7 Foods to Keep You Young

Featured Recipes

Herbed Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Serve with sliced baguette for dipping.

Chocolate Soufflé

Soufflés may look like a restaurant-only dessert, but they are actually easy to make. Whip them up right after dinner and enjoy while they're still warm from the oven.

» Chocolate Soufflé

Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust

For this tart a few tablespoons of maple syrup sweeten the blueberry topping and round out the flavor of the cream filling.

» Blueberry Tart with Walnut Crust

This roasted eggplant and feta dip gets a kick from a fresh chile pepper and cayenne pepper. There are countless variations on this classic meze (appetizer) in Greece. Out-of-season eggplant or eggplant that has been heavily watered often has an abundance of seeds, which make the vegetable bitter. Be sure to taste the dip before you serve it; if it's a touch bitter, you can remedy that with a little sugar. Serve with toasted pita crisps or as a sandwich spread.

» Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Ouzo-Poached Figs

This tangy yogurt cheesecake is topped with ouzo-poached figs inspired by sikomaida, a traditional delicacy from Corfu made with dried figs macerated and kneaded with ouzo and pepper, which are formed into disks and dried in chestnut leaves. It's also delicious with seasonal fruits, fresh or dried and poached, or with whole preserves.

» Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Ouzo-Poached Figs

Almond-Crusted Pork with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

Sliced almonds add a delectable, almost-like-fried-chicken crunch to the breading for these tender pieces of pork. We slice the pork thinly to keep the cooking time quick. The resulting pork “fingers” are great dipped in this surprisingly simple, delicious honey, soy and mustard sauce.

» Almond-Crusted Pork with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

Cashew Salmon with Apricot Couscous

Yogurt sauce flavored with lemon, cumin and cilantro tops this Indian-inspired grilled salmon.

» Cashew Salmon with Apricot Couscous

Add years to your life with these recipes for healthy aging.

Can you add years to your life by making smarter food choices? Yes! There are many variables involved in how long you live, but by following a healthy lifestyle, staying active and eating a nutrient-packed diet, you can help slow the aging process and perhaps even stave off age-related diseases, including osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease.

As we age, caloric needs drop, making it even more important to pack your diet with nutrient-rich low-calorie foods, such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains—and limit less-healthy, more calorie-laden treats, such as full-fat dairy and sugary desserts.

Start right now by including more of these 7 antioxidant-rich foods to your diet. We’ve included interesting facts and delicious EatingWell recipes for healthy aging. Here’s to your good health!

Olive Oil

Four decades ago, researchers from the Seven Countries Study concluded that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were largely responsible for the low rates of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of Crete. Now we know that olive oil also contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that may help prevent age-related diseases.

Champagne Vinaigrette

Whirring this champagne vinaigrette in the blender gives it a creamy consistency. If...

Citrus Ginger Cake with Spiced Orange Compote

The flavor of this spiced orange compote improves with time so make it a day ahead...

Couscous, Lentil & Arugula Salad with Garlic-Dijon Vinaigrette

This hearty combination of whole-wheat couscous and lentils perched atop a lightly...

Herbed Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Serve with sliced baguette for dipping.

Roasted Eggplant & Feta Dip

This roasted eggplant and feta dip gets a kick from a fresh chile pepper and cayenne...

Rustic Mushroom Tart

Don't let phyllo dough's fussy reputation put you off: our method of...

Yogurt

In the 1970s, Soviet Georgia was rumored to have more centenarians per capita than any other country. Reports at the time claimed that the secret of their long lives was yogurt, a food ubiquitous in their diets. While the age-defying powers of yogurt never have been proven directly, yogurt is rich in calcium, which helps stave off osteoporosis and contains “good bacteria” that help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness.

Greek Yogurt Cheesecake with Ouzo-Poached Figs

This tangy yogurt cheesecake is topped with ouzo-poached figs inspired by sikomaida...

Herbed Yogurt Cheese

Serve this delicious cheese spread on crostini. Remember to start draining the...

Raspberry-Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt

Jammy raspberries and rich chocolate combine for a delicious, tart frozen yogurt. It...

Roasted Bananas with Chocolate Yogurt Cream

Bananas with yogurt sounds like a simple breakfast combination, but dress the...

Saag Tofu

Also known as palak paneer, saag paneer is an Indian classic composed mostly of...

Spicy Yogurt Chicken

Plain yogurt is a magical ingredient in a marinade. It tenderizes chicken while...

Fish

Thirty years ago, researchers began to study why the native Inuits of Alaska were remarkably free of heart disease. The reason, scientists now think, is the extraordinary amount of fish they consume. Fish is an abundant source of omega-3 fats, which help prevent cholesterol buildup in arteries and protect against abnormal heart rhythms.

Cashew Salmon with Apricot Couscous

Yogurt sauce flavored with lemon, cumin and cilantro tops this Indian-inspired...

Fragrant Fish Soup

Lemony rice, delicately flavored broth and gently poached tilapia are topped with a...

Roasted Halibut with Pickled Beets (Stegte Helleflynder med Rødbeder)

Here delicate white fish is topped with crunchy breadcrumbs and diced pickled beets...

Scallops in Saffron-Tarragon Broth

Tomatoes, tarragon and white wine make a fragrant broth for the scallops in this...

Smoked Trout Salad with Herb & Horseradish Dressing

Smoked trout tops heart-shaped watercress and mixed greens tossed with creamy...

Sugar Snap Pea & Shrimp Curry

This dish is best done at the last minute so the snap peas keep their crisp texture...

Chocolate

The Kuna people of the San Blas islands, off the coast of Panama, have a rate of heart disease that is nine times less than that of mainland Panamanians. The reason? The Kuna drink plenty of a beverage made with generous proportions of cocoa, which is unusually rich in flavanols that help preserve the healthy function of blood vessels. Maintaining youthful blood vessels lowers risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and dementia.

Chocolate-Dipped Gingersnaps

A sprinkling of crystallized ginger and dried cranberries makes these easy,...

Chocolate Fondue

The chocolate will stiffen if it gets cold, so enjoy it while it's still warm....

Chocolate-Fudge Pudding Cake

When you have a craving for a comforting dessert, try this pudding cake, which forms...

Chocolate Soufflé

Soufflés may look like a restaurant-only dessert, but they are actually easy to make...

Dark Fudgy Brownies

We like to use chocolate with 60-72% cacao content in these rich, fudgelike brownies...

Nuts

Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists (a religious denomination that emphasizes healthy living and a vegetarian diet) show that those who eat nuts gain, on average, an extra two and a half years. Nuts are rich sources of unsaturated fats, so they offer benefits similar to those associated with olive oil. They’re also concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

Almond-Crusted Pork with Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

Sliced almonds add a delectable, almost-like-fried-chicken crunch to the breading...

Farro with Pistachios & Herbs

Here we stir fresh parsley and crunchy pistachios into farro for a simple side dish...

Italian Hazelnut Cookies

These crispy cookies are made with Piedmontese staples—hazelnuts and eggs—and called...

Peanut Energy Bars

This carbohydrate-rich bar, full of nuts, seeds, fruit and oats, was adapted from...

Vanilla Bean Flans with Agave Syrup & Caramelized Walnuts

This melt-in-your-mouth custard is delicately flavored with vanilla bean and lightly...

Wine

Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory loss. Any kind of alcoholic beverage seems to provide such benefits, but red wine has been the focus of much of the research. Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that likely contributes to its benefits—and, according to animal studies, may activate genes that slow cellular aging.

Grilled Peaches & Angel Food Cake with Red-Wine Sauce

Grilling luscious seasonal fruit is the perfect way to end an outdoor celebration....

Pork Medallions with Fig & Port Wine Sauce

This dish showcases how deliciously pork complements the sweet and tart tastes of...

Red-Wine Risotto

Rich, red-wine-infused risotto is served as a first course or side dish all over...

Rosemary-Red Wine Marinade

Richer tasting meats like chicken thighs, beef and lamb work best in this red wine...

White Sangria

OK, so it's kind of a contradiction for a sangria, which is named for its blood...

Blueberries

In a landmark study published in 1999, researchers at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging fed rats blueberry extract for a period of time that in “rat lives” is equivalent to 10 human years. These rats outperformed rats fed regular chow on tests of balance and coordination when they reached old age. Compounds in blueberries (and other berries) mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage, which are associated with age-related deficits in memory and motor function.