lil' bits of this-n-that: 20 Foods That Can Keep You Young

"A diet rich in nutrients, full of fiber, and low in calories will dramatically slow down the rate at which you age." Not only did he say this, Dr. Roizen, M.D. authored the book Real Age: Are You as Young as You Can Be?

Basically he says to eat a wide variety of fruits , vegetables, whole grains and fish. These are the foods that are packed with a host of anti-aging nutrients, from antioxidants (neutralize free radicals) such as carotenoids (help prevent LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and flavonoids (protect arteries from build-up) to isoflavones (aid in cutting risk for breast, ovarian and uterine cancer) and omega-3 fatty acids ("good" fat that lowers cholesterol and blood pressure.)

He says you can cut your risk of heart attack in half just by eating fish once a week. That sounds easy enough. But what else should we eat?

1. Spinach
2. Steamed broccoli (lost me at spinach)
3. Cooked tomatoes
4. Onions (0 for 4 so far, I'm in trouble)
5. Strawberries (now we're talking)
6. Papaya
7. Canned pink salmon (bones included) [seriously, bones?!]
8. Canned tuna in water (already doing this one)
9. Black or green tea
10. Black-eyed peas (not the music group)
11. Kidney beans
12. Acorn squash
13. Sweet potatoes (not my favorite)
14. Whole wheat bread (always)
15. Soy foods
16. Fat-free milk (I try)
17. Fat-free plain yogurt (yleck!)
18. Calcium-fortified orange juice
19. Chile peppers (2 to 3) [NOT HAPPENING]
20. Red or white grapes (or wine made from them) [I need a drink right about now]

These are his top picks not mine. There are other choices, I hope. Just try to eat five or six servings of veggies and legumes and two or three pieces of fruit each day. And remember a serving size is about a 1/2 cup and will fit in the palm of your hand.

One more thing before you go. Raw vegetables retain rejuvenating nutrients that cooking depletes. (that's funny, "cooked" tomatoes is listed #3 above.) And don't overcook the vegetables. This will boil away all the anti-aging nutrients.

I'm thinking this could get a little expensive. Maybe looking a little bit older won't hurt too much.