Eat Yourself Younger

Get a more youthful appearance fast by powering up your diet with protein.

- Claire Fox

Protein is about more than building muscle than staving off hunger. Our skin, hair, teeth, nails, brain cells and bones are all protein based. If we don’t consume enough, our skin can’t produce the collagen to keep it supple and we can end up weak, tired and with thinning hair. So it’s no wonder the health and beauty industry is embracing this anti-ageing saviour. And consuming lots of protein doesn’t have to mean a diet packed with meat. Protein is found in a surprising number of foods, which are rich in anti-ageing nutrients.

Almond Milk

Cow’s milk is a great source of protein but for dairy-free followers, such as Gwyneth Platrow, almond milk is a good anti-ageing choice. As well as containing protein, calcium and vitamin E, almond milk boosts the skin’s moisture, says nutritionist Karen Fischer, author of Younger Skin In 28 Days. Supercharge it In Gwyneth’s banana ice-cream recipe, from her book It’s All Good, she cuts out the refined sugar – which can break down skin’s collagen and elastin – and instead sweetens it with antioxidant-rich maple syrup.

Adzuki Beans

Celebrity nutritionist Elizabeth Peytonjones, author of Eat Yourself Young, raves about these beans. “As well as being an almost complete source of protein (containing many of the essential amino acids), the flavonoids in their skin have been shown to be even better at repairing damaged DNA than vitamin C,” she says.

Supercharge it “For our bodies to effectively use protein to create collagen, we should also consume plenty of vitamin C, manganese, copper and zinc,” says Elizabeth. Find them in her adzuki bean salad, which contains all of the nutrients, plus iodine-rich seaweed, to help regulate your hormones.

Garden Peas