“No diet will stop the aging process, however a well-managed and adapted diet is one of the essential tools to help us aging well », immediately announces Florence Piquet, dietitian-nutritionist. Balanced and of high quality, our plate can slow down the harmful effects of time, just as it can speed it up if it is low in nutrients and other protective molecules. According to the specialist, the impact of food on aging is at two levels:
Food quality: more and more studies confirm the benefits of a varied, balanced and healthy diet on the functioning of our body. We know that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and simple foods (whole grains, fish, first cold-pressed vegetable oils, etc.) preserves our physiology.
The amount :
An unbalanced and too abundant diet abuses our body which, paradoxically, is malnourished although overfed. Our organs, overworked and malnourished at the same time, can no longer play their role correctly.
The mechanisms involved
In the aging process, diet plays several roles. So she:
Provides the body with the nutrients, vitamins, trace elements and minerals it needs for its physiological functioning
Participates in our immune system, the basic defense structure against disease
Is at the center of our detoxification mechanisms; it helps our body to get rid of toxins which, by clogging it, can accelerate its aging
Can promote or, on the contrary, counter chronic inflammation, an aging accelerator and a factor involved in many chronic pathologies
Provides protective substances that will help the body to fight against the phenomenon of oxidation which leads to the aging of our cells.
Our in-game behaviors
From a certain age, our body’s self-repair systems are no longer as effective. If there is a genetic part in this inevitable process, some of our behaviors can accelerate it: exposure to the sun, smokingalcohol consumption, physical inactivity, stress, dietary errors.