Compliments are a wonderful by-product of losing weight. Hearing other people comment 'you're looking great', 'been on holiday?' or 'what's your secret – you look fabulous' are just the incentives we need to keep us focused on our goals.
But it's not just our decreasing waistline that people notice. A good diet can not only help you shed excess weight and improve your health but make your skin glow, your hair shine, your nails strengthen, and yes, a combination of the right nutrients can also make you look younger and live longer too.
Forever young
We all know that alcohol, cigarettes and high-fat/sugar junk food play havoc with our looks, prematurely ageing us with a cocktail of toxins and free-radicals, which undermine our long term health and make us look old before our time.
Now new research reveals that there are superfoods, which contain biologically active substances known as phytochemicals, and antioxidants, which help repair our bodies, have amazing powers for perfecting skin and can help us live longer.
The genes we inherit account for around 25% of the rate at which we age. What we eat, drink and how we exercise makes up for that other 75%.
So how do we turn back the clock and increase life expectancy?
If we were to take a tip from the Japanese, who have the longest mortality rate in the world, we should up our fresh vegetable intake and lower the amount of red meat, carbohydrate and dairy in our diets.
Always opt for rainbow-coloured salads of as many mixed raw vegetables as you can imagine. Rich in protective antioxidants, fruit and vegetables help to fight against heart disease, stroke and cancer. Blueberries and black grapes, particularly, are said to be particularly good for preventing wrinkles by forming a 'natural sunscreen' - however you should still be applying a cream with a high SPF!
When choosing bread and pastas go for brown wholemeal wherever possible. The more fibre in your diet the less likely it is that colon cancer and inflammatory bowel disease will affect you in older age. Brown bread also contains less sugar than white bread, which could help reduce the risk of diabetes, and contains folic acid and B vitamins, which could help reduce the risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's.
We all know that fish is supposed to 'up' our brain power, but by adding one or two 4oz servings of oily fish to our diets we can reduce the risk of osteoporosis. With its high vitamin D and B12 content, our nervous systems will benefit enormously too.
Soya has to be women's very own dietary friend. Research is increasingly revealing that women who consume soya products are less likely to get breast cancer. It is a wonderful aid for controlling hormone production during the monthly cycle, particularly through the menopause, and the wonder stuff can also lower cholesterol too.
Below is a helpful checklist of 'wonder' foods, which help prevent diseases and help us look good and feel great. All can be easily and healthily incorporated into your diet.
Brazil nuts – helps reduce stress and can help prevent skin, lung and colon cancer
Oats – great for lowering cholesterol
Carrots – help protect eyes and can help reduce sun damage in the skin
Apples and pears – contains a soluble fibre which absorbs toxins and keeps the intestinal tract healthy
Lemons - start your day with a cup of hot water and a slice of lemon and wrinkles will be smoothed away, and your system cleansed and detoxed
Flax seeds – helps prevent hormone-related cancers
Watercress – neutralises the dangerous carcinogens in tobacco and is a skin booster
Strawberries – great anti-ageing food that repairs and strengthens connective tissue
