Here are the best foods to eat to age gracefully

Ads for collagen-boosting creams and serums abound, but in reality, aging well is all about how we take care of ourselves.

There are several ways for people to age gracefully, and aside from remaining physically active, it’s important to pay attention to what we put into our bodies.

“You have to feed your body good nutrition for it to run like it’s supposed to run. You have to have good maintenance,” Joan Salge Blake a nutritionist and professor at Boston University told WebMD. “You have to start treating your body like you do your cars and your home.”

If you’re looking for a natural way to age healthily, here are several foods you’ll want to incorporate into your diet, as owner of San Diego-based Bazilian’s Healh and registered dietitian Wendy Bazilian, Ph.D. told Real Simple.

Blueberries

High in antioxidants, Healthline reported the natural compounds are helpful in fighting free radicals and they are linked to fewer signs of aging and improved skin quality. The fruit is also high in anthocyanin, which possibly supports the synthesis of collagen, thus promoting healthy skin.

Tea

Studies have shown the benefits of consuming tea, especially green tea, and healthy aging — namely longevity. A study published earlier this year in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology showed that green tea drinkers had lower rates of heart disease, stroke and death compared to drinkers of black tea.

Beans and legumes

Like blueberries, beans and legumes also have antioxidant properties and can remove harmful oxidizing agents from the body. They assist with protecting the body from ongoing issues from metabolism and unhealthy foods while aging, Verywell Fit reported.

Pears

A study published in the journal Neurology earlier this year found that the substances in pears helped lessen the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive disease that destroys memory.

According to Scientific American, the study found that people who consumed the most isorhamnetin-rich foods — pears included — had a 38% lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s.