Healthy foods to stay young? Of course, you've heard it before, probably when mom insisted to eat more apples and less burger even when you thought you were too young to age. Indeed, mom was right. You'll never know when you'll start to age until you notice some crumpling and folding on your skin. Premature aging might just be a sleep away. And you never want to see that happen.

But it's never too late. You can delay aging now by changing some items on your menu, and it's just another meal away.

You Are What You Eat

The food and all other things that you take or don't take are laying the groundwork for your health and your appearance as well. For example, a person who has a pretty huge room for french fries and beef patties in his stomach may suffer more diseases and may not look age-appropriate. A person deficient in unsaturated fats, on the other hand, may have dry, flaky skin, and eventually look older than he actually is.

According to Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a clinical nutritionist at NYU Medical Center in New York City, what you eat becomes the outer fabric of your body. And the healthier that you put in your mouth, the better you will look. So what should your next meal include?

High- Fiber Foods

Whole grains, cereals, black beans, apples, and pears are just some of the foods that are rich in fiber. Fiber found in these foods moves quickly and relatively easily through your digestive tract keeping bowel movements regular. Thereby preventing constipation,-one of the problems that aging people commonly encounter.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA)

Fish,Walnut, and Flax seed oil are among the best sources of Essential Fatty Acids.EFA especially the omega-3 fatty acids regulate the fluidity or softness of the cell membranes, thus making your cell membranes healthy and hold more moisture. So that means younger looking skin. Deficiency is visible in a hardening of the skin, as with dry skin and acne. And to those who are living in colder climates, you need more EFA for membrane fluidity.

Fruits and Vegetables

Antioxidants from fruits and vegetables fight off free radicals, the byproducts of the body's everyday processes that damage DNA, cells, and tissues. The antioxidants and other phytochemicals lessens the chances of damage to he body's cells. And because you are guarding your cells from premature damage, you are also protecting yourself from premature aging.

Selenium

Eat whole-grain cereals, organ meats, chicken, egg yolk, and garlic.Selenium, found in these foods, plays a key role in making the skin healthy. It is a sulfur-like mineral that lessens the oxidative damage of skin cells. It also helps in regulating the thyroid hormone and helps prevent hypertension, cancer, and stroke. Selenium is often added to antioxidant vitamins.

Easy Move

If you think looking younger is difficult, there's not much to worry. The easiest move you can make is to include more fruits, vegetables, fish, and whole grains to your daily menu. Control yourself from eating foods stuffed with much cholesterol, sodium, and calories. What you get is a healthier body and a younger-looking you.

Well, if you think it's too early to look old, better think twice. It just doesn't feel good to be called older than you really are. And if you think you're too old to look young, you're never right. You can stop aging right at your plate, and even prove that looks can be deceiving.