Increase your intake of antioxidants

The process of ageing is largely determined by oxidation, the gradual damage to the cells produced by oxygen burning fuel from the body. The fuel is glucose, and as it is burned with oxygen it creates "exhaust fumes" through oxidation. Oxygen is the most vital nutrient, and every cell depends on a steady supply of it. While the body uses oxygen to extract the energy from food, we make oxidants which cause the damage of the body: skin becomes less soft and flexible and the membranes of cells become gradually less functional. The antidote to the ageing process is to optimize the intake of nature's age defenders: antioxidants. These protect us from the DNA damaging effects of oxidants.

Some foods have higher levels of antioxidants than others, giving them more power to disarm damaging antioxidants. These high-level antioxidant foods are naturally colourful, such as the yellow of turmeric, the blue of blueberries, the orange of carrots, the red of tomatoes and the dark green of vegetables such as broccoli. The different colours denote slightly different kinds of antioxidants, which in combination provide the most protection. Choosing a rainbow of colours when deciding on which foods to eat each day will give you a good range of these important antioxidants.

6000 ORAC (oxygen radical absorbency capacity) a day keeps ageing at bay

Below you can find 20 ORAC different foods that you can incorporate easily into your daily diet. Each serving contains approximately 2000 units, so by choosing at least 3 of these daily you'll hit your anti-ageing target of 6000.

1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 headed tsp made mustard
30g blueberries
1/2 pear, grapefruit or plum
60g blackcurrants, berries, raspberries or strwberries
75g cherries or a shot of cherry active concentrate
1 orange or apple
4 pieces of dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
7 walnuts halves
8 pecan halves
30g pistachio nuts
100g cooked lentils
150g cooked kidney beans
1/3 medium avocado
35g red cabbage
200g broccoli
1 medium artichoke or 8 asparagus spears
1/3 medium glass of red wine

Fruits that have the highest levels of ORACs are those with the deepest colour, such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. One cup of blueberries will provide 9,697 units and you will need to eat 11 bananas to get the same benefits as a cupful of blueberries.
Berries are rich in xylose, which keeps your blood sugar levels even, whereas bananas contain a lot of glucose and, unless you are exercising a lot, will promote abdominal weight gain.

Reduce your oxidant exposure
It is also very important to reduce your exposure to antioxidants: smoking, deep-fry foods, putting cheese on top of a dish and baking or grilling it to go crispy, grilling, roasting or barbecuing meats until they are brown and crispy and caramelizing (burning sugar).
Try instead, poaching, steam.frying (cooking in a covered pan with a little oil or butter and some stock or water) and preparing dishes raw, or only heating them through to serve.
The kind of oils you cook with also makes a big difference. Use butter, coconut oil, olive oil or rapeseed oil for cooking.