ANTI-AGING DIET

Although you can’t stop aging, you can slow it down. One major tip for you to acquire this is to eat right.

Eating for Older Adults

Aging doesn’t only changes the look of the body, it also lessen the efficiency of our body’s work. For example, your digestion may not as good as before. Several changes about your drinking and eating habits may occur. You may not drink enough water because you don’t feel as thirsty as you used to. You may lose interest in eating because of many factors such as losing taste, physically hard to prepare a meal, and difficulty in chewing. This may cause you not to have a healthy diet. Together with your doctor and nutritionist, you can come up with a plan that helps get you back into eating well and exercising.

Keys to a Healthy Diet

Some foods are especially helpful for seniors who want to eat healthier. They include:

• Water. Many older people simply don’t drink enough water because they don’t feel as thirsty as they used to.
• Blueberries. Antioxidants provided by the fruit can prevent or minimize damage to your cells.
• Fiber. Dietary fiber from vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and legumes  — helps regulate your digestive system. That can help ease constipation, which is an issue for many older people. It can lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation. That can lead to a healthier heart.Fiber can also help control blood sugars and lower your risk of diabetes.
• Salmon. It is high in omega-3 fatty acids which help prevent heart disease and stroke. Try to get at least two servings a week.
• Olive oil. A 2013 study showed a “significant” drop in “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and an increase in “good” cholesterol (HDL) among those given extra virgin olive oil.
• Yogurt. Bone loss gets worse as you get older. You need to have more calcium intake and yogurt is a good source of it. Get yogurt fortified with vitamin D, which aids in the absorption of that key mineral. Yogurt also helps you digest your food, and it has protein, too.
• Tomatoes. Lycopene in tomatoes can help protect you against prostate cancer and may help prevent lung cancer. Cooked or processed tomatoes (like in juice, paste, and sauce) may be more effective than raw ones. Researchers believe that heating or mashing tomatoes releases more of the fruit’s lycopene.
• Red wine. A right amount of alcohol may be heart-healthy. That usually means a drink a day for women and two each day for men, at most. It can help lower bad cholesterol, lessen blood clots, and ease your blood pressure.
• Broccoli. Broccoli is filled all sorts of vitamins and antioxidants and fiber.
• Nuts. Omega-3s, unsaturated fats (that’s the good kind), fiber, protein … nuts are heart-healthy nutrition in the palm of your hand. Shoot for five, 1-ounce servings per week. The following examples equal one ounce:
  • 24 almonds
  • 18 medium cashews
  • 12 hazelnuts or filberts
  • 8 medium Brazil nuts
  • 12 macadamia nuts
  • 35 peanuts
  • 15 pecan halves
  • 14 English walnut halves