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Everyone wants to feel bursting with energy, have a radiating passion for living and crackle with excitement about the future.
People advocate anti aging diet as a technique to achieve the same but unfortunately geriatric nutrition has never been viewed as a challenging scientific area and not much research has been done in this as yet. In fact, the most intensely studied periods of life in regard to nutrition have been pregnancy, infancy, childhood and adolescence.
Although caloric restriction may influence the aging process, this is not an easy task and contrasting pregnancy or infancy, which are confined to months of study, the aging process spans decades. A lot more research is needed before nutritional guidelines can be applied to an adult. Even the persons from the age group of 60 to 80 are a heterogeneous group. Some are active, others are not; some have chronic diseases that produce symptoms, others are well controlled.
Anti aging diet can certainly help one stay youthful, feel healthy and live avidly. It is believed to be rich in antioxidants that neutralize free radicals and in the process combat the effects of aging and help to prevent chronic diseases like heart ailments and diabetes. Free radicals are molecules with unpaired electrons in an open shell configuration and thus they are highly reactive and take part in many chemical reactions. Unfortunately the same reactive nature may also result in unwanted side effects.
In short, the diet rich in antioxidants are good for one regardless of the efficacy of the theories regarding free radicals and aging and to neutralize the action of free radicals, the body uses antioxidants found in Vitamin A, Vitamins B6 and B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta carotene and selenium. The foundation of an anti aging diet is the ample presence of these antioxidants and the best way to ensure adequate supply of antioxidants is consistently having a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, being the best anti aging food of all. The requirement of the aforesaid essential vitamins can be satisfied with the help of following sources:
Vitamin A: carrot, mango, sweet potatoes, spinach, apricot, broccoli, oatmeal, tomato, papaya and peach.
Vitamin B: turnips, mustard greens, spinach, broccoli, parsley, beets, romaine lettuce, asparagus, lentils, bell peppers, calf's liver and snapper.
Vitamin C: citrus fruits, green peppers, green leafy vegetables, strawberries, broccoli, raw cabbage and potatoes.
Vitamin E: whole grains, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil, wheat germ, and fish liver oil. Beta carotene comes from tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peaches, carrots, squash, broccoli, collard greens, kale, apricots and cantaloupe.
Selenium: red meats, grains, eggs, fish, shellfish, chicken, and garlic.
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