When Pat Riley was growing up in South Florida, she wondered why some retirees seemed to age more gracefully than others. The 62-year-old scientist and entrepreneur decided to make a career out of demystifying the aging process and after graduating with honors from the University of Florida with a degree in nutrition and food science, began working with scientists to formulate anti-aging supplements, nutrients and cosmetics.

Riley, the founder of two highly successful companies, Clientele and MDR, says she has helped millions achieve good health and maintain their youthful appearance over the 40 years she’s been in business.

“I work with the top medical experts in the field,” she tells Newsmax, adding that MDR stands for Medical Doctors Research and she takes care to review the literature and science behind all the products her Florida-based companies manufacture and sell. Riley, once a rising star on the QVC network, counts many celebrities as her clients, such as the legendary and still youthful Shirley Jones and crooner Pat Boone who attributes his robust good health at age 85 to her products.

“We all know that a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet are important, but just not easy to do,” she says. “With the stress, pollution, processed foods, and non-stop hectic lifestyles we lead, we can’t always do what we should to stay healthy and fit.

“You need nutrients for every task you perform — from walking to thinking to sleeping. This constant demand for nutrition cannot always be met by the foods we eat, many of which have been robbed of their natural goodness through over processing or simply being grown in poor soil.”

Riley shares her 10 sure-fire health tips that will help you enjoy peak health and fight the ravages of aging:

1. Load up on fruits and vegetables to help increase your antioxidant defenses. They help shield your cells from free radicals that cause inflammation and speed aging.

2. Eat broccoli. Whether you eat it cooked, stewed or raw, this mighty member of the cruciferous vegetable family signals your body to get rid of the bad DNA linked to cancer cells. Research suggests it may help fight prostate, lung, and breast cancer. “If you boil broccoli be sure to drink the water or try adding it to soups,” she adds.

3. Choose Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish offer anti-inflammatory benefits. The American Heart Association suggests we eat at least two 3.5-ounce servings of fatty fish, like salmon or black cod, each week to help prevent cardiovascular disease. Omega 3's also protect against dry-eyes and promote healthy cognitive function.

4. Spice up your life. Turmeric, ginger, garlic, oregano, sage, onion, leeks, and scallions contain compounds that fight inflammation, bacteria, and cancer. Cinnamon has been shown to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

5. Love Berries. They fight many signs of aging, says the attractive CEO. “Blueberries especially, help you to maintain youthful brain function and motor coordination as you age,” she adds. Eat them on your salads or drink blueberry juice.

6. Supplement your diet. Singer and actor Pat Boone tells Newsmax that he has been taking MDR Fitness Tabs and the anti-aging supplement MDR Vital Factors for over 20 years. “Vitamins A, B complex, C, D, E and resveratrol will help alter brain chemistry in a positive way,” says Riley, who helped her uncle battle Alzheimer’s disease by selecting the right nutrients to help his brain. “His caregivers would beg me not to run out of his vitamins as he responded more clearly and his brain functioned better.”

7. Bolster your immune system with mushrooms. “Eat maitake, shitake, and especially Reishi mushrooms to activate your immune defenses,” says Riley. There is also some evidence that mushrooms that mushrooms can help prevent and even treat cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

8. Cultivate your body's own probiotics. Do this by eating fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso and yogurt to maintain overall health. Much of your immunity comes from a healthy gut, so probiotics are important.

9. Drink Tea. The phytochemical EGCG in green tea has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer benefits, and protects the heart, reducing LDL cholesterol by 19% in 4 weeks, notes Riley. “It also contains quercetin that helps purge your senolytic old cells that accumulate with age,” she adds. Quercetin is also found in onions and apples.