Top 10 Anti-Aging Foods to Fit Into Your Diet

These anti-aging foods will help you eat your way to a longer life expectancy. Add these delicious foods into your daily diet and you will be decreasing your risk for illnesses and age-related problems. Just pick one or two to add in each week.

1

Avocados

Avocado and eggs
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Avocados have to be one of the most delicious foods out there. Mix up a little guacamole or slice a few up on your salad for an anti-aging treat. Avocados are one of the best foods around for anti-aging and longevity. Why? First of all, they are delicious. But more importantly, avocados are filled with healthy fats and other nutrients to help your body live longer and work better.

2

Walnuts

Cracked and whole walnuts on burlap
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Walnuts are the perfect snack for anti-aging. They give you protein and omega-3s in a safe, convenient form. Eat a handful every day. Walnuts are a great anti-aging food because of the amount of omega-3s in just a handful. These omega-3 fatty acids are real longevity tools. They fight off heart disease by improving your HDL cholesterol level. Make walnuts part of your day, every day.

3

Vegetables

Woman holding a basket full of vegetables
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Eating your vegetables for anti-aging may not seem like interesting advice, but the impact of eating enough vegetables on your life expectancy is extreme. Vegetables are a great source of nutrients and antioxidants. Not only that, but vegetables also help you lose weight. Eat five to nine servings every day to help your body make repairs and live longer.

4

Water

Woman filling up a bottle of water at the sink
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Our bodies need water to fight off aging and damage. Drink lots of water every day to keep your body functioning well. Water is a multi-billion dollar industry.

There are many claims that drinking water can "detox" your body. Most of these claims are not fully backed by research. However, drinking plenty of water is important for many reasons including getting rid of waste.

And drinking water is a healthier choice than sugary beverages full of empty calories.

5

Chocolate

Stack of chocolate squares
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The fact that chocolate has anti-aging properties is proof that the universe is a kind and loving place. Eat chocolate (not too much) for anti-aging benefits. Chocolate is one of the world's favorite foods. Recent research shows that eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate also brings health benefits to your heart. The antioxidants in dark chocolate protect your heart against aging, damage, and heart disease.

6

Berries

Bowl of mixed berries
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For an anti-aging dessert, have a bowl full of berries. Pack in those vitamins and avoid sugary alternatives. Berries are a great source of antioxidants and other nutrients. Eat more strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries to help with anti-aging and longevity. Not only do berries fight free radicals that cause damage to your body, they also provide other essential nutrients. Work berries into your weekly diet.

7

Red Wine

Close up of red wine being poured into a glass
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Good news! Red wine has properties to make you younger. Just a glass or two a day has amazing anti-aging benefits. Red wine has been reported to have a multitude of health benefits. Numerous scientific studies support some benefits of red wine.

8

Green Tea

Green tea in a teacup
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Green tea is an ancient drink for good health and longevity. The antioxidant benefits of daily consumption of green tea are well known. A little drink of green tea a couple of times a day could do wonders for your life expectancy. Switching green tea for sodas in the afternoon would have multiple benefits.

9

Melons

Many different types of melon cut in half and sitting on a wooden table
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Melons are delicious. They are also a great source of a wide range of vitamins. Eat a different kind of melon every week for excellent health benefits. Melons are a delicious source of vitamins and other nutrients. Watermelons and cantaloupe are easy-to-find and inexpensive sources of great anti-aging foods. Add melons to your daily foods for a big healthy boost to your diet.

10

Beans

Scoop of mixed dry beans
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As far as anti-aging foods go, beans are one of the best around. Your heart will love the healthy, fat-free protein, and other anti-aging properties of beans. Beans are a great anti-aging and longevity food. They provide healthy protein without all the fat that you find in animal products. Beans also provide a large supply of antioxidants that prevent damage by free radicals. Work beans into your weekly menu for their anti-aging properties.

9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Avocado, raw.

  2. Santos HO, Price JC, Bueno AA. Beyond fish oil supplementation: the effects of alternative plant sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids upon lipid indexes and cardiometabolic biomarkers—an overview. Nutrients. 2020;12(10):3159. doi:10.3390/nu12103159

  3. Sperkowska B, Murawska J, Przybylska A, et al. Cardiovascular effects of chocolate and wine-narrative reviewNutrients. 2021;13(12):4269. doi:10.3390/nu13124269

  4. Skrovankova S, Sumczynski D, Mlcek J, Jurikova T, Sochor J. Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in different types of berries. Int J Mol Sci. 2015;16(10):24673-24706. doi:10.3390/ijms161024673

  5. Lombardo M, Feraco A, Camajani E, Caprio M, Armani A. Health effects of red wine consumption: a narrative review of an issue that still deserves debateNutrients. 2023;15(8):1921. doi:10.3390/nu15081921

  6. Abe SK, Saito E, Sawada N, et al. Green tea consumption and mortality in Japanese men and women: a pooled analysis of eight population-based cohort studies in Japan. Eur J Epidemiol. 2019;34(10):917-926. doi:10.1007/s10654-019-00545-y

  7. Smeets ETHC, Mensink RP, Joris PJ. Effects of L-citrulline supplementation and watermelon consumption on longer-term and postprandial vascular function and cardiometabolic risk markers: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in adults [published online ahead of print, 2021 Dec 6]. Br J Nutr. 2021;128(9):1-34. doi:10.1017/S0007114521004803

  8. Ali S, Rahman AU, Ali E, et al. Insights on the nutritional profiling of cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) via 1-naphthalene acetic acidPlants (Basel). 2023;12(16):2969. doi:10.3390/plants12162969

  9. Grela ER, Samolińska W, Kiczorowska B, Klebaniuk R, Kiczorowski P. Content of minerals and fatty acids and their correlation with phytochemical compounds and antioxidant activity of leguminous seeds. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2017;180(2):338-348. doi:10.1007/s12011-017-1005-3

By Mark Stibich, PhD
Mark Stibich, PhD, FIDSA, is a behavior change expert with experience helping individuals make lasting lifestyle improvements.