Eat Well and Stay Healthy
As senior citizens, we all strive to stay healthy and happy. Well prepared meals are an important part of our daily routine for us to keep up our energy, feel great and do our best to stay out of the doctor’s office when possible. Here are some tips to help us best understand what are considered healthy foods and what foods or spices we should consider limiting.
TIP 1: Limit Processed Foods
Consider making fresh foods and home-made meals the basis of your diet, limiting the consumption of ready-to-eat foods found on the shelves at the market or in a fast food restaurant can make a serious difference in the way you feel. This will eliminate a significant amount of unwanted substances (commonly found in the additives to keep processed foods fresh tasting longer) and assist you to keep control of your diet
TIP2: Consume more than half of your food in the form of fresh vegetables, fruits, tubers (which are high in antioxidants and fiber), and potatoes
Many people do not fully understand a plant-based diet protects against most so-called civilization diseases. Most of us were raised in a household that served beef, fish or chicken as the main part of our daily diet. Changing to a daily diet that’s fifty percent or more plant-based is definitely opposed to the way many of us have planned our meals, but as we age our bodies will perform better if we feed it food that burns clean and is easy for our systems to process and digest.
TIP 3: Choosing Low-Calorie Foods
It is proven we eat about the same amount of food each day, and we have learned that not all foods are satisfying in the same way and do not provide the same number of calories. Choosing low-calorie foods, known as low caloric density you will maintain or lose weight helping you to stay slim and live longer.
TIP 4: Choosing foods with high nutritional density
By choosing high nutritional density foods, you will be filled with natural vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which is important to help you do not suffer from most chronic diseases.
TIP 5: Choosing Antioxidant Foods
Many of us do not fully understand why we should eat anti-oxidant foods? The reason is they are full of natural vitamins like C and E, also polyphenols, carotenoids, glucosinolates, and alkaloids. These are all big names that we don’t always understand but we should know they are protective substances found in foods and most important they slow down natural aging and reduce the risk of chronic and degenerative diseases.
TIP 6: Ensuring the acid-base balance
To keep your bones strong, prevent muscle wasting and keep your kidneys healthy, respecting the acid-base balance when you’re getting older is essential. What this means, you must be careful not to follow a diet too acidifying and the best way to do this is to reduce excess salt, cereals, meat, fish, cheese). Once again, we suggest eating plants/vegetables, they are sources of potassium and alkalinizing bicarbonates: even if you decide not to consider moving towards a plant-based diet, to ensure better health they must be increased.
These six TIPS are a great start to staying healthy which generally equates to more fun, bigger smiles, and a longer life. Check with the counselors at Cal Registry to find senior living facilities where a healthy diet is part of their daily menu.