Foods for life
Foods for life
Eating the right foods can lead to a longer, healthier life.
But some people find it harder to eat right as they get older for many reasons. Maybe they don’t have much of an appetite. Maybe they have trouble cooking or eating. Maybe they don’t know what’s healthy. Whatever may be the reason, they end up with health troubles which then needs too much effort to restore themselves, as compared to efforts needed in eating right.
So, if you are able to select healthy options from your choicest foods, or you start liking and eating healthy foods regularly, in both conditions, you are in for a positive health change for long life.
But it’s more than just finding the right foods. Almost all foods have a safe amount guidelines. Excess intake of healthy foods can also be harmful or of no benefit. Like, if you choose to eat only salads for few months, you may not get all required nutrients leading you actually away from your healthy eating goal.
Many foods are especially good for certain parts of your body.
A basic heart-healthy diet can help you control your weight. That’s important because obesity and heart diseases are a big threat now a days in adults. Obesity can lead to diabetes, some cancers, and heart disease.
A heart-healthy diet includes:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Low-fat dairy products like yogurt
- Nuts and beans
- Non-tropical vegetable oils (olive, corn, and more)
- Fish , skinless poultry.
The fibres in veggies and whole grains also can help make you less likely to have cardiovascular disease. And it aids with digestion which is also a common problems in many individuals.
No single food is going to help your heart. You need a complete, healthy diet. Say if you are having plenty of veggies but eat tubs of ice cream, will not save you.
A loss of memory, a big concern among some older adults, early fatigue, leg cramps, and numbness has been linked to a lack of vitamin B12, among other things. You can get that in:
- Meats, fish
- Milk products
- Some breakfast cereals
Alzheimer’s disease has been linked to chronic inflammation, which can be caused by foods like white bread, French fries, red meat, sugary beverages, and some others.
If you want to be functioning well, then some fruits and antioxidants will do better for you than another slice of cake, or pizza.
Antioxidants, found in many vegetables and in fruits, help you get rid of some damaging things called free radicals that are made when your body changes food into energy.
Muscles are always breaking down and getting built back up again is a natural occurring in our body. As you get older, you need more protein for that rebuilding process.
If you don’t eat enough protein, you’ll be breaking down more than you’re rebuilding, creating muscle loss, loosened tissues, leading to an older look and undesired shape.
Low-fat or fat-free yogurt, cheese, milk, lean meats, other seafood, and beans can help with that.
Older adults need calcium because it boosts healthy bone growth. Yogurt, low-fat cheeses, and milk are good sources, but should be in limited quantity to avoid constipation. Let your dietitian evaluate and decide it.
Again, having good amount of vitamin D is required to help your body use calcium.
Calcium and vitamin D are in fortified foods, fish like salmon, and dairy products.
So, choosing your food with nutritional values in mind will definitely help you prevent and combat many diseases.
Keep visiting knowledge hub for more such health updates.