A smarter food choice can be very benefiting in helping add years to your life. There are various ways that can help in slowing the aging process like living a healthy lifestyle and staying active but eating a diet packed with nutrients can play a very big role and can perhaps even help in preventing diseases that are age related. Such diseases are like diabetes, osteoporosis and various heart diseases.

Eating antioxidant rich foods can really help from growing old fast. Researchers from the Seven Countries Study made conclusions four decades ago that olive oil contains monounsaturated fats that help in lowering the rates of cancer and heart diseases but in recent studies it has been concluded that olive oil contain polyphenols which is a powerful antioxidant that is known to aid in preventing age related diseases.

According to a report done, Soviet Georgia was reported to have the highest centenarians per capita in the 1970s than any other country and the reasons for this being that there was huge intake of yogurt in their diets. Yogurt contain calcium which aid to stave off osteoporosis and has good bacteria that assist in maintaining gut health and helps in diminishing age related intestinal illness. Fish contains omega 3 fats that assist in preventing cholesterol from building up in the arteries and thus protecting against abnormal heart rhythms. This was proven from a research that was meant to study why the Inuits of Alaska were amazingly free of heart diseases and it was found that they consume a lot of fish.

Eating nuts help in gaining an average period of an extra two and a half years. Since nuts contain unsaturated fats, their benefits are similar to those of olive oil. They also contain vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals which includes antioxidants. Moderate intake of alcohol helps in preventing diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and age related memory loss. Most alcoholic beverages have these benefits but according to animal studies, red wine contains resveratrol a compound that is said to activate genes that aid in slowing cellular aging.

According to a landmark study that was published in 1999 after an experiment was carried out at Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center in Tufts University on aging, blueberries were concluded to contain compounds that mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage associated with deficits in memory and motor function that are age related.

Sweet potatoes contain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents and vitamins A, C and E that helps in maintaining a lovely complexion and beautiful hair. An orange a day can make you a day younger because besides containing vitamin C, it boasts the skin firming collagen.