Healthy Eating for Seniors
There is so much confusion sometimes about what is good for you and what is not. In general, a good guideline is to stick to foods in their "whole" or natural state. The more a food looks like it did when it was picked, the better! Another good rule of thumb is to eat most of your calories from plant-based foods - nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables, and greens. It is not so much about subtracting the foods that are bad for us like candy and cakes; it is more about adding foods that are healthy and making healthy food the basis of our regular meals. Here are some ideas of what to add:
Power Veggies
Greens! – get the organic kind. Apparently, dark leafy greens are often full of pesticides. Greens can be a wonderful late addition to soup for color and taste. Lightly wilted greens can also be added to omelets, stir-fry or casseroles.
- Kale can be included in a salad raw if cut up in very small pieces because it can be hard to chew.
- Spinach – Same advice as above for Kale – spinach offers a good source of multiple vitamins and minerals.
- Dandelion Greens – These are a little bitter – but can easily be added to salads and recipes calling for greens. Good source of calcium
- Collard Greens – Again – calcium is a big winner here.
Squash – try the many varieties of squash for a healthy, filling, high-fiber meal. You can simply cut an acorn squash in half and place it flesh side down in a pan of water. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes and serve with unsweetened applebutter. Delicious! Butternut squash can be added to soups to increase fiber and niacin as well!
Mushrooms – these fungi have almost no calories and offer a powerhouse of potassium.
Garlic and onions – These tasty additions to recipes are thought to help reduce bacteria in the body and support a healthy cardiovascular system.
Good Fruit
Bananas – easy for seniors to eat and offer great potassium and fiber to fill up when just needing a snack or having a sweet craving.
Berries – These are also often heavily sprayed for pesticides. Shop for organic varieties when possible and/or wash thoroughly. Berries are powerful anti-oxidents and offer a good supply of potassium, calcium and magnesium
Apples – They are best when eaten with the skin on – but get the organic variety to avoid pesticides. Apples contain a lot of pectin which helps to prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls.
Raisins – These guys actually help reduce bacteria in your mouth that can lead to cavities and gum disease. Along with raisins, many types of dried fruits offer a good source of iron.
Go for the Grain:
Whole grains offer your body more nutrients than the “white” varieties of flour-based foods. When purchasing breads, pasta, muffins, and rolls, substitute “whole wheat” for “white". It takes some getting used to, but most people adjust within a week. Also, try some of the following:
Good old Oatmeal. Get the old-fashioned type and cook in the microwave in a bowl. Add nuts, cinnamon, fresh or dried fruit for variety. Nothing beats it.
Bran cereals offer a lot of fiber to aid in digestion and serve up more nutrients than corn flakes!
Brown and wild rice. These are easy to digest and offer more vitamins and fiber than the white variety.
Other healthy ideas:
- Green Tea: Packed with phytochemicals thought to be good for preventing cancer and heart disease, Green Tea is a wonderful replacement for coffee.
- Egg Subsitute: Try “Egg-Beaters: Egg whites only” – 25 calories per serving and no cholesterol - easy for baked goods and other cooking to replace eggs which can be high in cholesterol and fats!
- Olive Oil: They even make a “light” olive oil now that does not have an “olive-y” taste. You can bake with this and it contains omega-3 fatty acids.
- "Low-Fat" varieties of the foods you like: While we should not be eating too many processed foods like cookies or other snack items, any time you can trade your processed food in for a “Low” fat option, do it. It tends to taste the same anyway.
- Water for Frying: Yes – you can sauté vegetables in water for the basis of soups and other recipes. You won’t be able to tell the difference between carrots and onions sauted in water as opposed to butter if you are doing it for part of a recipe!
- Fish: White fish and tuna are a good source of animal protein without the heavy saturated fats in other meats and provide brain-and-heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
- Nuts have so much going for them! Too many nuts could be a problem because they are high in fat and calories. But, in moderation, they contain the good type of fat that can actually help lower cholesterol and improve your cardiovascular system. In addition, these are thought to be good for brain-health (especially almonds).
- Chocolate - Chocolate Can be Good For You!
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