5 Healthiest Anti-Aging Snacks


Snacking often gets a bad rap, but if you make intelligent choices
about what you eat, you can actually benefit your health and longevity.
Read on to find out how!

Why Snacks?
Most of
us are used to eating three times a day, but it is much healthier to
eat smaller meals more frequently -f ive small meals a day, for
instance. Eating in this way delivers a steady stream of nutrients,
blood sugar, and energy to your body throughout the day and is also
much less taxing on the digestive and metabolic systems. And
when you eat more small meals throughout the day, you will most likely
avoid the pitfalls of overindulging at your next meal and may actually
consume fewer total calories for the day.

Keep healthy
"grab-and-go" snacks on hand all the time to avoid the tempting lure of
high-calorie snacks. Here are my top five snack choices:

1. Nuts and Seeds Keep You Young
Healthy
and appetizing, nuts and seeds are absolutely the best snack of the
bunch. Helping yourself to a handful of nuts and seeds every day can
improve circulation and muscle tone.And nuts and seeds are
especially full of arginine, an amino acid that helps to combat heart
disease, impotence, infertility, and high blood pressure, and it also
facilitates the healing process. Additionally, arginine can stimulate
the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The pituitary
releases growth hormones, which begin to decline quickly in humans
after age 35. This means that after 35, your hormones start to plunge
and you experience some aging symptoms. The skin loses elasticity, the
muscle loses mass and strength, the lean body tissue decreases,
fertility and virility decrease, and other signs of aging start to set
in. Many nuts and seeds are rich sources of vitamin E, lignants
and omega-3 fatty acids, which protect you from heart disease and also
from the ravages of aging.

Almonds, pine nuts, sesame seeds,
Brazil nuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds,
peanuts, and pistachios: mix them in any combination and enjoy! Keep in
mind that there are more nutrients in the raw form than roasted. Make
sure that the nuts and seeds are fresh and not old and rancid.

2. An Apple a Day for Heart Health
There
are many reasons to eat an apple - or two or three - every day. One
study discovered that subjects who ate five apples or more a week had a
healthier lung function than those who ate no apples. And
scientists have confirmed that apples also contribute to a healthy
heart. Thanks to the fruit's rich pectin content, eating two to three
apples per day leads to decreased cholesterol levels. Pectin also helps
prevent colon cancer, one of the top causes of death in adults over age
sixty.

3. Bring On the Berries
In season
again, berries are bursting with antioxidants. The enticing red,
purple, and blue skins of berries contain bioflavonoids, antioxidant
compounds that reduce free radical damage. These flavonoids are
more potent antioxidants than vitamins C and E, and they also help to
reduce inflammation - more effectively even than aspirin!

•
Blueberries are your best pick because not only do they have the
highest level of antioxidant activity, but they also possess powerful
neuroprotective properties that shield brain cells from damage ,
helping to slow down the age-related onset of memory loss, Alzheimer's,
and senility.

• Cherries also contain these beneficial
anthocyanin compounds, which stimulate your pancreas to produce
insulin. In fact, Chinese researchers have observed that cherries help
keep diabetics healthy. These compounds also protect you against
cancer, arthritis, and heart disease because they lower cholesterol.

To learn more about the health benefits of berries, click here.

4. Avocado: Packed with Nutrients
Among
the many antioxidant nutrients, glutathione is known as the "master
antioxidant." This naturally occurring compound, found in avocados (as
well as asparagus, walnuts, and fish), is made up of the three amino
acids glycine, glutamic acid, and cysteine. Glutathione regulates
immune cells, protects against cancer, and assists in detoxifying. A
deficiency in glutathione can play a part in diabetes, liver disease,
heart disease, low sperm count, and premature aging. Avocados are also
a source of L-cysteine, which helps protect your body from the harmful
effects of pollution, chemicals, radiation, alcohol, and smoke.
L-cysteine may also help boost immunity, protect you from heart
disease, and build muscle. It is also useful for combating inflammation
and encouraging healthy hair and nail growth.

Pair your avocado with whole-grain crackers or whole-grain crisp breads for a fiber-rich tasty treat.

5. Apricots for Anti-Aging
One
of the staple foods of the famously long-lived centenarians in the
Hunza valley of the Himalayas is the apricot. Research has discovered
that apricots have the highest levels and widest variety of carotenoids
of any food. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help prevent heart disease, reduce "bad cholesterol" levels, and protect against cancer.

I
hope you find the ways to nourish your body with healthy snacks! I
invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and
longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/14422/5-healthiest-anti-aging-snacks/