What can I eat to look and feel younger?
This week, someone asked me:
What ‘superfoods’ should I eat if I want to look and feel younger?
(Let’s face it - this person isn’t the only one. Most of us want to look and feel younger too!)
This is not the first time I’ve been asked this, and it surely won’t be the last. And it’s a great question in some respects - I mean, I love that this person wants to explore how nutrition can help them achieve their goals!
But let’s frame this question in the greater context of what Working Against Gravity calls the Wellness Pyramid:
The idea here is that you want to build from the bottom. Essentially, the lower/larger something is on the pyramid, the more foundational it is to our health and wellness. You’ll see that supplements are way up top - meaning while they certainly can have an effect, they don’t matter nearly as much as if you’re getting a majority of your food from nutrient-dense, high-quality sources. The biggest ‘bang for your buck’ you’ll get is from lifestyle changes - moving your body, getting adequate sleep, staying hydrated, and so on. (We love Michael and Adee Cazayoux of Working Against Gravity for coming up with a visual to help demonstrate this concept - thank you!)
To answer this person’s question, we’re talking about foods with micronutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals) in our foods that can bring about specific benefits. You can see that the word “micronutrients” is much farther up the pyramid - meaning focusing on it will bring about some benefit, especially if we’re being consistent with the lower levels; but focusing exclusively on micronutrients isn’t likely to make or break your overall wellness.
Don’t get me wrong: vitamins and minerals are incredibly important to our health and wellness. And it benefits us greatly to get a good variety of them! But what I’m saying is that while vitamin A - found in carrots, for example - can help fight against wrinkles, crunching on a few baby carrots without any regard for the rest of our habits isn’t going to magically smooth your face overnight. Make sense?
Things that WILL help you look and feel younger: reducing sun exposure, getting enough sleep, and drinking enough water. It’s not sexy, but it works! Then eat some carrots. :)
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