Healthy Eating Tips for Senior Citizens

by Skyler Raine

"You are what you eat", this might be an old quote and yet this five-word phrase says it all when we talk about our lifestyle and our health. Let's face it, many of us are sick of the 'eat your vegetables' reminder; we have heard this many times before since we were little kids thinking that the world is just a big playground - then, when we become adults, well... we still need to be reminded. Our carelessness regarding what we eat leads to diseases that can occur for senior citizens.

Aging is a process of life and we have the option in making it glorious and healthy. Some of us might have abused our bodies when we were a little bit younger but the good news is it's never too late to be healthy.

One way of being healthy is eating healthy. Here are eating tips for senior citizens:

1. Eat fruits and of course, vegetables. You might say 'here we go again' but you've heard a lot of times that fruits and vegetables aside from being naturally rich with vitamins, they also have no side effects like factory-made food supplements. Plants also have mono- and polyunsaturated fat; monounsaturated fats help increase good cholesterol levels and with the help polyunsaturated fats the risk of raising amount of blood cholesterol that is harmful for your heart becomes lower or gone, totally.

2. Grains and oats for a healthy stomach. Too much food is dangerous, no, it's not an exaggeration, and it's a fact. Eating too much is harmful to our digestion and eventually to our body, eating grains like oats, rice and so on can be beneficial; these foods are rich in fiber that can flush out unhealthy chemicals that are stored in your digestive system for decades.

3. Drink milk and eat some dairy products. Your bones get weaker as you get older, especially when milk and dairy products are not in your meal list. Milk and dairy products contains calcium that rebuilds bone tissues. Bone diseases such as osteoporosis is common to women, drinking 1,200 milligrams of milk will revitalize your bones and keep you at less risk of osteoporosis.

4. Seafood, anyone? Seafood such as fish and crustaceans can be considered as the perfect alternative for meat. If you're doctor advised you to cut your meat intake but you can't help it you might consider seafood such as fish instead. Seafood has zinc and vitamin D that helps regulate calcium in the body.

5. Drink a lot of water. Water is the most important nutrient. Experts say that the number of glasses to be consumed depends on the weight. If you weigh 160 pounds you should consume at least eight or ten (8-ounce) glasses of water everyday if you weigh more than 160 pounds you need an extra glass for every 25 pounds.

Remember, you have to consult your dietitian first before making any adjustments with your diet to prevent unnecessary health issues.

With good lifestyle and proper diet, aging will not be a factor in doing the things you want to do such as making yourself productive and glorious. Change in diet might be hard at first but it's worth it and you will be surprised of the benefits you will obtain. Happy eating!

Article Resource: Marck Daza

SOURCE:  voices.yahoo