by Kristine Lockhart

Created on: March 09, 2009   Last Updated: March 16, 2009

A long happy life does not come to us through inheritance as money and possessions, no matter how hard we wish. We make lifestyle choices that influence the length and quality of the life we manage. Genetics play a role in the rate our body's age. We either age happily or in a way that reflects our bad lifestyle. Choices we make shape the on slot of aging.

Antioxidants from food choices influence the speed we move toward aging; they tell our bodies how fast to bring it on. We know it is essential to keep our bodies young through diet and exercise and mental activities. Other then the fact that it has less calories do we know why the choice of a veggie over a piece of cake helps us stay slim and trim? Are we knowledgeably enough to always choose the right food to slow down the aging process?

When it comes to choosing foods that help slow down the aging process it is good to remember this old adage, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. This is very sound advice, because an apple is an example of the kind of food that gives the body the best antioxidants. It does not have to be cooked to eat it and it can be gotten fresh off a tree, which is the very best condition for the antioxidants to do their work.

Foods such as fresh berries from a living bush and fruits off a living tree are key foods to help slow down the aging process. Live plants out of the garden are much better then out of a grocery store, by far. A roadside stand during growing season is a good source of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Cooked vegetables are a source of antioxidants too, but not as good a source as fresh ones, with one exception of cooking the tomato, which inhances the antioxidant lycopene. The way fresh vegetables are cooked makes a difference in the quality of antioxidants. Steam vegetables until they are just crispy and of a bright hue; more antioxidants are lost through the higher temperatures of boiling. Baking is not as good as steaming but better then boiling. Eat a wide variety of foods containing good quintiles of antioxidants every day to get utmost benefit from what you eat.

Foods that are best to eat are as follows: the freshest fruits n' veggies found, avocados, green tea, melons, dry beans, red grape juice, red wine, grape seed extract, nuts, seeds and roots along with a host of fresh spices and herbs. There's even chocolate now days infused with antioxidants on the market.

Antioxidants protect our bodies from free radicals, which alter our cells and cause all sorts of diseases. Cancer plagues our world and attacks unprotected and unsuspecting victims every day. As early as the 1950's, scientists have known about free radicals and antioxidants to slow down the aging process.

Learn more about this author, Kristine Lockhart.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.