Eating fruits, vegetables, protein and healthy fats will not only improve your overall health but will help you look age gracefully. . Eating fruits and vegetables in a rainbow of vibrant colors ensures we get a variety of phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and also helps us maintain a healthy weight. To keep a youthful glow, additional things to consider would be collagen, water intake, sugar intake, healthy fats, antioxidants and gut health. Lets discuss some tips and foods to add to your diet to  look younger!

Collagen

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It is found in your bones, muscles, skin, and tendons. Collagen helps make the skin elastic.  It also plays a role in joint and bone health. In the skin, collagen provides strength and elasticity. With age, we do not have as much collagen and what we have becomes thinner and weaker.

Besides the skin, collagen has been proven to have many different effects on the body. Adding more collagen to your body provides a variety of health benefits. It can help with joint pain, bone loss, muscle mass, heart health, and help keep you looking younger. You can also add some collagen rich foods to your diet to help you age gracefully such as bone broth, chicken, eggs and fish.

Currently, many people take a collagen supplement for weight loss or maintenance as collagen can help increases our metabolism. These supplements can also help keep us feeling fuller for longer so possibly reducing eating or snacking.

Drink water

Water keeps your body hydrated and functioning properly, but water also helps maintain your skin’s elasticity. You can prevent wrinkles and fine lines from forming as quickly, by drinking about ½ your body weight in ounces of water a day. You can also add water to your body by eating foods with high water content such as watermelon and cucumbers!

Drinking more water will also keep your collagen hydrated.   Fully hydrated skin will appear fuller or plump which will smooth out some wrinkles making them look less noticeable. Another benefit of drinking lots of water is to help flush out toxins in your body which can also affect the appearance of your skin.

Lower your sugar intake

We love sugar! It tastes good and can be addictive. What you might not know is that your sugar intake can affect the firmness of your skin. Eating sugar or lots of carbohydrates which turn into sugar, can lead to collagen damage. This can contribute to wrinkles and sagging skin. An easy way to use your diet to look younger is to avoid sugary foods and maintain steady blood sugar levels.

Add healthy fats to your diet

Key elements in a diet to  look younger are essential fatty acids like omega-3s and omega-6s. These are the building blocks of healthy cell membranes. These healthy fats also help produce the skin’s natural oil barrier, which is important to keeping skin hydrated, plumper, and younger looking. Omega -3 fats can also help with redness and acne by reducing inflammation.  Omega-3 fats are found in fatty fish like salmon and plant sources such as chia seeds and walnuts. Omega-6 fats are found in soybeans, nuts and seeds, meat, poultry fish and eggs.

Antioxidants and Vitamin C

Think of an apple that has been cut open and exposed to the air. After some time exposed to oxygen, the white flesh of the apple turns brown. I like to think of adding antioxidants to my diet as protecting my body’s insides and skin from being “turned brown” like an apple.

Antioxidants help the skin repair itself. Inflammation reduces the skin’s ability to renew itself. When antioxidants reduce inflammation, the skin can repair itself and correct visible damage. Antioxidants can also remove free radicals from the body which can then damage cells and make you more susceptible to illness.

Adding antioxidants to your diet is simple! Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, and even cocoa. As a bonus, fruits, vegetables and whole grains high in antioxidants are also typically high in fiber which also help your gut health.

Some antioxidants, like vitamin C, can also stimulate collagen production. Eating foods high in vitamin C  can help regenerate skin cells, reduce wrinkles and fight against the ultraviolet aging of your skin when exposed to sunlight.

A vitamin C serum can also help protect your skin from aging. Add this into your skin routine to help with hydration, brightening, reducing the appearance of discolouration and to help promote collagen production.

Gut Health

The gut microbiome is the bacteria found in your intestines that influences your overall health, especially your skin.  A healthy gut can prevent and heal illnesses in the digestive tract, immune system, cardiovascular system and even support a good mood.  An unhealthy gut can not only affect many parts of your health but can change the appearance of your skin, increase inflammation, and contribute to skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea.

A great way to improve gut health is to have a balanced diet including lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and wholegrains. Fiber rich foods feed the healthy bacteria in your gut, promotes proper digestion and elimination.

Adding probiotic-rich or fermented foods, as well as taking a supplement containing probiotic and prebiotics can help you look better and feel better by improving your gut health.

Adding more fruits and veggies to your diet to look younger

Your mother was right when she told you to eat your fruits and vegetables. Not only do they help with weight loss, preventing diseases and fueling your body, but they will help you stay looking young.

Try to add at least one fruit or vegetable to each meal. Often this is hard for people who enjoy cereal or toast for breakfast. I enjoy a chia pudding with fruit each morning. This gives me protein, fiber and a serving of fruit. A smoothie is also a great option.

Make your snacks count. Plan some snacks to take to work or eat when you are hungry. Have a handful of nuts with an apple. This will keep you full and give you fiber and a fruit. Humous and veggies, yogurt and fruit, celery and pb or a smoothie are all great options. Choosing cookies and granola bars not only  are a minute on the lips and a lifetime on the hips but will increase your sugar intake.

When planning your lunch and dinner, half your plate should be veggies. When cooking vegetables as sides, try roasting a medley so you do not get bored of a half a plate of one thing. Add a salad to your meal, add veggies to soups and casseroles. There is nothing worse then eating the same thing over and over so try different recipes and ideas. In the summer, there are lots of recipes for dinner salads. Add some fatty fish like salmon into your week to get those omega 3’s!

The more you eat healthy foods, the more you crave them. Sound like a trick but it is true. Try to commit to adding some fruits and veggies back into your diet for 2 weeks and see. Your taste buds rejuvenate every 2 weeks!  With a change in how you see food and some new taste buds, you might find your cravings change.

I would love to hear your tips and tricks to adding healthy foods to your diet to help you look younger! If you would like more information on the supplements I use, please message me here.

The world went a little crazy during the COVID pandemic beginning in 2020. Suddenly, the world shut down, everyone was home together, and we had to all mask up! All the kids were home from school and stress was high. My older children struggled with social isolation from missing school and the end of their activities. At home learning was a real pain for students, teachers and parents alike. However, when I look back now at the implications of that time, the pandemic toddler is where I can see some fairly big effects. My pandemic toddler was my 2 year old Ravyn.

When my older kids were toddlers, we did an activity every day. There were activities like indoor gyms, outdoor playgrounds, skating, tobogganing, biking, play dates and swimming. By the time Jack was in school, I had Kaede in the gym daycare while I worked out as well. My older kids were also at home with me when they were little but there were many opportunities to not only socially interact with other children but to explore the world, grow their minds and grow their bodies.

Since my other 4 children are 9 years or more older then the youngest, Ravyn does not have kids her age to play with within the home. Even when the older kids are home from school, they are interested in doing other activities. We had ravyn registered in gymnastics and music before the pandemic to interact with other kids her age as well as to help with her development. Unfortunately, all of a sudden, she was not only home and isolated, but she was dealing with the stress of the household.

Social skills

Ravyn is a huge blessing. She has brought joy into all of our lives. During the pandemic, her silly and happy nature was so healing for the rest of the family. Unfortunately, 5 people hanging on her every word and playing with her did not help her development.

When my son was 3 years old, we would go to the park, and he would follow other kids around and stare at them. He had to learn how to greet other children and invite them to play with him. Thank goodness this stage did not last too long because it was terribly awkward and hard to watch as a parent. The pandemic toddler did not get the opportunity to creepily stare at other children as the parks were closed.

The highlight of the week was the grocery store for Ravyn. The poor thing was protected and did not leave the house. Still, to this day, 2 years later, going to the grocery store is really fun for her. She would rather go to the store then play with her toys. There was no creepy staring boy at the playground. Instead, Ravyn got to see cashiers with masks and mom trying to open the produce bag without licking her finger. That could take a really long time.

The skills required to get your older sister to give you a snack or convince your mom you can stay up late are very different to the social skills needed to hang out with other toddlers and preschoolers. Ravyn did not learn these skills when she was 2-3. Towards the end of the summer, parks were reopened where we lived but we were scared to do too much inside. Her classes did not resume. Ravyn turned 3 that winter which she spent in the  Edmonton area, isolating in the freezing cold.

As spring opened up in 2021, we could go to parks and outdoor activities. Mask rules were still in effect and groups indoors were still regulated. Ravyn began to see other children her age again but was delayed in how to greet them, play with them, take turns and other social rules. Even something as simple as how close to stand to another child was not yet learned. Often Ravyn interacted with the adult at the park or activity as she was used to bigger people interactions. It became my mission to socialize her as much as possible while still being safe.

Many kids have other siblings at home. During the pandemic, these kids had to share, take turns and play with their siblings. However, you interact with your sibling different then a friend. You would not reach down and take a bite of your friend’s sandwich, but you might eat your little brothers…the social rules are different. The pandemic toddler and preschooler in daycare also continued to learn these social skills that kids not in daycare did not learn.

What kind of social cues do you learn just from people’s faces? When you used to greet someone in a mask, did you still smile? Did you try to smile with your eyes while wearing a mask? I wonder if some of these non-verbal social skills were also lost on the pandemic toddlers if they only saw people outside of their family unit wearing masks.

Gross motor development

During the colder months, the pandemic toddler and preschooler missed the indoor play gyms, swimming pools and mom /tot gym time. Growing that center of balance, learning how to jump, climb, throw a ball and run are all important parts of gross motor development. Much to my husband’s dismay, Ravyn made places to jump off with stools and chairs, which hubby found dangerous. During the first spring, I even put the outdoor plastic slide in my living room so she could learn to climb a ladder.

By the time we were back at the outdoor parks, Ravyn was scared of going too high or more worried about the other kids at the park because she did not know how to initiate contact. Ravyn was too nervous to try to climb.  Luckily, we could spend time in the back yard throwing balls and we went for walks so she could run. This year, I let her ride her scooter in the house to develop more core strength. Ravyn’s gross motor skills are delayed even with my little interventions.

Stress

The change of the spring of 2020 hit every family. It did not matter if you were seniors at home worrying that you were high risk, or 2 single people now home all the time together. The giant changes and worry about the future effected every family. Kids were terribly upset about at home learning. Finding the technology to have kids use video for classes, making sure they were paying attention, that they had their video on and not seeing their friends sucked. Lots of kids fell way behind class average on this platform. One of my kids said the “not knowing” was the most stressful part of the pandemic as school was online, then in person then online so she kept worrying it would change. Learning to wear masks all day also was difficult for many kids and adults.

Some families suffered financial stress. Many parents were out of work or even lost their jobs. Large families were at home, stuck together and upset. Each family handled this differently between baking, eating, binging Netflix or starting a family band. Our little ones absorbed this stress. Younger children can show stress with emotional outbursts, anxiety, separation issues, changes is sleeping, nightmares or even physical pain. Long term stress can also affect brain development.

Some kids are more sensitive to the moods of people around them as well. I wonder if this stress will be studied as this group of children grow older. The mothers that were pregnant during the pandemic also had extra stress.  I feel like I would have been very nervous pregnant during the pandemic and that might not have been good for the child I would have been carrying.

Mom Guilt

I can not speak for all moms, but with everything that was happening in my home over the pandemic and since, Ravyn watched more tv then my other kids were ever allowed to. Ravyn got used to the kids being home and then she was the only child at home again after being used to having so many people around. Ravyn got to watch some shows so that I could help the kids in school, work, cook and clean. I have some bad mom guilt over this. What’s done is done and so I have to get over it. Why is mom guilt so hard to let go of?

What now?

This past school year, we registered Ravyn at 3 years old, in a preschool. We were very lucky in that we could afford preschool. Traditionally in my family, I wait until the kids are 4 years old to attend a regular school. At 3 years old, I put the kids in some unparented programs here and there based on their interests. However, due to Ravyn’s complete social isolation, we decided that she needed to attend regularly. Ravyn was also ready and wanting to go to school. However, preschool might not be affordable to all families.

Once activities opened up again, Ravyn and I have been doing as much as we can outside of the home. I had to make time for bike riding, the park, playdates with other kids, events in the community and so on. Swimming lessons  were cancelled for such a long time that I forgot to start Ravyn in them this year. We have lots to catch up on and my family had to make it a priority.

I have noticed lots of ways my older kids have been affected by the pandemic as well. My sporty kid learned to play Minecraft and now does not want to do team sports anymore. One of my kids fell behind with online learning and will have to catch up. For 2 years, the grade 12’s and their families did not get to have their big graduation ceremony that they deserved. Every age group has been affected by the pandemic as well as the toddlers.

The bright side

There are lots of positive changes that have been made because of the pandemic. I feel that many children and adults had to learn that they can not control everything. We all had to learn how to better cope with change. This time also taught me that  I enjoyed not driving kids to all their activities every night. Now, our family is not over scheduled and we like it that way.   I also went from a big social extravert to someone who enjoys being by herself. It will be interesting to look back in 10 years to see how the pandemic might have changed how we do things.

How did your family manage during the pandemic? What did your children find the most challenging? I would love to hear from you!

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