Foods to stay younger longer

In “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” by Oscar Wilde, Dorian was able to avoid (for a while, at least) the tribulations of aging by making a deal with the devil to have his portrait get old and wrinkly as he stayed young and smooth-skinned. A masterpiece of self-deception for sure.

Chances are you are making an opposite — but just as deadly — deal every day. You’re eating foods that age you inside and out and leaving restorative choices on the shelf — and it’s making you old before your time. But what if you could turn that around and become younger-looking and -feeling just by painting harmful foods out of the picture and choosing foods that help suppress inflammation?

Foods that age you: grilled and fried foods, red and processed meats, saturated and trans fats, added sugars and syrups and highly processed carbs. They all contribute to bodywide inflammation by adding belly fat, damaging your gut biome and causing cellular damage that injures your tissues and organs. Type 2 diabetes, dementia, arthritis, cardiovascular disease and cancer can be caused or worsened by chronic inflammation. FYI: Folks who eat the most inflammatory foods have a 46% increased risk of heart disease.

Inflammation-fighting foods that make you younger: green leafy and dark yellow vegetables, salmon, ocean trout, sardines and anchovies, extra-virgin olive oil, berries, pears, tomatoes, avocados, apples, whole grains, filtered black coffee and tea. Build your diet around these and you’ll be younger longer — even if you are turning a bit gray around the temples!

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www.sharecare.com.