The key with Omegas is the ratio in which they are taken. To make it easier on you and to ensure that you effortlessly include Omegas in your anti-aging regime, buy a pre-mixed bottle of cold-pressed organic blend of fatty acids which contains the ideal ratio of Omega 3-6-9. I’ve never personally seen any non-organic blends, but in this case, organic is the better way because you are certain your oils don’t contain any added pesticides.

Two of the more popular blends on the market are: Udo’s Oils and Omega Nutrition oils. Most natural health food stores carry both blends, but you can easily find Omega Nutrition oils at Loblaws stores that have a natural health section.

Essential fatty acids go rancid quickly. You should store them in your fridge, NEVER heat them and keep your eyes on the expiry date!

One last thing – essential oils are “good fats” and adding these oils to your diet will not make you gain weight…on the contrary. When I first learned why good oils help with weight management I was blown away.

Just like Omega-3, your body cannot produce Omega-6 fatty acids, therefore you need to deliberately include it in your diet. Omega-6 fatty acids are also an important part of your skincare anti-aging regime because it’s also important for skin and hair growth. Like Omega-3, these essential fatty acids are essential for every living cell in your body.

When it comes to your overall anti-aging regime, Omega-6 fatty acids are important because research shows that they play a crucial role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke. Additionally, Omega-6 has also been shown to regulate a variety of biological processes.

Dr. Nicolas Perricone (often seen on Oprah as the anti-aging expert) is a big advocate of the importance of Omega-3 for your skin, hair and nails. Since your hair, skin and nails are the fastest reproducing cells in your body, they need essential fatty acids like Omega-3.
A lack of Omega-3 in your diet will result in premature aging of your skin and hair (and we wouldn’t want that to happen). It’s also been reported that proper intake of Omega-3 is very effective at protecting the skin against sun damage.

I only realized lately that I was extremely deficient in my Omega-3 intake. I was acing my Omega-6 and 9 intake (more on those later), but I was failing when it came to integrating Omega-3 in my regime.

Omega-3 is a type of fat that the human body needs to function normally. Since our bodies cannot produce Omega-3, we must obtain it directly from our diet. There are three different Omega-3 oils: DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) found in fish, and ALA (Alphalinolenic Acid) found in flax seed and some nuts.

Ideally, you should take 2-4 g of Omega 3 per day. So how do you integrate more Omega 3 in your regime?

Did you know that in France they don’t make the distinctions among nuts? They don’t have the variety of nuts we have here – Brazilian nuts, cashews, almonds, Macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans. When you say nuts in France, they’ll assume you are referring to walnuts.

France is the largest producer, exporter and consumer of walnuts in the world. They not only eat this type of nut in its purest form: raw; they’ve also mastered the culinary art of integrating walnuts in all sorts of dishes by adding them to salads; meat; poultry and, of course, desserts.

It’s a well known fact that many American women look at French women with so much envy. I mean who can blame them when la française eats rich foods, pastries, many litres of wine, loads of desserts and smokes freely.

You might want to know more about juicing because you might want to change a few things in your aging-well regime. I turned to excellent books on juicing before I attempted to do my first juice fast. Since that fast, I’ve incorporated juicing every morning. Along with an appointment with your naturopathic doctor, the following books might give you some great pointers on the basics of juicing.

The Juicing Bible and Juicing For Life.

If you are serious about juicing, you’ll definitely want to start adding juicing slowly into your life. But most importantly, you’ll want to consult with your doctor to make sure you are adopting the right approach for your needs.

You hear constantly: Canadians and Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables; teens are eating less fruits and vegetables than at any other time in history; heart disease is at its highest levels, etc…

Why do you really need all those fruits anyway? Fruits and veggies are plentiful sources of vitamins and minerals (and water), but, more importantly, they are phytonutrient powerhouses. Phytonutrient rich foods offer essential antioxidant and detoxifying benefits to you. Because your body can easily digest fruits and veggies, you’re better able to assimilate those vitamins and minerals. The easier you are able to assimilate those vitamins and minerals, the quicker they will benefit your skin and add a boost to your anti-aging skincare regime.

Ok, so you’re on vacation in Italy (my personal Mecca) or the south of France or Barcelona (Spain) or on the Greek Island of Mykonos or on the Coast of Portugal and you stop a few people and ask them (in their respective language) about their intake of lycopene. Chances are, you’ll get a weird look. Now if you take out your bilingual dictionary and look up the words “tomato” and “cooked tomatoes” and ask these same people about local dishes prepared with fresh tomatoes and cooked/baked tomatoes, you’ll be greeted with a warm smile and possibly an invitation to a nice home cooked meal.

In Canada, the media has recently been talking about the importance of including lycopene-rich foods in your anti-aging regime. But ask any European who eats a Mediterranean diet and they’ll tell you that lycopene is as much a part of their day to day as extra virgin olive oil.

I’m not even going to start suggesting the thousands of different ways you can increase your weekly intake of lycopene-rich foods because there has to be at least 10,000 different tomato base dishes out there. Lycopene might just be the easiest anti-aging power food to add to your anti-aging regime. If you’re not partial to tomatoes, you’ll be happy to know that lycopene can also be found in guava, grapefruit, watermelon and red oranges (who knew a glass of sangria could be that good for you?).

On a more serious note, a number of studies suggest that lycopene can cut the risk of gastrointestinal tract cancers by 30 to 60 per cent. Research also shows that lycopene can decrease men’s risk of prostate cancer by 21 per cent.

Don’t skimp on your tomatoes, they’re good for you!

More on lycopene. Here’s another good read on lycopene.

Did you know that an avocado is a fruit and not a vegetable?

In Canada and in America, we can buy a few different types of avocados. The Fuerte variety of avocados produces larger, smooth, pear-shaped, glossy green fruits with a skin that remains green even when ripped. You cannot find the Fuerte type year round, but you’ll have most chances of finding it in West Indian markets, Brazilian and Latino markets in major cities. The Haas is the type of avocado most commonly found in North America. The Haas is easily recognized by its small to medium pear-shaped, pebbled green fruits that turn blackish-green when ripe.

Avocados are bursting with Anti-Aging Power!

Avocadoes are high in monosaturates (good fats!). The oil content of avocados is second only to olives among fruits, and sometimes greater. A number of clinical studies in humans have shown that avocado oil can reduce blood cholesterol.

A few other reasons to make avocado part of your diet: This rich and tasty fruit provides more than 25 essential nutrients such as protein, potassium (in fact avocados contain 60 per cent more potassium per ounce than bananas), vitamin E, C, B-vitamins, folic acid, iron, copper, phosphorus and magnesium, just to name a few. Avocados also provide calories for energy and beneficial phytochemicals such as beta-sitosterol, glutathione and lutein.

The best way to eat an avocado in my opinion is to slice it, sprinkle salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. If you pair that with a nice baguette…it makes for an enjoyable and light lunch. You can also add avocados to your mesclun mix salads.

Guacamole (Mexican avocado dip) is surely the most popular way to eat avocadoes in Canada and in America. For a more adventurous take on the avocado, I’ll borrow a recipe from a Moroccan friend of Muslim faith. He would always break his Ramadan fast with a fruity shake to prepare his stomach for his first meal of the day, which usually came after sunset. I have to confess, the first time he presented me with a glass of avocado shake, I was almost insulted by the idea of pureeing and adding milk to such a noble fruit, but one sip and I was sold. The avocado shake is a rich, creamy, sugary and delicious way of including avocados to your anti-aging regime. If you’re interested in trying an avocado shake, simply choose your favourite shake recipe and substitute the banana for an avocado!

Click here to find out more information on the health benefits of the avocado fruit.

Click here to read more on the nutritional breakdown of the avocado.

Read more on the different varieties of avocado.