Top tips to hold back the hands of time

DR IAN K SMITH, AUTHOR OF EAT YOUR AGE, EXPLAINS HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF LOOKING AND FEELING YOUTHFUL FROM YOUR THIRTIES TO YOUR SIXTIES AND BEYOND. BY LISA SALMON

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WE ALL know ageing is inevitable, but while there’s no mythical fountain of youth to bathe in, there are ways to slow down how ageing makes us look and feel.

In Dr Ian K Smith’s new book, Eat Your Age, the Harvard-educated medic says: “There's so much you can do to keep yourself looking and feeling youthful, and it doesn’t depend on how much money you have or how many times you visit the plastic surgeon.

“It's about how well you plan, how aware you are of your body and health, and the simple steps you can take to forge a path of vigour and vitality that has nothing to do with the number of candles on your birthday cake”

Dr Smith says his book is built on the idea that the body’s nutritional, metabolic and medical needs evolve with age, and our eating habits need to evolve with them.

But rather than offering a one-size-fits-all diet, he explains how to align food choices, physical activity, and preventive care with the specific demands of each decade of life.

Here, Dr Smith outlines what dietary, movement and health measures people need to take in specific decades of life to help them look and feel younger...

What we do in our 30s quietly begins to shape how we age.

Says Dr Smith: “While the body is still resilient, early metabolic shifts are already under way, making prevention far more powerful than correction. This is the time to build strong nutritional habits, consistent movement patterns, and medical awareness that will pay dividends for decades to come.”

Eating for prevention: Dr Smith advises people in their 30s to shift from ‘calories only’ thinking to nutrient density, prioritising lean protein at every meal, fibre-rich vegetables, and healthy fats, while minimising ultra-processed foods.