There is plenty of ‘get slim fast’ advertising and there are a lot of people pushing rapid dieting tips for a better body, but we know that many of the offerings are short-term fixes. Investing some effort into eating and living more healthily now means that the results are more likely to stick long-term.
It’s true that what you eat can affect the way your body ages and the science behind how food affects different parts of us is becoming more sophisticated, with evidence of how different foods can help to support the:
Muscles and joints
Cardiovascular Disease and Food
Many millions of people over 60 suffer with cardiovascular disease. There are many conditions that sit under the umbrella of ‘disease’ and some are caused by genetics, but others are the result of poor lifestyle choices.
For the latter, choosing a Mediterranean style diet rich in nuts, grains, fresh fruit, vegetables and olive oil and having very little red meat can slow the advance of the conditions that cause heart disease.
The primary underlying causes of heart disease are:
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- High cholesterol
All of these are symptoms which poor eating habits will exacerbate, so making the right food choices can have a huge impact on health and quality of life.
Reducing the Severity of Arthritis
The general term ‘arthritis’ includes classifications such as rheumatoid, osteo and gout, but all types of arthritis have at their core the severely painful swelling of joints, sometimes to a debilitating extent.
Osteoarthritis is one of the more common suffered by the elderly.
Ginger, citrus fruit, spinach and kale and garlic have all been indicated as beneficial for sufferers or arthritis, while the natural anti-inflammatory in cherries can reduce the severity of attacks, thus reducing the level of medicinal pain relief needed.
Reducing refined sugar consumption and keeping hydration levels up can also help to reduce the likelihood of an attack and reduce the severity of swelling should one occur.
Healthy fat consumption can help with brain function with olive oil, coconut oil, oily fish (sardines, mackerel, salmon) and avocado all having properties that benefit the brain.
Changing the way we eat is a big step. We have to re-think our shopping habits and even the way we cook in order to make any drastic dietary changes, but maybe the investment of effort is worth the potential long-term returns that a healthier old age can bring.
It would certainly reduce the strain on medical services.