Slow down ageing with right food, ample sleep

New Delhi: Want to age slowly and live a longer life? Eat right, get adequate sleep and stay positive.

"There are a couple of things, one is food for sure. What you eat is what you show on the outside. The second is what and how you think... if you are more positive, if you are happier then your skin and your cells are happy and you don't age as fast as you would if you were unhappy or stressed," Neha Ranglani told IANS on behalf of Sony BBC Earth's show "How to Stay Young".

"The third is sleep, which is super important. These three things determine your youthfulness," added the nutritionist and wellness expert. 

VLCC's wellness expert Anju Ghei said the food one eats has direct impact on physical, mental, and emotional health. 

"A well-balanced diet can provide all the nutrition you need to fuel your daily activities. The total daily calorie intake should take into account the level of daily physical activity," Ghei said. 

Ranglani said "fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains to a small extent and pulses are extremely healthy".

"The more natural and less processed you eat, the slower you age because then you're giving your body the nutrients, vitamins, the anti-oxidants which help to form the collagen and maintain the elasticity of your skin.

"That way, your cells break down and repair faster rather than just breaking down and not repairing because of the unhealthy food," she added. 

How can young professionals include that in life who prefer to grab a bite while on the go? 

Ranglani said: "The whole point is that they need to be organised as to what they would eat the entire day, and depend less on packaged and outside food.

"So if they are organised and carry proper meals for proper timings and instead of eating chips or having tea or coffee, if they pick up fruits or have more of coconut water with malai or have a handful of nuts that would help them give them the nutrients that their body needs. 

"They just need to be mindful about what put in their mouth at every point of time."

Ghei also said eliminating stress, sleeping well and sleeping enough, kicking the butt and curbing alcohol will also make a difference. 

"It's the continued stress and our body's natural, evolutionary response that causes all sorts of health problems, including weight gain," she said. 

To this, Ranglani added: "Tea, coffee, alcohol and cigarettes should not be consumed at all. These things can wreck your whole youthfulness. The internal and external smoke and toxins can actually make your skin look dull and dead, leading to wrinkling and ageing faster.

"These addictions are something which everyone needs to get over for a happy and a healthy life."