As we age, our bodies begin to change and so does our nutritional needs, and by maintaining a balanced eating pattern focused on key nutrients, you can improve your odds of aging in a healthier way. Location ” healthline“.
Tips for healthy eating if you are over 60
While aging is inevitable and natural, and you can take steps to achieve healthy aging, there are many factors that influence healthy aging:
Diet
-Physical activity
Health conditions and medical history (including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer)
– genetics
-smoking
– healthy nutrition
Nutrition plays a key role in healthy aging by reducing the risk of chronic disease, age-related muscle loss, weak bones such as osteoporosis, malnutrition, and being underweight or overweight.
Nutrients and foods to focus on
During your 50s and 60s, it’s important to get enough of many essential nutrients each day.
– protein
Adequate protein intake helps build and maintain lean muscle mass, which is important for an active lifestyle, strong fat burning, and better immune health.
Protein-rich foods include:
– Meat
– poultry
– fish
– eggs
– beans and lentils
Nuts and seeds
– Dairy products
– fiber
Eating fiber promotes healthy bowel movements and digestion, supports heart health, slows sugar absorption to stabilize blood sugar levels, and helps maintain a healthy weight.
High-fiber foods include:
– vegetables
– fruit
Whole grains such as oats, brown rice, popcorn, and barley
– beans and lentils
Nuts and seeds
Calcium
Calcium is an essential mineral for bone health, nerve function, and heart and muscle contraction. Adequate calcium intake may help prevent bone-related disorders such as osteoporosis.
Calcium-rich foods include:
Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt
Leafy green vegetables, except for spinach
It’s best to get calcium from food, but you can also find it in many multivitamins.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for bone health and immunity Low levels are associated with a higher risk of mental decline, weakness, poor heart health, depression, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
Vitamin D is also known as the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies can excrete it from exposure to sunlight. However, excessive exposure to the sun can be dangerous, so try to get this vitamin mostly from supplements or foods such as dairy products, mushrooms, egg yolks, and fish. fatty;
Omega-3 fatty acids
Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids are associated with lower rates of mental decline and neurodegenerative diseases — such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia — as well as healthy brain, heart and skin.
Food sources of omega-3 fats include:
Fatty fish (including salmon, sardines, mackerel, tuna, and herring)
Nuts and seeds
Oils (such as flaxseed oil)
Vitamin B12
This vitamin plays a key role in energy metabolism, red blood cell production, DNA repair, immune function, and brain and heart health.
After the age of 50, your body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12 decreases, so it becomes very important to get this vitamin in your diet.
Vitamin B12 is mostly found in animal foods such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as in fortified breakfast cereals.
potassium
Potassium is a mineral you need to get into your diet. Adequate potassium intake is associated with a lower risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Furthermore, it helps support bone health. This mineral is found in many food sources, such as:
Vegetables and fruits such as bananas, raisins, Medjool dates, guavas, oranges, potatoes, cabbage and leafy greens.
all grains
Dairy products
Nuts and seeds
meat and poultry
Antioxidants
Antioxidants help neutralize free radical compounds that may lead to oxidative stress – a major contributor to aging and chronic disease Antioxidants include vitamins A And C And E and minerals such as zinc, copper and selenium.
Include the best food sources of antioxidants
Colorful fruits and vegetables
Nuts and seeds
all grains
dark chocolate
coffee and tea
