17 Best Anti-Aging Foods (For Younger Looking Skin)

Nobody has found the Fountain of Youth yet, but there are some powerful anti-aging foods you should be eating to help turn back the clock.

You can’t stop Father Time forever, but you can naturally slow the aging process while even reversing the signs of aging.

We all want to look and feel younger. Having a youthful energy as you age has been one of the goals of mankind forever.

Here you’ll find my best 17 anti-aging foods that taste delicious and are easy to squeeze into your diet.

They’ll improve your skin, brain, body, heart, and joints as they’re all powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory.

Having healthy and youthful looking skin is a direct reflection of what’s going on in your body.

The more of these top anti-aging foods you can eat more of the faster you’re going to be able to turn back the clock.

How Amazing Are These Anti-Aging Foods?

The better you are at lowering inflammation in your body the better you’re going to be able to reverse the aging process.

Your body increases inflammation with eating bad foods and from other environmental factors.

Inflammation is your body’s natural response to anything it sees as a threat. It’s your immune systems way of fighting it.

These are the high inflammatory foods you should stay away from:

  • processed foods
  • refined carbohydrates
  • sugary foods & drinks

These are the worst offenders and you’ll look way younger just by eliminating them from your diet.

Then all you have to do is add in the following list of anti-aging foods to look and feel your absolute best.

The 17 Best Anti-Aging Foods

Broccoli Sprouts

Not too many people know about the powerful anti-aging properties of broccoli sprouts. Everybody should be eating more of this superfood.

Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, which is a powerful activator of the NRF2 pathway.

This pathway affects the expression of over 200 genes that have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on your body.

The sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts has also been found to prevent cancer. Researchers found it has the ability to help get nasty carcinogens out of your body.

For a more detailed analysis at sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts be sure to watch this video by Dr. Rhonda Patrick:

Wild Blueberries

Wild blueberries have long been shown to reverse the signs of aging. They have more antioxidants in them pound-for-pound then pretty much any other food.

Blueberries are rich in anthocyanins which are credited with having anti-aging effects.

Anthocyanins in blueberries will limit the damage caused by free radicals in your body while also preventing other ailments.

Research has also found blueberries to have benefits such as preventing cognitive decline.

Wild blueberries taste sweet but are quite low on the glycemic index. They make a great quick anti-aging snack that will keep your belly slim and you looking younger.

Watercress

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention watercress is the highest rated vegetable for nutrient density.

This means it ranks above even kale, spinach and Swiss chard in the number of nutrients it contains.

Watercress is super powerful for reversing aging. It’s quite high in sulfur and it’ll do wonders for your health and skin.

You can read more about the powerful benefits of watercress at my dedicated blog post to the superfood.

Dark Chocolate

Don’t get too excited.

Even though milk chocolate might taste the best it doesn’t mean it’s better for you. Dark chocolate is very high in flavanols.

They will make your skin look better by increasing blood flow to the skin surface. It’ll also help to absorb UV radiation from the sun as it protects your skin.

In 2010, the Dietary Guideline Committee found adding dark chocolate to your diet provided anti-aging benefits to your body.

Make sure you’re eating dark chocolate high in cacao at about 70-90%. This is enough to slow the signs of aging according to Antioxidants & Redox Signaling.

Walnuts

Walnuts are high in the good fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have strong anti-inflammatory effects.

They’re also associated with lowering heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Walnuts are also very high in omega-3 fatty acids. These good fats have been found to reduce inflammation in your body.

This study found eating more walnuts could help to slow the cognitive decline in older adults.

Grab a handful of walnuts here and there for a quick snack that’ll help you to feel, look and think younger.

Collagen Protein

Collagen is the most important and abundant protein in the human body.

It’s no wonder it’s been used in cosmetics and beauty products to reverse damage caused by the aging process.

The Beijing University Department of Food & Nutritional Hygiene found collagen helped protect the skin of aging mice by improving the activity of the antioxidant.

It can be hard to find ways to get more collagen into your diet so a good idea is to supplement with this anti-aging food.

I like this brand of collagen powder and just add 1-2 tablespoons to your protein or veggie shake.

Spinach

Getting enough greens in your diet is without a doubt going to be a smart idea to fight the aging process.

Spinach is high in both beta-carotene and lutein give a 1-2 punch of strength to reversing aging.

Both of these nutrients found in spinach have been shown to improve skin elasticity according to the Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry.

Try blending in a handful or two of spinach into your daily protein shakes. You’ll sneak in one of the best anti-aging foods on the planet.

Porcini Mushrooms

Porcini mushrooms contain both glutathione and ergothioneine. Two antioxidants that are powerful at fighting aging and helping you look younger.

The amount of these two compounds varies a lot between species of mushrooms.

According to Food Chemistry porcini mushrooms were the species to contain the highest amounts of these two amazing compounds.

I buy my porcini mushrooms frozen from Trader Joe’s. Don’t worry about heating them back up though.

Cooking doesn’t seem to damage the two compounds in porcini mushrooms. Plus they can add a lot of flavor to your dish.

Wild-caught Salmon

Wild-caught salmon, preferably Alaskan, contains the highest amounts of the anti-aging antioxidant astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin is a super antioxidant and carotenoid with effective anti-aging benefits.

This study found this powerful antioxidant in salmon prevented damage caused by free radicals to your DNA. It was also found to strengthen your body’s immune system.

Wild-caught salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids. These help to reduce inflammation in your body.

You can also supplement with Krill Oil to increase your daily intake of the super antioxidant astaxanthin.

You can see uncover more of the best fish for weight loss here.

Bone Broth

It might sound a little crazy but bone broth contains many minerals vital for your bone and skin health.

They’re easily absorbed by your body from the bone broth and some of the minerals you’ll get are:

  • calcium
  • phosphorus
  • silicon
  • magnesium
  • sulfur

Bone broth also contains both chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. These two compounds are the exact same you’ll find in most joint supplements.

They’ve been found to reduce inflammation, arthritis and joint pain. Make sure you make your bone broth from grass-fed bones to get all the anti-aging benefits.

I like to use Kettle & Fire bone broth because it tastes delicious and is conveniently already made for you.

Avocados

Avocados are one of the goods fats and have earned a spot at the top of my superfoods list.

Avocados contain a phytochemical and other ingredients important for reducing the signs of aging.

You’ll get more antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fats into your diet with avocados.

Many people are afraid to eat avocados but you don’t have to worry. You’ll get many anti-inflammatory effects from eating more avocados in your diet.

Avocados were found to reduce chronic heart disease too.

Figs

If you have a sweet tooth then getting more figs into your diet will help.

You’ll get your sweet fix while also helping to fight aging.

Figs are high in flavonoids and polyphenols both of which have a strong antioxidant effect.

It’ll prevent oxidative stress to your body caused by free radicals damaging your DNA.

Figs are also lower on the glycemic index so they should spike your insulin or blood sugar.

Keeping your insulin levels low is key to keeping the inflammation down in your body.

Turmeric

The curcumin in turmeric has long been found to have anti-aging properties.

Turmeric has been used in beauty cosmetics for years. Instead, you only need to eat more turmeric in your diet.

Research in Immunity & Aging found curcumin in turmeric to help fight against the aging of joints, brain, and other cognitive diseases.

Make sure you crack some black pepper with your turmeric as it’ll drastically improve your body’s ability to absorb it.

I like to sprinkle some turmeric on top of my eggs, crack some black pepper and add some organic ketchup. Sounds a little weird, but it works.

Spirulina

Spirulina, also known as blue-green algae, contains a powerful anti-aging antioxidant called phycocyanin.

Crazy enough this super antioxidant has the ability to trigger the production of new stem cells.

This study found spirulina to be effective at fighting aging caused by inflammation.

Spirulina contains protein and omega-3 fatty acids as well. Both of which will help you to look and feel younger.

Add a teaspoon a day of spirulina to your diet. Or you can take a look at my MetaboGreens review to discover my favorite super supplement.

Take a drink of MetaboGreens in the morning and you’ll already have your daily serving of anti-aging spirulina plus a ton of other benefits.

Pineapples

Pineapples not only look fun, but they’re going they’re an effective anti-aging food.

Pineapples are rich in manganese which your body needs to activate the enzyme prolidase.

Eating more pineapples will provide your body with the amino acid proline. Proline helps the formation of collagen in your skin.

Collagen helps to improve the strength and elasticity of your skin. Try adding in some pineapples for a delicious anti-aging snack.

Green Tea

Drinking more green tea is a great way to get your caffeine fix with a strong anti-aging effect.

Green tea contains Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). It is a powerful antioxidant the Japanese have used for centuries to reverse aging.

Ancient China first began drinking tea 5,000 years ago. Today we’re just starting to understand how effective it really is for reducing aging and cancers.

In 2012, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity found green tea helped to prevent skin cancer due to sun exposure.

They found green tea to be a powerful source for anti-aging and inflammatory.

Another amazing benefit of drinking more green tea is you’ll lose more weight.

Pomegranate Seeds

Next time you walk by a pomegranate tree take one off and take a bite of the seeds to help you stay young.

Pomegranates are high in vitamin C. We all know vitamin C helps to improve your immune system.

But vitamin C will also help to fight skin damage and premature aging we all don’t want.

Pomegranate seeds contain the nutrient punicalagin, which will help to fight the breakdown of collagen. This will not only keep you looking good but it’ll also keep your joints healthy.

Can foods make you look younger?

Without a doubt the foods you eat will help you look younger when you’re eating the right ones in the right amounts. On the other side if you’re eating too many of the wrong foods then they’ll make you look older than you really are. This backs up the saying you are what you eat.

The Last Word

The more you’re able to get these powerful anti-aging foods in your diet the younger you’re going to look and feel.

They have a strong ability to turn the back clock with your body and skin.

Keep in mind you should also be eliminating the bad foods causing you to age prematurely. Foods causing your skin to age faster include processed foods, refined carbs, and sugar.

You don’t have to eat all of these foods at once to reverse aging. Instead, focus on adding a few of them to your diet this week.

Then next week take another look at this anti-aging foods list and pick out more you can eat more of.

The more variety you can give your body the better you’re going to be able to look younger.

Now that you know some the natural anti-aging secrets it’s time to take action and start eating more of these superfoods to fight Father Time.