I reversed my biological age from 47 to 20…you can too by following my three simple rules, says Davinia Taylor

ACTRESS Davinia Taylor has transformed herself after indulging in an unhealthy ladette lifestyle during the Nineties – and now she wants to help you live better, too.

The mum of four is 47 but says her biological age, which is determined by the body’s cells, is just 20.

Now, the Hollyoaks star-turned-bestselling author has come up with a full-body MoT in her new book, Futureproof.

And her plan does not involve munching on lettuce and low-fat foods.

Davinia, who helped pioneer the process of small lifestyle changes known as biohacking, calls for a return to chicken with the skin on, fatty cuts of meat and beef stews.

She says: “You’ll be able to reduce inflammation, build muscle, eat well, improve mental energy and mobility, reduce stress and feel fantastic.”

Here, Davinia offers her tips to help reduce your biological age.

•  Futureproof: Build Resilience, Feel Younger, Live Longer, by Davinia Taylor, is published by Orion Spring on Thursday, priced £16.99.

INFLAMMATION is public enemy number one when it comes to ­ageing.

We’re seeing the consequences of it everywhere, in every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

I was inflamed for years, which had severely detrimental effects on my health. I was swollen and ­retaining water.

My muscles were constantly fatigued.

I was brain-foggy and plagued with low-level anxiety and insecurity that made me dread leaving the house.

If you’re struggling with energy – even if you haven’t got a weight problem – you are probably dealing with chronic inflammation.

The cause of this appears to be so-called healthy convenience foods – cheap and chemical-laden Ultra Processed Foods.

Inflammation is at the root of many cancers, too.

One ingredient highly prevalent in UPFs that causes our bodies to become inflamed is vegetable oil, which, like so much of our diet, is crammed with polyunsaturated fatty acids.

I’m furious with the food manufacturers.

When vegetable oils have been sold to us as the “healthy alternative” to ­saturated fats, no wonder so many of us are in a constant state of chronic inflammation and dealing with excess weight.

TRY THESE FIVE TIPS

1. Do not use vegetable oil, rapeseed, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean or rice bran. Replace with olive, avocado or coconut oil, or butter.
2. Read ingredients and don’t buy food with ­vegetable oils.
3. Introduce intermittent fasting in a way that suits you, to ­promote autophagy (when the body goes into a state of repair and breaks down old cells).
4. Reduce refined carbs (such as bread and pasta) to cut down your risk of insulin resistance.
5. Eat more good fats, such as in scrambled eggs, mushrooms, smoked salmon and avocado, to encourage a ketogenic state (where we get 70-75 per cent of our calories from fat, 20-25 per cent from protein and five per cent from carbohydrates).

ONE of the hallmarks of ageing is our physical strength diminishing.

Our natural muscle mass peaks when we’re about 30 and begins to deplete from then on.

On average, we lose about one per cent of our muscle size and around two per cent of our muscle strength per year from the age of 40.

After we hit 70, this then accelerates to about 15 per cent per decade.

The older we get, the more we need to build muscle mass to stave off this natural process.

If we do not do any muscle-building exercises and sit around eating rubbish, then we will lose muscle mass, develop weaker bones, stiffer joints and poor balance – all of which lead to more falls.

Regardless of whether you are going to a gym or not, or if you haven’t ­exercised in ages, you need to boost your dopamine levels.

We want to hack into the feel- good hormones to get you motivated and set the tone for making exercise as enjoyable as possible.

TRY THESE FIVE TIPS

1. Rethink your perception of the gym and look for one that will stop you making endless excuses to go there – that is your key to real muscle gains.
2. Create a power playlist and make your workout dopamine-fuelled.
3. Commit to ten minutes a day for your home-based muscle-building exercises.
4. Log your one-rep max (the absolute maximum weight you can lift once) and track your progress each week.
5. It’s never too late – you can start wherever and whenever you want. Aim for progress, not perfection.

WHEN I look back at what I used to eat to sustain me, no wonder I was knackered.

My diet was full of salads, with low-fat dressing, super-lean meat, whole grains and brown bread.

There was very little fat, because we all thought fat makes you fat (which, of course, it doesn’t).

We’ve got the nutritional balance the wrong way around ­– not for dieting or losing weight, but for longevity.

Protein is so important. It powers ­biological functions – our hormones, immune system, structural support and muscle development.

We need a balance of great ­protein sources, energy from fat, fibre and a small amount of carbs, too.

Protein, and especially collagen, are closely aligned with skin health.

Collagen gives our skin firmness and elasticity.

As we age, wrinkles and sagging skin indicate poor collagen health.

One third of collagen is made up of glycine.

When we eat foods containing glycine, for example chicken with the skin on or a ribeye steak, it sends the message to our brain telling us we’re full – which is exactly what weight loss drugs like Ozempic are mimicking.

There is no need to take this synthetic pathway to get the benefits from glycine.

We can get it from our diet.

TRY THESE FIVE TIPS

1. Think protein first, not carb first, and plan your meals accordingly.
2. Red meat is NOT the baddie – it is a great protein source.
3. Investigate regenerative ­farming and soil quality. Know your food chain and get to know your butcher and farms.
4. Only use quality protein and collagen powders to avoid UPFs.
5. Boost vitamin C intake to ­promote better collagen production – seasonal fruit is a good source.

Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.