5 Best Foods to Support Youthfulness and Beauty

Aging is never a pleasant thing. As we grow older, fractures, heart disease, and other issues become much more likely to develop—and let’s not even get started on the aesthetic side of the matter. But, what is it about aging that causes all these dilemmas?

Support youthfulness with these foods

For women, a great part of the answer lies in the gradual decline of their estrogen levels. This major hormonal change starts affecting some women even in their 30s but will be more apparent once they hit their mid-40s.

Not surprisingly, some women opt for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), thinking that’s the only way to restore hormonal balance, and by extension youthfulness and beauty.

But is it really your only option, though? Good news: it isn’t!

The Power of Plants

Phytoestrogens, plant-derived compounds that mimic the action of estrogen, have grabbed the medical community’s attention for their potential to replace conventional HRT.

Just like the female sex hormones, they’re capable of stimulating the skin’s collagen production; and as you’ve probably heard, fine lines and wrinkles stem from a decline in the skin’s collagen content.

Not that worried about your skin but do your breasts need a bit of help? Phytoestrogens might be able to solve your problems too, as they could work to provide hormonal breast augmentation.

But youthfulness isn’t only about looking young: feeling young is equally important. And to feel young, you need to be as healthy as possible as well as have what they call infectious optimism.

Phytoestrogens, once again, have got you covered. Not only do they protect your cardiovascular health and prevent the accumulation of fat in problem areas, but they also shield you from issues like anxiety and depression.

Eating Against Aging

What’s really great about phytoestrogens, however, is that they’re not hard to find. In fact, simply eating food that’s naturally loaded with them should work really well.

There are topicals too. Pueraria Mirifica, for example, is a powerful source of phytoestrogens that are sold in various forms from pills to serums. In general, serums are the best option both in terms of potency and cost-effectiveness—especially if your primary goal is anti-aging and skin health.

For now, though, let’s focus on those phytoestrogens that you can put on your plate. Meet the five best dietary sources of phytoestrogen that can support youthfulness and help you stay beautiful longer!

Almonds

Having about 130 micrograms of phytoestrogen in each 100-gram serving, almonds are a good source of these hormone-balancing compounds. But almonds have plenty of other benefits too!

For example, they keep hunger at bay thanks to their protein, fat, and fiber content. Being fuller for longer means you’re less likely to give in to cravings, and in turn, you won’t end up consuming more than you need.

In fact, almonds are superior to complex carbohydrates in supporting weight loss. Moreover, the very act of adding them to your diet has been shown to lead to greater weight reduction.

Another impressive perk of eating almonds is that they seem to reduce low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (LDL-C, the ”bad” cholesterol).

Garlic

Garlic gives you roughly 600 micrograms of phytoestrogen per 100 grams, making it seem that it’s vastly superior to almonds. However, keep in mind that the typical garlic clove only weighs 10 to 20 grams.

Also, garlic isn’t as easy to eat as almonds. The thought of eating a few fresh cloves daily for maximum potency is enough to discourage some women from trying this anti-aging food.

Despite that, there’s something that garlic really excels in: supporting the immune system. This is made possible by allicin, a sulfur-based compound that stimulates white blood cell production.

Note that aging affects immunity as well, with those in their 60s have lost much of their capacity to fight infection and heal wounds. And as you can imagine, disease and skin damage can affect your looks no matter your age.

Flaxseed

With almost 700 micrograms of lignans (a major class of phytoestrogens) for every gram, flax is an excellent choice for anyone who wishes to benefit from these estrogen-like compounds.

What makes lignans even more impressive, however, is that they’ve been found to reduce breast cancer risk. On the other hand, menopausal women who rely on HRT face a greater risk of developing the said disease.

As for the other advantages of eating flax, well, it makes it easier to get enough fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. Fiber improves gut health all while keeping away cravings.

Last but not least, omega-3 fatty acids have photoprotective qualities. This means they can protect your skin from damage caused by ultraviolet radiation.

Sesame Seed

Another superb pick for phytoestrogen seekers, sesame seed provides around 8,000 micrograms of phytoestrogen for each 100-gram serving. And interestingly, it has its own type of lignans, namely sesamin.

Sesame has piqued the curiosity of researchers, who discovered that it does help with hormonal balance by raising sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels.

As we’ve previously mentioned, women undergoing HRT face a much higher chance of developing breast cancer—a downside of having elevated estrogen levels.

SHBG, when in abundance, keeps estrogen levels in check, preventing such cellular abnormalities. And so, it can be said that sesame might just be able to offer estrogen’s perks without bringing with it the same downsides.

Tofu

Last but definitely not least, tofu is a top-notch choice for anyone wanting to benefit from the power of phytoestrogens. With 27,150 micrograms of phytoestrogens per 100 grams, this soy-based product is indeed jam-packed with benefits.

Tofu checks all the boxes for supporting youthfulness and beauty. It keeps bones strong, even among those who’ve already reached menopause—and not having to worry about fractures does make it easier to enjoy life.

Soy isoflavones, tofu’s main phytoestrogens, have also been found to enhance skin health while, at the same time, increasing breast firmness among younger women.

Tofu is a good source of copper, selenium, and zinc too. These minerals offer a range of additional skin health benefits, from preventing sun damage to accelerating wound healing.

Need a Bigger Boost?

By carefully integrating them into your diet, these phytoestrogen-filled foods should help you stay young and beautiful. What’s more, they’re all quite affordable, and so eating them regularly shouldn’t be a problem.

But, since they’ll have to be broken down in your gut before they can start to offer benefits, it’s safe to say that they aren’t the best choice if potency is your priority. After all, digestion isn’t the mildest of physiological processes.

Wrap-Up

If or when you finally want a phytoestrogen source that won’t undergo that much degradation and has a direct way of providing its perks, you should probably consider relying on topicals instead.

And among such topicals, the ones with Pueraria Mirifica phytoestrogens remain an outstanding choice—not only do they make you look and feel young, but they actually fight aging through their wide range of benefits.