Make changes in diet to fight ageing

NEW DELHI: The key to ageing gracefully is simple - eat healthy. So make changes in your diet instead of going for Botox for wrinkle treatment, say experts.

Tanu Arora, Head Of Department - Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, and Zodi, senior dietician, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, have a few suggestions:

* Include certain foods in diet which are rich in vitamins like riboflavin, niacin and cyanocobalamin. Exclude poor quality of food which causes inflammation and ultimately affects skin.

* Hydrate the body so as to remove the toxins from the body.

* Skin collagen gets damaged when there is high consumption of sugar and processed carbohydrates, while foods like fruits and vegetables are good for skin.

* Deep fried food can add to inflammation. On the other hand, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low fat dairy and lean protein can help fight inflammation.

* Lettuce, broccoli, spinach, tomato, watermelon, grapefruit, guava, salmon, chickpea, oat meal and brown rice help in curbing inflammation.

* A long way to preventing wrinkles is to eat food items like carrots that are loaded with vitamins.

* Almonds and walnuts are rich in Vitamin E and help to fight skin problems.

* Green tea has powerful anti-oxidants to protect skin from damage.

* Yogurt has probiotics that nourish skin from inside and outside.

* Honey is hygroscopic in nature.

* All berries are healthy anti-oxidants. They kill radicals that are in bodies, damaging DNA and cells and causing premature ageing. Berries can fight damages caused by environmental pollutants and toxins.

* Turmeric acts as anti-oxidants.

* Alcohol should be avoided as it creates free radicals which damage cells and accelerates ageing.