5 Foods To Make You Look 10 Years Younger

The anti-aging market is probably one of the biggest beauty markets in the world. Expected to tip the $115 billion mark by 2015 in the United States alone, women across the world regularly invest in lotions, potions, scrubs, rubs, plastic surgeries and cosmetic procedures in the hope of making themselves look younger.

As we age, the skin slowly begins to lose collagen. Collagen is what keeps skin elastic, enabling it to "ping" back into place, keeping it looking smooth and line-free.

As collagen production slows down, the skin gradually becomes less elastic and wrinkles start to appear.

How do we react to that? Men who begin to age might be praised for looking distinguished and even sexy, but women have the wrong end of the stick and often feel the need to look for ways to look younger.

For many women, the quest for eternal youth starts as soon as those first fine lines and wrinkles start to appear around the eyes or on the forehead — and even the little "baby" lines that might appear in your late twenties can become the target of your anti-aging quest — but luckily, there is one thing you can do to improve the appearance of skin.

Eat! We all have to do it, anyway. Choosing the right anti-aging foods could drastically improve the health of your skin - and all it takes is a trip to the supermarket.

Snack on Sweet Potatoes

We love sweet potatoes — whether roasted with a little olive oil and paprika as a savory snack, or with a pinch of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey as a sweet snack, they're one of the most versatile members of the potato family.

But sweet potatoes are not only the perfect accompaniment to any Thanksgiving spread, they're a weapon against aging as well! Sweet potatoes are bright orange in color and this comes from the beta-carotene that's found in them, an antioxidant that protects against potentially damaging free radicals.

When you eat foods that are rich in beta-carotene, such as sweet potatoes or carrots, the body converts the beta-carotene into vitamin A.

Vitamin A is responsible for effectively "switching on" the signals within the body responsible for getting rid of old skin cells and for producing new skin cells. Regular turnover of new skin cells is what keeps skin smooth and wrinkle-free — and this is why many common skincare ingredients, such as retinoids, are derivatives of vitamin A.

Eat More Oily Fish

We've known for a long, long time that oily fish is incredibly beneficial for general health, but more recent research like a study by the University of California suggests that oily fish can make you look younger, too — and that's down to the omega-3 content.

Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be produced by the body and so we have to get them from our diet — and oily fish is by far one of the best sources of omega-3s.

When we consume them, they actually boost cell turnover, increasing the production of new cells. They also help to prevent DNA damage and mutation, slowing down damage and in some cases, reversing it. As for skincare, oily fish can repair and prevent damage to skin cells - and wild salmon in particular contains another antioxidant, astaxanthin, which fights against free radicals and can help to prevent actinic keratoses, a skin complaint that causes rough patches of skin which are precancerous.

Dive Into Dark Chocolate

Chocoholics rejoice - study after study has shown that frequent portions of dark chocolate could improve the texture and look of skin. To get your chocolate fix, be sure to choose dark varieties that are at least 70 percent cacao - unfortunately, the antioxidant content in chocolate decreases drastically as the milk content increases, so milk chocolate and white chocolate won't do the same job.

The antioxidants found in in chocolate are known as flavonols, and one study in particular has shown that these flavonols could actually help to protect against damaging UV rays.

Sun damage is widely considered to age skin more than anything else - which is why dermatologists warn against sitting in the sun for too long in your 20s, as you'll pay for it dearly in terms of wrinkles and lines once you hit your 40s. What a great excuse for eating chocolate! For the best results, and to keep skin looking vibrant, snack on one ounce of dark chocolate everyday - yes, everyday!

Learn to Love Leafy Greens

Leafy greens such as spinach, spring greens and kale are not only low in fat and low in calories - making them a great addition to any healthy diet - but they're also packed with antioxidants. Calorie for calorie, they're more nutrient-rich than virtually any other food, containing an A-Z of minerals, nutrients and antioxidants, the most important of which for anti-aging are lutein, omega-3s, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.

These anti-aging antioxidants protect your cells, including skin cells, from free radical damage and boost the production of new cells - while lutein in particular is known to protect against and prevent sun damage as well as the associated skin inflammation and wrinkles. Boost your intake of leafy greens by having a portion with your dinner everyday, eating them either raw or lightly steamed, or whiz them up into a green smoothie.

C for Citrus Fruits (and Vitamin C)

We all know that orange juice is a fantastic source of vitamin C, but virtually every citrus fruit is a great source of vitamin C.

Add oranges, lemons, grapefruits and acerola cherries to your diet (just one acerola cherry contains 100% of your daily needs of vitamin C) and you'll boost collagen production.

As we mentioned earlier, collagen is essential for youthful-looking skin and luckily, vitamin C is one of the essential building blocks for collagen production. When we reach the age of 35, collagen breakdown really starts to speed up, so it's even more important to up your intake of vitamin C in your 30s. Vitamin C also has antioxidant properties, which can prevent against the free radicals that could damage skin cells.

Who knew that anti-aging could be so delicious?

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