By Hope Zvara
With any job comes stress, but when you don't deal with it properly, you may feel more than just tired and irritable. Stress, UV light, smoking, over-consumption of alcohol, and unhealthy eating all contribute to premature aging. But the good news is you can fight premature aging by paying closer attention to the foods you eat.
Avocado
Nutrients You Get: Folate, Magnesium, Potassium, Riboflavin, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C.
All of these nutrients help to keep your skin plumper, provide skin nourishment, fight skin radicals, etc. Moreover, avocado is also rich in a specific type of antioxidant called glutathione is known for reducing new lines and wrinkles.
Try this: Mix ranch seasoning with your avocado, spread on low sodium crackers, and top with tuna. Mash avocado on toast, and top with a slice of tomato, onion, and mustard. Blend avocado and add 1T honey, cocoa powder, 1T powdered collagen, and 1t vanilla for delicious chocolate pudding.
Papaya
Papaya is another top pick. Why? Papaya is among the foods rich in antioxidants that help skin stay younger and wrinkle-free.
Nutrients You Get: Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, and Essential Minerals Calcium, Potassium, and Magnesium.
Because these nutrients help make your skin more elastic and fight aging signs make, papaya's an excellent choice as a breakfast or quick snack food.
Try This: Add fresh papaya to Greek yogurt or coconut yogurt, add it to a smoothie with a scoop of collagen, or even add papaya to salads, dressings, or marinades for chicken. Look for dried papaya (with no added sugar) and make your trail mix for a grab-and-go sweet treat.
Berries
Berries are fantastic in improving our health and fighting the aging process. Berries are low in sugar, and that means they are diabetic-friendly.
Nutrients You Get: Fiber and essential vitamins such as Vitamin C. Vitamin C is one of the most beneficial and essential nutrients for your skin to say healthy and nourished. Apart from this, berries are a good source of flavonoids and serve as antioxidants.
Try This: Add berries to Greek yogurt, replace sugary candy with berries, eat them cold like a frozen dessert, and add them to oatmeal to curb hunger.
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes are a fantastic food to halt premature aging. Apart from being delicious and tasty, sweet potatoes are packed with nutrients; they can safely be included in a diabetic-friendly diet.
Nutrients You Get: Vitamin A, B, C, D, zinc, thiamine, and the antioxidant known as beta carotene: which converts to Vitamin A that consequently aids in restoring skin elasticity.
Try This: Dice them and add to any salad, grill, or bake with other root vegetables and add your favorite seasonings, mash them with a bit of brown sugar and butter, bake them and add Greek yogurt, chives, avocado, cilantro, and lime.
Spinach
Popeye didn't obsess over spinach for nothing. Spinach is a delicious dark leafy green found in many truck stop salad mixes and counts towards your daily vegetable intake.
Nutrients You Get: (non-heme) iron, lutein, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.
Spinach helps stimulate collagen production in your body, making your skin tight and smooth. Vitamin K also helps reduce inflammation inside your body and on your skin. Making spinach a wonderful superfood.
Try This: Add a handful of spinach to any salad, mix your berries and spinach together with your favorite dressing for a fun flavorful salad, or blend into smoothies to get your greens in.
We can't stop the aging process, but we can do our best to age healthily, and one way to do that is through the foods we eat.
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Hope Zvara is a yoga, movement, and lifestyle expert who is also a nationally recognized speaker and best-selling author and is the CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga.com
