One of the biggest concerns that has taken the beauty and health world by storm in the last couple of years is ageing.

Consequently, corporations and capitalism were quick to jump on the bandwagon to flood you with all kinds of creams and cosmetics to somehow take effects of the passage of time off your face.

However, before you move to slathering the latest ‘anti-ageing’ product on your face, it is imperative to remember that what goes inside your body is very, very crucial when it comes to the efficacy of these products.

Ageing is inevitable, as long as you’re alive it will happen. To quote dermatologist Dr Shereene Idris “If we are not ageing, we are dead. And if we are dead…we have bigger problems.”

She goes ahead to remind us to throw words like “anti-ageing” out of the window for it suggests we are fighting against time, when instead we should be evolving and changing with it.

With that cleared and out of the way, let us proceed.

Getting straight into the heart of things, Ms Shivani Kandwal, dietitian, nutritionist, diabetes educator, and founder of a wellness platform, Nutrivibes, lists down food items you can easily find in your kitchen if you are primarily looking for age-delaying benefits.

They are as follows:

Easily found all over India, mushrooms are a rich source of antioxidants called ergothioneine and glutathione.

Grapes have resveratrol which is an antioxidant that may help in reducing the damage caused by the sun.

Green tea extracts, one of the ingredients Ms Kandwal speaks about on length, is uniquely useful when we speak of ageing.

The tea in itself is a rich diet source for it contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants like EGCG, Vitamin C, Vitamin B2, Vitamin E which are all proven to have age-delaying properties.

It helps to protect overall skin integrity by reducing the development of fine lines, spots, and wrinkles. It’s naturally found in a variety of foods, including bran, oats, rice, eggplant, and apple seeds.

Licorice comes from the root of the licorice plant (glycyrrhiza glabra). This extract is filled with a variety of beneficial compounds which do everything from delivering antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to helping fade dark spots.

Of all the ingredients, this is the trickiest to find in your kitchen. Common sources of licorice are mostly the root of the plant itself and dietary supplements.

However, please note that neither of them should be consumed without the guidance of a medical expert.

(Rosheena Zehra is a published author and media professional. You can find out more about her work here.)