Eat Your Way to Younger Looking Skin - Part 2

Last month, we discussed some basic tenants of an anti-aging diet and looked at a study from 2001, which found certain foods were able to lessen the damaging effect of sun exposure on the skin.

Another study conducted in 2007 revealed that women over the age of 40 were more likely to have a wrinkled appearance to their skin if their diets were low in the following nutrients:

• Protein (found in nuts and seeds, eggs, beans, lentils, fish and meat)

• Dietary cholesterol (found in eggs, cheese, poultry, beef , fish and shrimp)

• Vitamin A (found in oily fish, eggs, yellow fruit and yellow, red and green vegetables)

• Vitamin C (found in oranges, broccoli, strawberries, green and red capsicum, kiwi fruit and Brussels sprouts)

• Phosphorous (found in oats, fish, brown rice, bread, poultry, red meat and dairy)

• Potassium (found in fruit like bananas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, pulses, fish, nuts and seeds).

Of all these nutrients, vitamin C appeared to play the greatest role in protecting the skin from wrinkles.

What was unclear was whether it was vitamin C specifically that protected the skin or whether the foods that were high in vitamin C were responsible for the improved appearance of the skin.

These results suggest eating foods high in vitamin C could help you prevent those furrow lines. In addition you will reap the benefits of all the other nutrients and antioxidants found in these foods.

Vitamin C rich foods to add to your grocery list include citrus fruits like oranges, mandarins and lemons, as well as kiwi fruits, tomatoes, red capsicums/peppers, broccoli and berries.

According to the evidence, the best advice is to follow a diet of moderation, with an abundance of fruits and vegetables.

Here are some tips:

• Consume fish and legumes as your main protein sources

• Enjoy eggs in moderation

• Have at least one serving of fruit or vegetables (on average a serving is 80 grams) at every meal and snack

• Ensure you eat fruits of vegetables of a variety of colours every day

• Try to ensure you include at least one excellent source of vitamin C every day

• Rely on extra virgin olive oil as your primary fat

• Replace margarine and butter with more healthful spreads such as hummus, avocado or even tzatziki dip

• Enjoy 2-3 serves of milk and dairy, without going overboard

• Eat real foods, rather than simply relying on supplements to get your nutrients

• Include high protein foods in your diet, such as beans, eggs, fish, meat and dairy (in moderation), nuts and seeds

• Replace high sugar snacks with fruit or vegetable sticks

• Replace soft drinks with diet versions without sugar or, better yet, water.

• Diluted fruit juice (1/2 cup of fruit juice, 1/2 a cup of water) can be included in the diet occasionally due to its high vitamin C content

• Choose wholegrain cereals without added sugar

Here’s a sample meal plan that employs these principles:

Anti-aging meal plan

Breakfast: Bowl of porridge made with low fat milk, topped with sliced banana. 1 glass of diluted orange juice (1/2 orange juice and 1/water)

Morning tea: Carrot sticks and rice cakes with hummus

Lunch: Bean, capsicum and pine nut salad with olive oil dressing and sourdough bread

Afternoon tea: Mango smoothie made with low fat milk, frozen mango and vanilla essence

Dinner: Pan seared Salmon with brocollini and brown rice

Dessert: Plain skyr yogurt topped with berries

A recipe for better skin:

Based on the evidence from these studies, here is a summer lunchtime recipe to maintain your radiance. It’s rich in vitamin C, high in protein (thanks to the legumes) and the olive oil adds healthy fats to protect your skin. Because it has a low glycaemic index it will keep you feeling full all through the afternoon, helping to prevent sugar cravings.

Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

• ¼ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)

• ½ red onion (diced)

• 1 red capsicum (sliced)

• 400g can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)

• 400g can borlotti beans (drained and rinsed)

• 2 tomatoes (deseeded, chopped)

• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Method

• Step 1

In a small jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar and garlic. Shake until combined.

• Step 2

In a salad bowl, combine the beans, capsicum, tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, red onions and basil. Pour on vinaigrette just before serving and toss.

Step 3

Season with pepper. Serve with sourdough bread.

Tips:

• Try to avoid adding salt.

• A few tablespoons of crumbled fetta or a tablespoon of parmesan can be added for extra flavour

• For a hearty dinner, this salad can be served with pan-seared salmon.

Bibliography

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-Minerals/Pages/Other-vitamins-Minerals.aspx#phosphorus

Purba MB, Kouris-Blazos A, Wattanapenpaiboon N, et al. Skin wrinkling: can food make a difference? J Am Coll Nutr. 2001;20(1):71-80.

Cosgrove MC, Franco OH, Granger SP, Murray PG, Mayes AE. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86(4):1225-1231.

NHS Choices Website: Vitamin C, 03/03/2017

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-C.aspx

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-A.aspx