Anti-aging is a multi-million dollar industry that has overtaken the world of health and beauty. Avoiding the aging process is all the rage, and people will go to extreme (and expensive) lengths just to avoid the dreaded wrinkles. While the industry is largely focused on what consumers look like on the outside, there’s a whole internal component to aging that isn’t being talked about. As we age, our cells age, and they lose their ability to combat degenerative diseases, infections, and free radicals which contribute to outward signs of aging.
In truth, you don’t need to spend thousands on expensive treatments and products to combat the negative effects of aging. Looking and feeling your best at any age starts from the inside, with nutrition playing an enormous role in your overall health and wellbeing for long term results. NMN is a nutrient used by the body to produce something called NAD+, which helps to protect our cells from natural degeneration, disease, and toxins. Biological levels of NAD+ decrease as we age, leaving our cells more vulnerable. To replenish our stores of NAD+, we need to take supplements/NMN foods that trigger NAD+ products, which brings us back to NMN.
In this guide, we’ll be covering how NMN can help you look and feel your best, what foods have NMN, and some of the best ways to take NMN for increased NAD+ production. If you’ve been looking for ways to add more healthy vegetables to your diet, you’re in luck! Many of the foods that are highest in NMN are greens with plenty of other vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and even protein!
What Is NMN?
Nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN, is a nucleotide of ribose and nicotinamide used in the body as a precursor to the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH and NAD+). Basically, the body uses NMN to make NAD+. Our bodies naturally produce NMN, but not in a very large supply. As we age, our levels of NMN start to drop, affecting our production of NAD+.
So, why not just take a NAD+ supplement as you get older? Unfortunately, NAD+ is not particularly bioavailable, meaning that the body doesn’t absorb NAD+ effectively unless it is produced within the body. Because of this, NAD+ supplements don’t do much, which is why you should instead take NMN supplements to trigger NAD+ production in your body. Taking NMN, which is a precursor to NAD+, is the easiest and most efficient way to increase NAD+.
Benefits of NMN & NAD+
NMN works by binding to and entering our cells. Once inside, NMN can be converted to NAD+, which is an important metabolic coenzyme. NAD+ is used by ‘sirtuins’, a regulatory protein that acts as ‘guards’ to the genomes of your cells. NAD+ is sirtuin fuel and helps to keep cells alive, active, and protected for longer. When we age and begin to lose NAD+, our cells lose their source of protection and become vulnerable to degenerative diseases and other factors that can impact health, wellness, lifespan, and even physical signs of aging.
The benefit of taking NMN is the replenishment of NAD+, which benefits the body by keeping your cells strong, healthy, and protected. NAD+ enables the body to function properly, fueling cellular activity, preventing DNA damage, warding off degenerative diseases and inflammation, and even acting as an antioxidant. By consuming NMN supplements regularly, you can prevent your body’s NAD+ levels from decreasing, and keep yourself looking and feeling your best, no matter how old you are.
What Is the Best Way to Boost NMN?
NMN is a readily bioavailable supplement that can easily be absorbed by the body. While we produce our own NMN naturally, we don’t produce very much of it, and our capacity to produce NMN decreases as we get older. Because of this, it’s a good idea to start consuming foods high in NMN as often as possible when you are young, to keep your production levels high. If you are more mature, you can still re-start NMN production by taking supplements and eating foods that contain NMN.
There is no “right” way to boost NMN, whether you choose to eat specific foods or take NMN supplements. Both methods will help to boost your natural supply of NMN and NAD+, but you will need to eat a lot of veggies to get as much NMN as you would from a supplement. If you are really interested in boosting NMN, you should consider doing both and adding NMN-rich foods to your diet while also taking a regular NMN supplement.
Foods High In NMN
Fortunately, there are many NMN food sources, but this nutrient is most abundant in varieties of fruits and vegetables. Luckily, none is very exotic, and most are probably already part of your regular diet! Whether you know it or not, you may have already been eating NMN-rich foods, so it shouldn’t take much effort to incorporate them into your weekly meal planning.
Note: NMN breaks down above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent NMN loss, lightly cook your veggies by steaming them, or consider eating them raw. For more fibrous veggies like broccoli and cabbage, light steaming can help make the NMN more available - just so long as you don’t overcook it.
Avocado
Avocados are a delicious and nutrient-dense fruit, known for their healthy fats, potassium, and protein. Perfect for spreading on bread, making into guacamole, or adding to any of your favorite dishes for some extra creaminess, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love avocado. Avocado also contains NMN, with about 0.45-2.4 mg present in every 150-gram fruit.
Broccoli
Tasty grilled, steamed, or eaten raw and dipped in your favorite salad dressing, broccoli is yet another NMN-rich food that also contains plenty of other healthy nutrients. High in fiber and healthy carbohydrates to promote good digestion, one 148-gram serving of broccoli also contains approximately 0.37-1.68 mg of NMN.
Cabbage
Coleslaw, anyone? Yes, your favorite creamy BBQ side actually contains NMN! One cup of shredded cabbage (which works out to about 70 grams) contains anywhere from 0.175-0.78 mg of NMN, plus lots of potassium and vitamin C.
Cucumber
Cucumbers are delicious to snack on or to add to your favorite sandwich or salad, but no matter how you enjoy these hydrating fruits, you’ll also enjoy some NMN! Containing approximately 1 - 7.5 milligrams of NMN per 400-gram cucumber, this is one of the most abundant sources of NMN you can find!
Edamame
Edamame, which are immature soybeans boiled or steamed and salted, are another excellent source of NMN. In a one-cup serving, you’ll enjoy 0.37-1.68 mg of NMN plus an impressive 17 grams of protein!
NMN Supplements
Eating vegetables high in NMN will help to preserve your body’s natural stores of NAD+, but if you want to be sure you are getting enough NMN, we recommend taking a supplement. Recover: CBD + NMN contains 50 mg of NMN per capsule; you would need to eat around 8 whole cucumbers to get that much NMN from your veggies! Made using high-quality ingredients and formulated with CBD to enhance restorative properties, this NMN supplement is all you need to keep your cells healthy and reduce signs of aging from the inside out.