When BOTOX started growing more popular than plastic surgeries, I remained concerned we'd see a rise in health problems like last year's well publicized BOTOX debacle, thanks to the distribution of the fake stuff.

These people who died in an attempt to regain some of their youthful vitality didn't have to do so. They could have achieved many of the same benefits as authentic BOTOX, but had them last for far longer and also have achieved the side effect of good health.

You can move your body toward a natural fountain of youth (and healthy skin) by merely adopting these dietary techniques:

• Eliminate sugars and grains. If you look or feel older than you should, whether the symptoms are showing themselves in your skin, face, bones, energy, or mind, chances are that the excess sugars and grains in your diet are the primary culprit.

That's because any meal or snack high in the carbohydrates found in grains and sugars generates a rapid rise in blood glucose. To adjust for this rise, the pancreas secretes the hormone insulin into the bloodstream, which lowers the glucose.

Unfortunately, your body is not designed to accommodate these unnaturally high levels of insulin spiked by grains and sugars. So not only does this excess insulin store calories from the carbs in the form of fat, which is why so many are overweight and obese these days, but the excess insulin also suppresses essential hormones and the immune system -- all absolutely essential for avoiding premature aging.

If you suffer from emotional pain that comes from craving unhealthy foods, I recommend the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a powerful energy psychology tool I use in my practice. With EFT, you will easily be able to overcome these temptations, as it uses a combination of kinetic energy input and positive affirmations to release you of your emotional "blocks" linked to addiction and cravings.

• Eat a healthy diet based on your body's unique nutritional type. Just as important as eating the right forms of carbs, proteins and fats are eating the right proportion of them for your particular body biochemistry.

For some this may be a new concept, but there is a reason most people fail on those one-size-fits-all diets: just as you are unique on the outside, you are also unique on the inside. In other words, your body biochemistry, or metabolism, is distinct, and therefore you have distinct nutritional needs.

So, one of the most important steps you should take right now if you want to avoid premature aging and get healthier looking skin is to learn your nutritional type, and then start eating the right proportion of healthy carbs, proteins and fats for your type.

If you are interested in learning more about your nutritional type, you can refer to my Total Health Program, as it will provide you with a complete understanding of all the foods in all the categories that are ideal for you.

• Eat vegetables. One of the reasons I started vegetable juicing is that I would see 75-year-old women in my practice who looked like they were 40 years old and had virtually no facial wrinkles. Most of them were doing large amounts of juicing and led healthy lifestyles.

Along with dietary techniques, it would be helpful to review an article I previously ran on The Six Things You Can do to Have Truly Younger Looking Skin, as it will provide you with a number of additional ways to obtain radiant, younger looking skin.

Folks, please understand that my recommended techniques are not a "quick fix" -- there is some effort involved, but the rewards are well worth the effort. If you're willing to put in the work, then there's no reason why you can't keep your skin and body looking and feeling young and healthy even as you age.

If you are truly interested in slowing down the aging process, then I highly recommend you get the "Secrets of Anti-Aging" telephone clinic. Co-hosted by me, and primarily led by Ron Rosedale, M.D., who is widely considered to be the leading anti-aging doctor in the country, the "Secrets of Anti-Aging" tele clinic will teach you ALL of the following:

• Five practical ways to improve your skin

• How to increase your energy as you age gracefully

• How to improve your aches and pains & overcome your loss of flexibility

• The role supplements play in preventing aging

• How to improve your memory and reverse your mental decline

• How you can reverse the factors causing you to age rapidly and MORE!

Dr. Rosedale is extremely gifted in interpreting the complex basic science research into practical steps you can take to increase your longevity, and improve the way you feel - even if you suffer from a degenerative disease!