chopped garlic during the last one or two minutes of cooking to give your meals the richest flavor and maximize their cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Spice it up
12. Fresh herbs and spices. Have you ever wondered why herbs smell so great? Think of that pasta sauce simmering on the stove. One whiff and you're salivating. Like a bee drawn to the scent of flowers, we're biochemically attracted to herbs. And by weight, they're the most densely packed anti-aging foods you can find.

I encourage you to splurge on a minimum of 1 teaspoon of dried or 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs daily. Thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, basil, cumin, mint, chives, dill, turmeric, and cilantro are all wonderful, heart-healthy choices. Not only do they make your food look, smell, and taste great, they're terrific for your health, too.

Also, don't be stingy with ginger. It adds a zesty, citrus-like tang and goes well with Indian curries, Asian stir-fries, desserts, and marmalades. It's also quite good for you. Two thousand years ago, the Chinese made ginger a staple in their diets, and we've recently learned that there is good reason for this. Ginger contains several potent antioxidants and, like garlic, it helps decrease blood stickiness, which prevents unwanted clots. Used regularly over weeks, it acts as an anti-inflammatory to relieve joint pain and arthritis without increasing the risk of stomach ulcers. (In fact, people use ginger to treat stomach ulcers.)

The simplest way to enjoy ginger with your meals is to grate fresh ginger directly into your food while it is cooking -- it's particularly fabulous when grated over stir-fries. It grates easily, and don't worry about the skin (although you may prefer removing it for aesthetic reasons).

Go green
13. Green tea. Green tea, a staple in the Asian diet, is loaded with antioxidants, and drinking green tea regularly has been associated with reduced cancer rates. Black tea, though good for you, doesn't quite measure up to its green cousin. It has only 20 to 50 percent of the flavonoids (antioxidant compounds found in many foods) of green tea. To make the latter, growers chop, roll, and quickly heat tea leaves. Heating traps the antioxidants, giving green tea its healthful properties.

Green tea is also rich in L-theonine, a chemical compound that enhances mental function and learning while heightening concentration (independently of caffeine). Studies have demonstrated that L-theonine also increases alpha brain waves, which provide a sense of calm while reducing some of the jitteriness caffeine can produce. Similarly, the catechins in green tea are chemical compounds that decrease cancer risk and enhance your metabolism, helping to prevent weight regain after weight loss. Quite a healthy punch from a little tea bag!

Green tea has a pleasant although slightly bitter flavor that I've learned to enjoy. Make a weak cup at first to appreciate the subtle flavor. If it still seems bitter, either make it weaker still, or add one packet of Splenda or 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon of honey. I aim to drink a cup of green tea each afternoon. I also enjoy drinking a glass of iced decaffeinated green tea in the evening. And sometimes I add decaffeinated green tea to my dessert smoothies.

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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.

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.