4 Natural Ways to Look and Feel Younger

-- Get enough magnesium. Without sufficient magnesium, our cells can’t produce enough energy. The mineral also improves heart health and protects the body against muscle cramps and UV skin damage. So it’s important to avoid too much dairy and too much salt, both of which remove magnesium from the body. And it’s crucial to eat whole-grain foods, seeds and nuts, which are rich in this essential mineral. You won’t find any, however, in white rice, white bread and refined pasta.
   
-- Use cardamom in cooking and tea. Cardamom is the spice that provides chai tea with its chief flavor. In Asian medicine, it has many medicinal properties. For example, it boosts circulation, increases energy, gives an overall revitalized feeling, improves mood, reduces fever, aids digestion, fights intolerance to grains and activates sexual desire. You can bake it into breads and cakes, and take it as tea.
   
-- Take magnolia bark. In our high-stress society, the temptation is often there to relieve stress through compulsive eating – so it’s not surprising we have an obesity epidemic today. Traditional Chinese medicine prescribes magnolia bark, which contains the biochemical known as honokiol, to regulate appetite, aid in digestion and alleviate bloating. The magnolia flower is good for allergies and sinus conditions. You can get magnolia – as capsules or a tea – in health food stores, on the Internet or from acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists.