Stop looking old before you have to by eating your way out of old age.

Who wants to look old without a fight? You need to eat these powerhouse foods to get you in fighting shape to beat those free radicals and give your cells the nutrients they need to make you the best that you can be. Proper nutrition, exercise, and moderation of the bad stuff or not doing those at all will go a long way in reversing the damage that has been done and preventing future ones from happening.

1. Luscious, deep colored fruits like blackberries, cherries, blueberries, pomegranates, plums, raspberries, cranberries, Asian dragon fruit, kiwis and blood oranges are a tasty way to boost your collagen production. These fruits are also packed with antioxidants which go out and kill those darned free radicals that are decaying your body. Oh yeah, we hate those free radicals. How dare you bring on those wrinkles and sagging skin!

Our skin and muscles are in optimal condition when we’ve got a good amount of collagen production going on in your body. Unfortunately, collagen production decreases with age. You see, collagen is a natural protein in your muscles and skin that provides shape, resiliency, and texture. Dark fruit contains a bucket load of antioxidants and so it helps to lower inflammation, increase collagen production, and thicken the skin. All of that added up would mean a healthier, sexier, younger you.

2. Bring out your wild side by eating some wild salmon. I’m talking about the kind made and fed by mother nature. It has been found that farm raised salmon isn’t as nutritious as it’s wild brother. Wild Alaskan salmon has precious omega-3 essential fatty acids, which enhance blood flow. The deep orange/pink color of wild salmon is an anti-aging carotenoid called astaxanthin that protects cell membranes. Wild salmon also had DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol), which reduces wrinkles and improves facial muscle tone.

3. Eat dense green foods like spinach, broccoli, arugula, turnip, dandelion and mustard greens. Not only do these slightly bitter greens help keep your livers cleansed of heavy metals, fats and toxins, it also lessens your sweet tooth. Remember how sugar and corn syrup creates wrinkles and more problems? Well cutting that desire to eat it is a big bonus. When your liver is cleansed with these foods, your whole body can function better, tightens our skin and brightens our eyes. The gross thing about eating tons of yummy sugar is that it eating an excess amount of sugar has been linked to a process called glycation which has been linked to wrinkled, sagging skin. In this process, sugar molecules bond to protein muscles which is bad. Think about how much that can weigh down your once taut skin!

4. Tuna, sardines, shellfish, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, soybean oil, canola oil and pumpkin seeds are good sources of essential fatty acids. Those acids help skin cells to maintain they’re integrity, performing optimally and feeds your skin. Essential fatty acids regulate the flow of things in and out of your cells -which helps you keep looking young. It helps to regulate the flow of waste materials, flow of nutrients, and water to it’s optimal levels.

5. Eat your sea vegetables like kelp, spirulina, Hijiki, dulse and wakame. Asian people have long eaten the vegetables of the sea and have been known to have long lives. There are of course other aspects to that but a big part of it is a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, soybeans and little land protein.

Sea vegetables are one of our richest sources of phytochemicals and minerals which helps rebuild, detoxify, and nourish all the cells in our body. Stress, unhealthy food choices and environmental pollutants cause us to age. Due to all of the stresses, our cells age prematurely, potentially causing premature wrinkles and possibly lead to thinning hair. You can get spirulina in a capsule form at a health food store or do what I do and go to an Asian market and eat various kinds of sea vegetables in stir frys, soups and snacks.

You are what you eat so include these powerhouse foods in your diet to become the healthy, better you.