You say tomato, we say anti-ageing

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SUPERMARKET shelves are bursting with superfoods packed with anti-ageing properties and antioxidants.

Without spending an extra penny or persuading the family to tuck into anything unfamiliar, the weekly shop can be a chance to stock up on a variety of vitamin shots.

A new super nutrient, FNA, has just been discovered in tomatoes.

It’s ten times more potent than vitamin C and 14 times more powerful than the antioxidant in red wine, which research suggests has anti-ageing properties.

It just goes to show we don’t have to spend a fortune on exotic “superfoods” such as Simon Cowell’s favourite goji berries and acerola cherries.

Here, Wellbeing’s nutritionist AMANDA URSELL shows you ordinary fruits and vegetables brimming with goodness.

And below, fitness expert NICKI WATERMAN reveals how exercising can be just as simple, making use of free or inexpensive methods to improve your fitness.

TOMATOES: Model Helena Christensen, 42, is a big fan and says: “I have omelette for breakfast, usually with tomatoes and basil.”

As well as FNA, tomatoes also contain the red pigment lycopene, which could help slow down problems associated with ageing.

In one study on nearly 90 older people, those with the most lycopene were far more able to fend for themselves with tasks such as tying shoelaces and buttoning shirts.

The good news is lycopene is even better absorbed when tomatoes are cooked, so tinned tomatoes are a perfect choice.

CARROTS: Spice Girl Melanie B, 36, says: “I snack on carrot and celery salad between meals, which I love.”

Carrots get their vibrant orange colour from the super nutrient pigment beta carotene.

Scientists believe this collects under our skin to give us an internal sun protection factor of about four.

Kills viruses … apple

Eaten regularly along with other beta carotene-rich foods such as oranges, sweet potatoes, dark green veg, apricots and peaches, the carrot may be just what we need as part of an anti-ageing skin routine.

Like tomatoes, canned and cooked carrots are better than raw because the beta carotene is easier to absorb.

APPLES: Television presenter Davina McCall, 43, says: “In between breakfast and lunch I have an apple to keep me going.”

You may not give much thought to the apples in your fruit bowl yet they contain an astonishing 150 super nutrients.

One antioxidant, quercetin, appears to help kill off viruses. Don’t peel your apples because the valuable quercetin sits just under the skin.

BANANAS: Jenni Falconer, 35, TV presenter and mum-to-be, says: “I have banana and yogurt for breakfast and really enjoy it.”

High in potassium … bananas

Great as a filling snack, one medium banana has 100 calories — less than many cereal bars and most cappuccinos.

Unlike these other snack options, bananas are rich in potassium, which helps us to flush out excess stored water.

Combined with a low-salt diet, a banana a day can can help us de-bloat, shrinking swollen ankles, wrists and tummies.

GREEN BEANS: Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, 51, loves green beans. She says: “I saw bundles of green beans tied with Parma ham in an Italian shop and went home and made my own.”

Green beans give us a trace mineral called silica. The highest concentration is found in our skin and researchers think it maintains the plumpness of the cells between the skin’s collagen and elastin fibres.

POTATOES: Fitness expert Carly Cole, 27, says: “I love to cook dinner. I’ll usually do chicken or steak with veg and potatoes.”

They may not sound very likely superfoods but an average 175g portion of new boiled potatoes gives you 15mg of vitamin C.

 

To put this in perspective, this is almost as much as a satsuma. Potatoes also bump up fibre intake.

ORANGE JUICE: Sugababe Heidi Range, 28, says: “If I go to the gym, I have orange juice afterwards. I like it with the bits in.”

A glass of orange juice has at least 170 super nutrients, plus lots of immune-boosting, skin-saving vitamin C, potassium and B vitamins needed for strong nerves.

One of its most studied super nutrients is hesperetin, which helps vitamin C remain potent and powerful.

The vitamin C will also help your immune system.

Oranges also give us the yellow pigment called lutein, another antioxidant, which seems to help to protect our skin from sun damage.

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