7 Anti-Ageing Foods: With Added Chocolate

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This post was written by: Pat Kennelly

It’s hard to eat foods that are “good for you” if they’re well…not good. Luckily for me, many of my favorite foods are also considered anti-ageing foods.

Avocado-yes, they’re high in fat, but it’s the good kind…healthy mono-unsaturated fat. They’re also high in skin-happy Vitamin E. Don’t just think guacamole, slice in salads, dice atop a soup, add to vegetarian sandwiches and eat a half as a snack.

Rick Bayless by Copco Silicone Avocado Scooper, Cilantro

Berries- Blue or black including grapes fight free radical damage to the body. Go berries! Add to cereal, oatmeal, muffins, smoothies, whole grain pancakes or just keep your fridge stocked when you’re looking for a healthy snack.

Alaska Wild Berry Guide and Cookbook

Broccoli and all of its cruciferous cousins…cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, radishes. Lightly cook them to retain the most nutritional value. My favorite broccoli recipe is simple– saute broccoli with olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper and toss with whole wheat pasta.

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Which brings me to my favorite anti-ageing food GARLIC. A clove a day is recommended, no problem with that. I eat at least that everyday in hummus. Google garlic studies and ageing, and you will be find all the medical studies that prove that daily garlic consumption protects the body against heart disease and cancer. Viva the Mediterranean diet. Worried about the odor, try capsules or live with a garlic lover.

The Garlic Lovers’ Cookbook

Dark Chocolate what diet is complete without chocolate? but here’s where you need to be picky. Choose good chocolate high in cocoa percentage and low in sugar and don’t overdo it. A couple of squares a day will give you the heart healthy benefits without a lot of calories. My favorite brand.

Cinnamon add 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon to your daily diet and you may lower your LDL cholesterol. New studies on cinnamon suggest it may regulate your blood sugar, has anti-clotting properties, can help with arthritis pain, and smelling it may help with cognitive function and memory. I just like it on my oatmeal in the morning, all the rest are bonuses. Add it to your smoothies or mix it in with natural peanut butter and honey for a healthy apple dip.

Ginger boosts your digestive system and can help alleviate aches and pains. Try it in stir fries, breads, soups and don’t forget about how warming ginger tea is in the winter months.

Tazo Green Ginger Tea, 24 Tea Bags

Two more reasons to love the Mediterranean diet Red Wine and Tomatoes. For heart healthy flavonoids keep the red wine consumption to one 4 0z. glass a day for women. Two for men. Tomatoes are the lycopene champions, shown to help protect against certain type of cancer, but choose organic whenever possible, studies suggest that organic tomatoes are higher in lycopene. Also combining tomatoes with healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado and nuts makes for better absorption. So add tomato slices to your avocado sandwich. Top your quick tomato sauce with whole grain pasta and toasted nuts.

Nuts are another anti-ageing food that are easy to incorporate into a healthy diet. For heart healthy benefits the walnut is the clear winner. Followed by almonds, cashews, pecans, Brazil nuts and Macadamia nuts. But don’t overdo consumption, a handful of nuts is all you need daily for the health benefits. Buy bulk raw or dry-roasted nuts without additional fat or salt.