You might be getting older, but that doesn't mean you have to age. The latest research is showing that much of what we have always taken for granted as the inevitable consequences of aging are now known to have much more to do with how we take care of ourselves, not aging per se.

Question: What do you mean aging isn't inevitable?
The belief that aging is inevitable is a myth. It is not age, but years of abuse that wear down our bodies. In fact, according to the National Institutes on Aging, up to 85% of the aging processes is within our control! Most aspects of aging can be slowed or completely avoided - from sun spots and wrinkles to age-related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and osteoporosis to memory loss and middle-age spread and even to the frailty, feebleness, and loss of independence that so many of us fear - by making a few simple changes in what we eat, when we move, and how we think. There is no reason to not expect we can live robustly, passionately, vitally into our 90s, 100s, and beyond.

Question: When should we start?
Aging starts much earlier than you think, as early as your 20s, maybe even earlier. It's only after the accumulation of damage has progressed that you notice the overt signs of aging. That means, the sooner you start taking charge of your aging process, the longer you will remain youthful and vital. However, it's never to late to reap the rewards if you're willing to make the changes. Like Lily Tomlin said, "I always knew I would be somebody, I just should have been more specific." You need to be specific about how you take care of yourself if you want to slow the hands of time.

Question: What does the anti-aging plate contain?
Your daily diet should include:
A) at least 8 fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods are Mother Nature's powerhouses of phytochemicals and antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that we breath in from air pollution, consume in fatty and fried foods, and that our bodies make during normal metabolic processes attack, alter, and destroy cells. Free radicals are considered major players in many degenerative diseases like heart disease and cancer and now are suspected to cause the wear and tear to the body that is associated with aging. Researchers at UC Berkeley estimate that even a healthy body experiences at least 10,000 free radical "hits" everyday. Those numbers escalate if a person smokes, exercises intensely and as we age. Boosting your antioxidant defenses can slow or even halt this damage.

B) 5 servings a week of beans. Not only are they high in fiber and low in fat, but beans supply an arsenal of phytochemicals, such as saponins that lower heart disease risk and phytosterols that lower cancer risk. Regularly adding beans to your diet can increase your life expectancy by 13%.

C) Minimally processed foods: Eat whole grains instead of refined grains, corn instead of corn chips, potatoes instead of potato chips, nonfat milk instead of ice cream, and oatmeal instead of granola bars and you automatically will cut back on sugar, fat, and salt and increase your intake of age-defying fibers, vitamins, and minerals.

D) 8 glasses of water: Water is second only to oxygen as the most important nutrient, yet most people are mildly dehydrated and don't even know it, since thirst is a poor indicator of fluid needs.

Question: Do we need to supplement?
Yes. The diet-supplement debate is no longer an either-or issue. We need to eat really well and supplement responsibly to turn back the hands of time. For example, some nutrients, such as vitamin E, you need in amounts far greater than is realistically possible with diet alone. A moderate-dose multiple vitamin and mineral, a calcium-magnesium supplement, and a vitamin E make up the foundation of the anti-aging supplement program.

Question: What about middle-age spread? Can that prevented, too?
Starting around age forty, most people lose nearly a half a pound of muscle each year and gain the same amount of fat. By age 80, they have only a third of the muscle mass they had at forty and have gained 20 pounds or more of fat, most of it around the middle. As we add belly fat, metabolism drops making further weight gain likely unless we cut back on food, and increases our risk for age-related diseases like heart disease and diabetes. The loss of muscle sets us on a path for osteoporosis, feebleness, and frailty later in life. The good news is that all of this is preventable! Fat gain and muscle loss is not a result of aging, it's a result of not using our muscles. Start walking daily and lifting weights two or three times a week and you'll maintain your muscle and prevent the fat gain.

Question: I don't suppose you can stop menopause, but is there anything a woman can do to curb the symptoms?
Another way to curb that middle-age spread and also stem the tide of menopause is to nibble, not diet. While dieting teaches your body how to be more efficient at storing fat, nibbling encourages the body to burn calories, not store them. A study from the University of Michigan found that women who ate little meals and snacks all day long were leaner and had less body fat than women who ate two or three square meals, even though they both ate the same calories and food every day. Eating small meals and snacks regularly throughout the day also curbs hot flashes, while large meals increase body temperature and might aggravate a hot flash.

Question: Anything else to curb those hot flashes?
The only tried-and-true food that will help curb hot flashes is soy. A group of phytochemicals called the phytoestrogens act much like the female hormone, binding to the body's estrogen receptors and supplementing the effects of estrogen when levels are low, thus curbing the hormonal swells that cause hot flashes. But how much is enough? Preliminary evidence suggests that a large glass of soymilk or 2 ounces of tofu daily might be all a woman needs.

On the other hand, some foods aggravate hot flashes:
A. Avoid coffee, chocolate, alcohol and spicy foods, all of which increase blood flow to the skin, which can increase the symptoms of hot flashes.

B. Be careful of what herb teas you drink. Some herbs, such as black cohosh or dong quai, cause blood vessel dilation and could aggravate a hot flash.

C. Some women report that vitamin E and vitamin C helped improve symptoms of hot flashes; however, this evidence is sketchy at best.

Question: Any anti-aging tips for men?
For centuries, people have turned to food to enhance their loves lives. While there is no evidence that rhinocerous horn or ginseng will make you a better lover, there is preliminary evidence from the University of Utah showing that blood testosterone levels plunged by 50% in men after they drank high-fat milkshakes. Granted this link between fat and sexual prowess is not conclusive. But, even if it isn't a direct cause, a high-fat diet does clog arteries, and blocked arteries are a common cause of impotence. You can automatically cut the fat, and possibly put a little spring in your love life, by following the Anti-Aging dietary guidelines.