Seven quick tips on eating well as we get older 🍓🐟🥩
Healthy eating is important at any age, but becomes even more so as we reach midlife and beyond. As well as keeping your body healthy, eating well can also be the key to a positive outlook and staying emotionally balanced. But healthy eating doesn’t have to be about dieting and sacrifice. Rather, it should be all about enjoying fresh, tasty food, wholesome ingredients, and eating in the company of friends and family.
Good nutrition can boost immunity, fight illness-causing toxins, keep weight in check, and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, bone loss, and cancer. Along with physical activity, a balanced diet can also contribute to enhanced independence as you age.
No matter your age or your previous eating habits, it’s never too late to change your diet and improve the way you think and feel. Improving your diet now can help you to live longer and stronger, sharpen your mind and overall feel better.
And remember – Beware of diets that make big promises. There are a lot of marketing spiel promoting fab diets that help you lose weight, regain youth or achieving high energy. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Here are some quick tips on eating well:
- Eat a diet rich in foods with fibre. High-fibre foods include dried beans, fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods. Breakfast is a good time to enjoy foods with fibre. For example, try unsweetened whole-grain cereals, and add fruit, such as bananas, stewed fruit in natural juice and berries.
- Choose lean cut of meat and poultry. Trim away extra fat and remove the skin from chicken before cooking. The best cooking methods are to steam, microwave, boil, grill, roast/bake on baking paper with a little spray-on olive oil, or use a non-stick frying pan with a little spray-on oil.
- Season your foods with lemon juice, herbs or spices instead of butter and salt. For example, coriander, ginger, garlic, chilli and lemongrass are great in a vegetable stir fry; or top steamed vegetables with a dash of olive oil and mixed herbs, such as parsley, basil, thyme and oregano (fresh or dried).
- Avoid foods that are high in fat, especially saturated fat. Saturated fat is mostly found in foods that come from animals such as fatty meats and butter and from processed foods such as biscuits, cakes, pastries and takeaways.
- Choose healthy fats and oils. Canola, olive, sunflower, soy and peanut oils as well as polyunsaturated and mono-saturated oils and spreads are the healthiest options.
- Ensure you get enough calcium. Eat foods high in calcium such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, tinned salmon or sardines. Reduced-fat dairy foods are preferable. These foods are important for strong bones and preventing fractures.
- Ensure you get enough protein. Choose lean cuts of meat and poultry. Include fish, eggs and legumes. These foods help to maintain healthy muscles… If you are looking for high-quality, natural protein sources, consider trying ISA products. ISA Energy offers a range of supplements made from premium, plant-based ingredients, including pea and brown rice protein, to support your muscle health and overall wellbeing. With a focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing, ISA Energy’s products are a great choice for those who care about their health and the planet.
Try to follow the recommended dietary guidelines. To maintain and improve your health, follow the dietary guidelines and be physically active every day. See below.
Eating well + keeping active reduces health risks
You can improve your wellbeing by making some simple changes to your lifestyle, regardless of your age, ability or shape. And when you eat well and are regularly active, you can expect to benefit from avoiding many health risks linked to ageing, such as:
- reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
- reduced risk of developing high blood pressure
- reduced blood pressure (in people who already have high blood pressure)
- prevention of some cancers
- reduced risk of becoming overweight
- reduced risk of developing diabetes and prevention and treatment of non-insulin dependent diabetes – it has been estimated that 30% to 50% of new cases of Type 2 diabetes could be prevented by appropriate physical levels of activity
- better bone and muscle development and prevention of osteoporosis
- improved muscle flexibility, strength and endurance
- reduced risk of dying prematurely
- reduced risk of falling, and improved mobility and strength for older adults
- improved quality of sleep
We recommend that you talk to your local GP if you are changing your diet or adding new ingredients that may impact your health based on the above article.
Source:
– Queensland Govt, Health. Vitality chapters, Healthy eating. Read more
– HelpGuide. Eating Well as You Age Read more
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