Age Is Just A Number, Right?

Satchel Paige, a former baseball player, once said, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"

Now, I think we would all love to say an age much younger than we really are, but for me, if I didn't know how old I was, I would tell people I was probably somewhere in my late 40s.  Why not something younger?  Because I don't look younger and I definitely don't feel it.  While I don't feel (or act) my current age, I definitely don't feel like I'm in my 20s or 30s.  So, I feel pretty comfortable with late 40-something IF I didn't know how old I was.  But I do know, so there we are! :-)

BUT, if you are concerned about your age and are looking for the proverbial "Fountain of Youth", I found this list of suggested anti-aging foods.  While I do eat some of these foods, there are others that I wouldn't eat even if you chased me down and shoved them in my mouth!  It's just the way it is...so, on with our list.

BERRIES (Yum)
Berries have quite a bit of "anti-aging" oxidants.  If you want to look and feel younger, eat blueberries.  If you want to lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke or blood clots, eat blackberries.  If you want to do both, eat all you want of these yummy, yummy berries!


CANTALOUPE, CARROTS, SWEET POTATOES (Yum, Blech and Meh)
Looks like I will be getting all of my beta-carotene, Vitamin C and zinc from cantaloupe.  We all know my feelings about carrots! :-)


RED PEPPERS AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS (Yum and Blech)
Both of these veggies are loaded with Vitamin C, which helps build collagen and lots of healthy cells.  It is believed that sulfur compounds in Brussels Sprouts help prevent tumor growth.

KALE (never had it)
Kale has large amounts of Vitamin K, which helps lower the risk for heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer and is said to help lower blood pressure.

CUCUMBERS (Love these)
The peel of a cucumber is said to boost collagen levels and help prevent wrinkles.  I guess we should look at the peels of cucumbers to see if that wrinkle prevention really works.


SPINACH (Can't get enough)
I know that you all are shocked that I like spinach, but I really do...honest!  Spinach is packed with Vitamin C, which helps you have shiny, smooth hair.  I suppose the Vitamin C battles my Italian heritage in the hair department....I do not have smooth, shiny hair!


TOMATOES AND WATERMELON (Ewww and Yum)
I have never, ever liked tomatoes.  I do like ketchup and salsa, but cannot eat a tomato.  I suppose this is leftover from some childhood trauma.  Tomatoes and watermelon contain lycopene, which reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer.  They also help protect skin from wrinkle-causing UV rays. I have wrinkles...clearly I am not eating enough watermelon!



I know there are many other foods which help keep us healthy and are good for our skin.  I just thought I would share a short list!

Back to the first question.  How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?






sharing on Cozy Little House  

46 comments

  1. We love/ hate a lot of the same foods...and I have never had kale either. Rabbit food...no thank you. Hmmm. How old? Well, in my head in the junior's section with my kids, I am about 24 until I pass a mirror or try something on the dressing room. Oh boy! Then I know exactly how old I am!

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    1. LOL...I know what you mean!! And you are so right about the clothing. I have to primarily shop in the junior dept (toward the larger/wider end of the sizes) and the daisy duke shorts just don't work for me....at all!!!

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    2. Kale sucks. Just saying.

      I feel like I'm in my early 30s, until I look in my magnifying mirror each morning to put my make-up on. It's so scary that my friends won't even look into it lol

      Daisy Dukes... um no. Not since I was actually in my early 30s ;)

      xo

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    3. LOL.....I've heard more negatives than positives on the kale, so I think I will let it pass...LOL Yeah, I won't look in the magnifying mirror either....just putting in my contacts and looking in the mirror each day gives me a shock! ;-) I look at it this way...if Katherine Bach can no longer wear the daisy dukes, then neither can I...LOL Hugs!!

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  2. You know, I look a little younger than my age, (in my late 30s) except for needing to touch my hair up, which reminds me of how old I really am (almost mid 40s)! This may sound really gross, but every morning now, I have half a banana, half an avocado, a handful of kale, and about 1 cup of water (a little more if it's too thick) , blend it all up in a smoothie. It's really good, and it helps give me a boost of energy! As for everything else, love it!

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    1. See, you like all of these foods…we now know they work as described and how you stay so young-looking and why I look like a prune! :-) Seriously, I’ve heard that those smoothies are really good and the fruit balances the taste of the veggies. I’ve got some saved on my Pinterest board and keep telling myself to get started on them! You are beautiful and always look great! Hugs!!

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    2. And don't forget a nice scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder, in your smoothie. Though not tooooo 'chocolate-y', it can mask a whole lot of veggie taste.

      And you can see, that I am not a big fan of just plain veggies. Need that fruit and protein powder in there. Wimp that I am!

      But get your Protein Powder from a pharmacy which features such health items. I'd not trust just any old Protein Powder. :-((((( How do you know it's not mainly sawdust????

      Tessa

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    3. LOL @ sawdust!!! You are so right! And I'm wimping right along with you, I need something to balance out the taste of the veggies...something sweet like the Chocolate Protein Powder is perfect for me!

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    1. LMAO......I love it! That would definitely make people pause if you told them you were 85!!

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  4. I think I would go back to 48, when I started the horrid menopause that I'm steal dealing with stuff from now. And see if there was ANY way to do something different so it wouldn't have been so life-altering. I wouldn't want to go back any farther than that I don't think.
    Brenda

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    1. Girl, I am so with you! 48 was when I started also and it hasn’t left me yet! I would stay around mid-40s….it’s a nice round age…not too young, not too old.

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  5. it's essential food we need to eat to feel [stay?] young, right. I'm pretty sure my grandmother called it 'live'... anyhow,I feel vastly different depending on the [time of] day. right this second, I feel like 209. but I just got up and hadn't had coffee yet... and I'm pretty sure that at one point today I will feel like 15 and that life is unfair and boring and incredibly dull. and then there is everything else in between...

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    1. LOL....I know exactly what you mean!! Feeling and being young or old are two completely different things and places in time. I've known some younger people who just seemed so old...way before their time...it would probably be, for them, the consumption of McDonald's hamburgers 24 hours a day...LOL

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  6. I love ALL of those foods! (Honey, you need to try my brussel sprouts casserole, but I only make it for special occasions, so book your reservations now for Christmas, which is the next time I'll be cooking for a big crowd). I pop tomatoes in like candy. I break out and start dancing in aisles when I'm shopping with my daughters or sisters or husband. So, what's that make me, about 10? Mid to late 40s most days, too close to my real age on other days. One thing I know for sure (channeling Oprah there), I would not go back to relive any of the days before, no sense in that. That's what blogs and diaries are for. ;)

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    1. It's funny, while I've never actually eaten Brussels sprouts, I love the smell of them. Save me a place...or two...I'll have to bring the hubster along. LOL...let me know next time you are dancing so that I can be behind you recording it...that's the best blog material ever,,,and 10 is a great age!!!! :-) I'm with you...I have no desire to go back and relive all that time....I like dreaming about what I would have done differently...it's a lot less trouble!! :-)

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  7. I'm in trouble if these keep you younger... except for the berries and spinach! lol! Unfortunately, I'm a picky eater. Maybe the two alone, will help me in the aging process! I'm 47, wish I could go back to about 44 and freeze that age! :) ~Hope you're having a great week! Rhonda

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    1. Givin' you a "high 5" girl, cuz I'm the same way...very picky and the berries and spinach are the best for me. I love cantaloupe and watermelon, but really have to have a taste for it and it needs to be blistering hot outside! 44 is a good age...very good. I have many fond memories of that age....it was just so long ago for me...LOL Hope you are too! Hugs!!

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  8. I can eat all of those good things. Enjoying some, more than others, of course.

    Good question..... I'd probably pick in my 60's. (I am 78, remember...) In my 60's I gave myself permission to question religion. Spent a long time, coming to my decisions. And have never been happier.

    So, even though I may like the way I looked, at 50... I would choose the way I felt, in my 60's. And how you feel, influences how you look also. So... All in all... That was a cool time.

    But at my real age, I am simply delighted to still be moving around! Still feisty! Still learning! Still finding new things, to delight in!

    So, I guess, I'm pretty darn happy, with my present age!!!! :-))))

    Cool post, my Dear.

    Gentle hugs,
    Tessa

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    1. Thank you so much!! Tessa, I think you are at a delightful age and enjoy your wit and writing immensely! Wisdom comes at all ages and I suppose we seem to enjoy the age the most that contained the wisdom we enjoyed and reveled in the most! I agree that how we feel definitely influences how we look and our attitude on life...which keeps a 78-year-old acting and feeling like a 60-year-old, which is marvelous!! Hugs!!!

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  9. I eat berries and Kale almost every day! Good post!

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    1. Thanks so much! I love berries but have never eaten Kale. I’ve heard wonderful and negative things about the taste. I need to give it a try, one day, when I am brave! ;-)

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  10. LOL! I am 35 ;-) But I have learned all the lessons of an older woman. Ha!
    Kale is tasty. I grew it last year in my garden and again this year. I love to saute it with butter. Does butter help with any of the beauty secrets you mentioned. LOL
    Have a great day!
    Carla

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    1. I love that...35 with the learned lessons of an older woman! Perfect description!! Hmmm, don't know about the intake of butter, but if you use it when you are outside, you will get a tan...or burned. I speak from young, dumb experience...LOL Hope you have a fabulous weekend!! Hugs!!

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  11. These comments are interesting and fun. I would love to be in my early 40's and stay there indefinitely :) As for fruits and veggies, I have never had kale or Brussels sprouts, but I'm pretty good with everything else on this list. Benita, I always add spinach to my smoothies...you can't taste it so kale could work too. Apparently, I need to really bulk up on the cukes...wrinkles are running rampant on my 54-year-old face, darn it!

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    1. I’ve got some great smoothies pinned that I need to try…I’ve got to get into a routine again of some decent diet and exercise. Moving has really thrown me off.. Cucumbers “sit on a throne of lies”.…I eat quite a bit and it hasn’t stopped the wrinkles in this 54-year-old face either! LOL

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  12. Don't those berries look great.
    Perhaps we worry about age too much!
    Keeping healthy helps so much during all our life from being a baby to being that little bit older ...

    All the best Jan

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    1. Yes, they do! I love berries...they are just so refreshing and always taste so good. I really have stopped worrying about age...it's going to happen whether I like it or not. I try to stay healthy and that has been my focus....well, and keeping the gray away! :-) Hugs!

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  13. Benita,
    Some days I feel a 100; other days 30. For decades I was 16, then 25 for several years, then 40 for many more years. Alas, one devastating event aged me 10 years overnight, quickly followed by anther 10 years the next week. But, I don't want to relive any age. All years and events made me who I am. I love almost all the 10 foods you listed with tomatoes high on the list.

    Judith

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    1. I agree with you Judith…there are days when the pendulum swings all over the place with how old I feel. The life in our years has truly made us who we are today…the good, the bad and the ugly. I love the look of tomatoes, but I just cannot eat them! They are always so beautiful. I make up for it with berries and cucumbers! :-)

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  14. Benita, such a great quote! I agree with Julie both about adding spinach to smoothies and the 54 (I will be this month!) year old wrinkles. I am convinced this is more of a challenge for the fair skinned! I HAVE tried kale and despite what Gwyneth P says, tossing it in olive oil and roasting it does NOT "taste like potato chips!" Not a fan and spinach is just as healthy!

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    1. I just turned 54 last week. I've always thought I would dread my 50s, but I really haven't so far. I have an olive-complexion and it is a challenge for me as well. LOL @ tastes like potato chips....I've never had it, but think I might have to give it a try just so that I can say "I tried" right before I spit it out...LOL

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  15. I feel good that I actually enjoy all of the food in your post except for the brussel sprouts. Oh goodness, I'm not sure what age I'd predict I'd be because I feel my age most days, which is 48. I'm not sure if it's in my head or not, but the closer I get to 50, the older I feel. Oh well, have a wonderful weekend... :)

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    1. LOL..I feel my age most days but try my best to put it behind me...LOL. I felt really well in my 40s, that is until I hit 43...that seemed to be the turning point. Then another one at 48 with menopause. Now I feel like I'm over most of the humps and just trying to enjoy it! :-) Have a great day!!

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  16. Great post! I love all veggies...never met one I didn't like. I like most fruit but could live without them. Weird, huh?

    I feel like I'm in my forties...a little wiser. more relaxed and tolerant of certain people, still feeling like I haven't hit the top of the mountain with only a decent (ha!). Whatever. Age is a number, Love yourself for what you have in your head and heart!

    Jane x

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    1. Mine is just the opposite…love the fruits and could totally do without the veggies! 

      You know, I feel the same way…that I can handle more than what I could in the past and things that used to bug me, just slide away…I like that! Less intense and more relaxed…definitely adds life to the years and years to the life, right?!

      Thanks so much chick! Have a great one! Hugs!!

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  17. Benita! It's so nice to be able to read your posts. I love your topics and your sense of humor is fantastic. I may look 16, but I've always felt like I was in my 30's. Even as a child, people would say I had an old soul or something about how I "didn't act my age." I am with you on the tomatoes, EWW! lol.

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    1. Awww, thank you so much Stephanie! You do look incredibly young....LOL...but that is an awesome thing..you don't have to use all those wrinkle creams that are filling my drawers...LOL. People tell me now that I don't act my age, but maybe because I act so immature sometimes...LOL Have a great evening!! Hugs!!

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  18. I agree that it is very important to fuel your body with good food but I think that it is only half the job - it is equally important to be as positive and happy as you can.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Amalia, I couldn't agree more! Attitude is everything! Negativity just eats you up and nothing good comes out of it. Happiness and being positive is always good for the body, mind and spirit! Have a great evening! Hugs!!

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  19. I eat anything that isn't nailed down, so all these foods have been on my plate at one time or another.

    As for how old would I be if I didn't know? Well, due to the aforementioned statement, pretty damn old :/.

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    1. I will eat the fruits and only very few veggies…I’ve just always been a picky eater.

      I don’t know how old you are, but think you are absolutely stunning!! :-)

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  20. -clapping hands- I think I solved the "Blog Size Issue" for Everyone!!!!!

    Tessa

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    1. I'm so glad Tessa...I would be heartbroken if you stopped blogging! You are just so awesome and you need to be here...you encourage and inspire us all! Love and hugs my sweet friend!!

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  21. Oh my goodness.....how can you not like tomatoes? LOL I absolutely love tomatoes but have two sons that will not eat them, so go figure. I love most of the things you listed except Brussels Sprouts. Yuk!!! Spinach is good as long as it is in my salad, no cooked spinach for me. Thanks for the article. Have a wonderful week.

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    1. LOL..well, there’s this story…and it ain’t pretty (yes, the word “ain’t” is the only way to describe it)…LOL I will share it one day this week…maybe around Thursday or Friday when no one is really looking…LOL My kids eat everything and I eat little to nothing…I’m glad they are veggie hounds…I don’t want anyone to take after my eating habits…LOL Thanks so much chick! Hope your week is off to a great start!

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