The science is clear. Eating the right foods means you can live a longer, healthier life.
However, for a variety of reasons, some people find it harder to eat right as they get older. Maybe you don't have much of an appetite. Maybe you don't like cooking or eating. Maybe they don't know what health is. Or maybe they just don't like the idea of kale.
„You know what? You can live a long, healthy life without eating kale at all,“ says Dr. Cheryl Locke, professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
She is all about finding and developing healthy foods that you love.
„If you're eating the food you love, you're more likely to stick with it. You're not going to force yourself to resist it for four days and then go get a double cheeseburger,“ Locke says.
But it's more than just finding the right foods. Michele Bellantoni of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine points out that they need to be eaten in appropriate amounts.
„The optimal calorie count (for most older adults) appears to be 1,800 calories (per day),“ she says. „And to age well, think about your whole body, not just specific organs.“
Many foods are particularly beneficial for certain parts of the body. Bellantoni suggests splitting those 1,800 calories into a basic diet of protein for your muscles, calcium for your bones, and heart health.
This approach allows a lot of things to happen.
A basic heart-healthy diet can help you control your weight. This is important because more than a third of people over the age of 65 are obese.It can lead to things like Diabetessome cancers, and Heart disease.
A heart-healthy diet includes:
- fruits and vegetables
- whole grain
- Low-fat dairy products such as yogurt and cheese
- skinless chicken
- lots of fish
- nuts and beans
- Non-tropical vegetable oils (olive oil, corn oil, peanut oil, safflower oil)
Other fish such as salmon, trout, and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may lower your chances of heart disease and help prevent heart disease. high blood pressure, among others. Please aim for 2 doses per week.
Fiber found in vegetables and whole grains can also help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. It may also aid digestion and help maintain regularity, which can be a problem for some older adults.
No single food will help your heart. A complete and healthy diet is required.
„If you're eating a lot of fish, but on top of that you're subsisting on things like ice cream and candy, that's not going to save you,“ Locke says.
Memory loss, which is a major concern among some older adults, is associated with a lack of memory. vitamin B12, among others. It can be obtained at:
- meat
- fish
- dairy products
- some breakfast cereal
Alzheimer's disease is thought to be associated with chronic inflammation caused by foods such as white bread, French fries, red meat, sugary drinks, and margarine.
Scientists are still studying the links between some foods and brain health.
„I don't want to pinpoint specific foods that prevent memory loss. I would say to someone, 'If you want to stay healthy, some fruits and antioxidants are better than eating a piece of cake.' ,“ says Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Science Program at the University of Washington.
AntioxidantIt is found in many vegetables and fruits such as blueberries and can help relieve inflammation. It also helps get rid of harmful free radicals, which are produced when the body converts food into energy.
Again, it's important to realize that what you don't eat can be just as important as what you do to maintain brain health.
„The brain is powered by blood flow, just like the heart,“ Locke says. „So if you're eating a lot of saturated fat, you're less likely to have clean arteries to supply blood to your brain tissue.“
Include tomatoes, blueberries, green vegetables such as spinach and kale, turmeric, and nuts (especially walnuts) in your diet. And the omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and other oily fish can also help fight inflammation.
They are constantly being taken apart and built up again. That's how your body works. As we age, we need more protein for the remodeling process.
„If you're not getting enough protein, your body breaks down more than it rebuilds,“ Lock says.
Low-fat or fat-free yogurt, cheese, milk, lean meats, fish and other seafood, and beans will help. Eggs are also a good source of protein, but saturated fat I have that meat. Don't worry about the cholesterol in eggs, Locke says. The body doesn't absorb it well.
Older adults need calcium to promote healthy bone growth. Yogurt, low-fat cheese, and milk are good sources.
However, be careful as too much can be dangerous. constipation. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about what's best for you.
It is also important to get enough vitamin D. Because vitamin D helps your body use calcium. But it's not always easy.
„The risk of vitamin D deficiency in older adults is something of a challenge because there aren't a lot of foods that are rich in vitamin D,“ says Dr. Stephen Anton of American University's Division of Aging and Aging. Florida.
Calcium and vitamin D are found in fortified foods, fish such as salmon, and dairy products.