What Anti-Aging Foods Boost Nitric Oxide Levels?

Your diet is like a bank account and what you eat is the investment you make for your future health. When you eat a balanced, plant-based diet, you're making a solid investment for health and longevity. When your investment is subpar, down the road you will likely be met with those results of that poor diet investment. Like any investment, there are ways to be strategic, like specifically leveraging nitrate-rich foods that can dramatically increase nitric oxide production and improve health systems affected by aging. The chart below shows just how many systems in our bodies are impacted by nitric oxide. 

Let's take a look at top foods that support anti-aging by way of increasing nitric oxide production.

A plant-based diet for longevity and youth

Numerous studies suggest that optimal health is achieved through a plant-based diet. One study looking at life expectancy found that vegetarians and vegans may benefit from a 12% lower risk of death compared with people who eat meat. Now that's anti-aging efforts at their best. So what is it about a plant-based diet that is so important to our bodies? We're quickly learning that a person's ability or inability to produce enough nitric oxide correlates with their levels of health and mobility. Additionally, the ability to produce nitric oxide is directly related to the lifestyle you live, including:

• Amount of nitrate-rich foods you eat
• The daily exercise you get
• How you breathe
• Oral care choices

The beauty of adopting a nitric oxide lifestyle is that it is easy to start, and it addresses many underlying factors that impact how well your body, inside and out, ages. For now, we're going to focus on the foods that increase nitric oxide levels and improve anti-aging efforts.

Top anti-aging foods that support nitric oxide production

There are plant-based foods that boost nitric oxide levels by increasing the amount of nitrate available for the body to convert to nitric oxide ultimately. Plant-based dietary nitrate intake is determined by vegetable type, level of nitrate in vegetables, amount consumed, and nitrate levels in the soil and water. 

Then, there are some foods that support these nitric oxide metabolic processes in various ways, like making nitric oxide, an extremely short-lived gas, last longer. Here are some nitrate-rich foods that will boost available nitrate levels, and below are some foods that further support this process. These are all items to pop into your farmer's market bag as they work together to support anti-aging and nitric oxide production. 

Anti-aging foods that directly increase available nitrate/nitrite:

• Beetroot
• Red spinach (if you can find it)
• Rhubarb
• Butter lettuce
• Leafy vegetables
• Kale
• Spirulina
• Fennel
• Bok Choy
• Rocket lettuce
• Radishes
• Chinese cabbage
• Parsley 
• Arugula
• Cilantro
• Swiss chard
• Basil
• Broccoli
• Potato
• Pomegranate

What you will find is that in addition to increasing nitrate levels, the green leafy vegetables on this list also contain some powerful contents:

• Vitamins C, E, and K
• Carotenoids (lutein and beta-carotene)
• Flavonols (quercetin and kaempferol)
• Folate
• Iron
• Zinc
• Calcium
• Magnesium

Anti-aging foods that do not directly increase nitrate but do support the production of nitric oxide

Nitric oxide production involves a host of other chemicals in the body to take place. While these foods may not directly contribute to nitrate supply, they absolutely help boost nitric oxide production levels in various ways. That is, they do one of the following supportive actions:

• Enhance nitric oxide stability
• Boost nitric oxide synthase activity
• Preserve nitric oxide synthase enzyme

Some of the top foods that perform these actions include:

• Oranges
• Citrus fruits
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Tart cherries
• Garlic
• Pineapple
• Nuts & seeds

Actions that inhibit nitric oxide production

If you're looking to incorporate anti-aging foods that boost your nitric oxide levels, you won't want to negate your great efforts with any of the following:

• Smoking
• Processed foods (even vegan)
• Stress
• High cholesterol foods
• Emotional distress
• Inactivity
• Fluoride toothpaste
• Mouthwash
• L-tryptophan rich foods
• Saturated fatty acid foods

Adopting a nitric oxide lifestyle for anti-aging

Whether you call it anti-aging, longevity, or just plain health, the reasons are clear for adopting a lifestyle that improves nitric oxide. Now, it's about the steps you take. Incorporating the foods above, being physically active, breathing through your nose, and avoiding unhealthy practices all come together to give you a nitric oxide advantage. Science is catching up to the many benefits and underlying health implications of a plant-based, nitrate-rich diet. We'll keep you informed on the actions you can take to stay healthy and live a long, happy life. You can visit our family of products to take advantage of our life-giving Spin Boost and Beet Boost when you need daily or intense nitric oxide support.