Eat these superfoods to look and feel younger, say experts

You are what you eat

It’s often said beauty comes from within – and that includes what you eat. While there are no miracle foods to turn back time, you can look and feel younger by consistently eating a healthy, nutrient-packed diet.

Here are some top age-proofing foods to include in your daily diet to boost your energy, improve your skin and give you a youthful glow.

Almonds

A 2021 study by Nutrients journal found that almonds reduced the appearance of wrinkles and pigmentation in light-skinned, postmenopausal women who consumed just over two daily handfuls of the nuts for nearly six months. The study was partly funded by California Almonds but carried out independently to high standards. Almonds are rich in skin-friendly essential fatty acids, as well as supplying nearly 7mg of antioxidant vitamin E per 1oz (28g) handful – nearly half the recommended daily amount.

Avocados

This beloved green fruit is a rich source of skin-friendly monounsaturated fats. Avocados are also a good source of vitamin E, boosting antioxidant protection for skin cells from the inside out. So now you can enjoy your avo on toast even more, knowing that it's helping you look younger, too.

Berries

Berries are chockful of anthocyanins – potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients that protect against collagen breakdown, according to Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. Plus, Molecules journal found that anthocyanins appear to boost the health of gut bacteria, which in turn can reduce age-related bone loss.

Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants vitamin C and K, which help the body produce collagen, as well as calcium, which improves the appearance of the skin's surface and aids cell turnover. Broccoli also contains a compound called NMN (or nicotinamide mononucleotide), which Washington University scientists found to slow the ageing process in a 2016 study using mice.

Calves’ liver

Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation and research by the International Journal of Trichology has shown a link between lower levels and the early appearance of white hairs. The best copper sources are lambs’ and calves’ liver, as well as nuts and seeds (like Brazil nuts, cashews and sunflower seeds) and crabmeat.

Carrots

Carrots and other orange-red fruit and vegetables – such as tomatoes, red peppers, sweet potato, cantaloupe and apricots – are rich in naturally occurring pigments called carotenoids, which can have a cosmetic effect on (Caucasian) skin, giving it a golden glow. A study in the journal Behavioral Ecology found this increased people’s perception of facial attractiveness.

Cashews

Cashews have over twice the iron concentration of grilled lean ribeye, which may help to reduce hair loss, keep you rosy-cheeked and stave off debilitating fatigue. Cashews contain 6mg iron per 100g, while the same amount of steak only contains 2.6mg. These nuts are also a good source of zinc, which can help in healing skin breakouts.

Citrus fruits

A daily helping of citrus fruits will pretty much guarantee you'll be getting enough vitamin C, which has been linked with less wrinkled and dry-looking skin, thanks to its cell-protecting abilities. One orange provides 81mg of vitamin C, which is more than double the minimum recommended intake of 40mg. Other great sources of vitamin C are peppers, nectarines, strawberries and leafy greens.

Cocoa

An evening cup of cocoa has the power to be a beauty booster – just choose one with a high content of flavanol antioxidants, which are the key ingredient that relaxes blood vessels. Research suggests one cup of high-flavanol cocoa, available in health food stores or online, increases blood and oxygen flow to the skin and decreases sun burn risk, according to the Journal of Nutrition. Go for dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa if you want to reap its benefits.

Eggs

Eggs provide high-quality protein – the basic building block of healthy skin – but are also a good source of iron (found in the yolks) with one egg providing 0.5mg of iron (RDA is 8mg). Iron is vital to keep anaemia, which ages you by making you look tired and pale, at bay. Other good sources are red meat, lentils, leafy greens and nuts.

Grains

Oats, quinoa and pearl barley are lower glycaemic index (slower releasing) carbohydrates that you should be trying to get into your diet (rather than the higher GI ones like potatoes, rice and white bread). Various studies have shown that a lower glycaemic index diet reduces your risk of acne, while higher blood sugar levels are associated with looking older.

Green tea

Drinking a few daily cups of green tea has been linked with less skin damage thanks to having a high level of a key antioxidant known as epigallocatechin gallate (ECGC). In 2019 cell culture studies published in Environmental Pollution, ECGC was shown to protect against pollution-related skin ageing.

Kiwi fruit

A bad night’s sleep can add years to your face. A 2013 study in the journal Sleep found that people rated sleep-deprived individuals as having more wrinkles/fine lines and droopier mouths. For a better chance of a restful night, eat a couple of melatonin-containing kiwi fruit before bed. In a small 2017 clinical trial by Sleep and Biological Rhythms, insomniacs reported better sleep quality and daytime functioning after eating the fruit before bed.

Legumes

One theory as to why legumes, or pulses, could help protect against skin damage and wrinkles is their content of natural plant oestrogens (phytoestrogens). There’s some evidence to suggest that these can help to improve the water content of the skin, as well as protect skin cells from oxidative stress.

Olive oil

In a study by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition involving people from Sweden, Greece and Australia, those with a higher intake of monounsaturated fat, particularly olive oil, had less wrinkling in a sun-exposed site (the back of the hand) than those who favoured butter and margarine. Vegetables and pulses were also linked with less wrinkling.

Picked herrings

Pickled herring, aka rollmops, are extremely high in vitamin D. That's good for future-proofing your bones, but there could be a potential benefit for staving off the appearance of grey hairs too. In one small study by the International Journal of Trichology, premature greying was associated with lower levels of vitamin D, iron and calcium.

Pomegranates

Pomegranates and pomegranate juice are brimming with phytochemicals (a type of compound found in plants) that contribute to healthier ageing, largely due to anti-inflammatory effects. A 2019 human pilot study published in Nature Metabolism found that a compound called urolithin A in pomegranates slowed muscle loss and improved mitochondrial function (the ability of cells to produce energy), which might translate into looking and feeling younger for longer.

Salmon

Salmon is extremely high in Omega-3 fats, which are anti-inflammatory and have been proven to protect against UV damage and increase hydration in various studies. Salmon is also packed with protein and vitamin B12 to help maintain cells.

Soup

A big bowl of vegetable soup is a great way to ensure you get your 5-a-day and feed your skin, hair and nails with the nutrients they need. A 2018 Dutch study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found a statistically significant correlation between soup eating and fewer wrinkles in senior women.

Tomatoes

The red lycopene pigment in tomatoes is better known for its link to a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes. But, according to the Journal of Nutrition, lycopene is also a natural sunscreen, working within our cells to protect against UV-induced sunburn and wrinkles. Tomatoes yield more lycopene when they are cooked – so tuck into tomato paste, passata and canned tomatoes.

Water (plenty of it)

It’s worth repeating: drinking plenty of water is good for your complexion. In a 2015 study published in Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, young women who were asked to drink an extra 2 litres of water a day saw increases in hydration that were enough to 'positively impact normal skin physiology'. In beauty speak that’s plumped out, smoother skin.

White fish

Haddock, cod or any other white fish is packed with iodine, a nutrient that helps keep your metabolism fired up, as well as keeping skin cells healthy. A 2020 study by Clinical Endocrinology found that while iodine levels have increased in the UK population in recent years, deficiency is a problem for vulnerable groups. A 2016 study by The Lancet ranked the UK among the 10 most iodine-deficient countries globally.

Avoid ultra-processed food

Sugary, fatty convenience food with flavourings, emulsifiers and other additives count as 'ultra-processed' (think cookies, hot dogs, savoury snacks and instant noodles). Avoid too much ultra-processed food if you want to live longer, as a high intake has been linked to shorter telomere length by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Telomeres are the sequence of genetic material at each end of your chromosomes. In a nutshell, shorter telomere lengths mean you are ageing faster.

Find out more about ultra-processed foods and why you should limit them in your diet

Last updated by Dominique Ayling