When you turn 50, your body naturally goes through physical changes both internally and externally. And while there’s no way to stop these changes from occurring, there are lifestyle adjustments you can make to slow aging in a healthy way.
If you look at regions of the world with the longest-living people, you’ll notice that they have many habits in common, especially those centered around eating. For example, many of these regions eat plenty of plant-based foods, get enough whole grains and fiber, and limit their intake of processed food.
With this in mind, we asked medical board member Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, author of The First Time Mom’s Pregnancy Cookbook and Fueling Male Fertility to give us her tips on effortless changes you can make in your daily routine to help slow the aging process after 50.
Read on to learn what she has to say, and for more healthy aging tips, check out 9 Foods the Longest Living People in the World Eat.
According to Manaker, finding ways to include more collagen in your daily routine can help your skin look younger. Sometimes, the easiest way to do this is through taking a pill or using a powder.
“While results may vary, taking supplemental collagen may help combat the natural progression of aging in our skin,” says Manaker. We lose collagen as we age, so replacing it via supplemental ways may help.”
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A popular food in the conversation of healthy aging is fish, and fatty fish specifically has been proven to help lower the risk of age-related disease and contribute to better heart health because of its high omega-3 fatty acid count.
“Seafood consumption is linked to a slew of age-related benefits, including reduced Alzheimer’s Disease mortality, heart disease mortality, and cancer mortality,” says Manaker. “Eating fish is also associated with better brain health and cognitive function as we age.”
One thing that many people often forget to do is make sure they get enough fruits and veggies in their daily eating routine, but Manaker says that eating plenty of these nutrient-dense foods can help slow the aging process.
“Eating a healthy and balanced diet that is rich in fruits and vegetables can help promote healthy cellular aging in women, so snacking on something produce-filled like a smoothie or a veggie platter with hummus are simple ways to sneak in more fruits and veggies,” says Manaker.
Lastly, if you have a habit of smoking cigarettes, you are unfortunately speeding up the aging process in a number of ways.
“While it isn’t effortless to quit smoking, it is one step toward slowing the aging process, as smoking can promote wrinkles in the skin. Plus, the nicotine can negatively affect blood flow to your skin cells, making this habit something that does not promote healthy aging,” says Manaker.