Eating isn't just for enjoyment. It can actually turn back the hands of time. The date on your birth certificate might make you 45, but there's no reason why your RealAge can't be 35 by simply following the guidelines laid out by Dr. Michael Roizen. One thing is certain about the RealAge Diet - credibility is key.

To find out where you stand, there is a patented RealAge test that helps determine the biological age of your body based on how you answer a series of questions. From there, individuals are given a personalized plan to help you feel younger and another list to show you which habits and behaviors are making you older than you really are.

The reccomendations are painless ways to increase your longevity. By taking a course of folate and vitamins C, D, and E, you can decrease your RealAge by more than six years. Wearing your seatbelt every time you get into a car can also make you three years younger. Just flossing your teeth can also make you six years younger.

Largely driven by concrete scientific data, every single one of the nutritional suggestions promoted by the RealAge diet has the backing of at least four notable studies done using humans. It's difficult to dispute such concrete findings. Dr. Roizen maintains that all of the foods are just as delicious as the high-fat, high-calorie choices you make day in and day out.

One of the most enticing aspects of the RealAge Diet is that it's not an all-or-nothing plan where one wrong bite will completely send you into a downward spiral. Dr. Roizen provides countless ways for you to improve your health, lose weight and take years off your life. You are the one who decides which lifestyle changes will work best for you.

For example, enjoying 1/2 ounce of dark, cocoa-based chocolate before each meal can make you 1.9 years younger. Eating 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce a week makes the average 55-year-old man 1.9 years younger and the average 55-year-old woman 0.7 years younger.

The strategies are simple and easy to implement. Eat five ounces of nuts a week. Use an olive oil and balsamic vinegar salad dressing, add three four-ounce portions of fish to your diet every week. These measures will make you 5.4 years younger when followed for three years.

To take 14 years off your life, eat foods that aren't processed; eat a breakfast consisting of a whole grain and a healthy fat; eat healthy fats first at every meal; read nutritional levels; limit red meat consumption to four ounces a week; and eat nonfried fish three times a week.

In addition to improving your overall wellbeing, you'll notice the pounds slowly start to melt away in a healthy, safe fashion that's likely to keep the weight off.