We all need fat in the body.
Making a commitment to have healthier eating habits is a tough one. Knowing
how to implement that commitment may be even harder. Where do you start?
What foods should you eat, and which ones should you stay away from? These are all questions you should answer before going out to the grocery store.
We need nutrients to survive. We need vitamins, minerals and calories everyday. There are two types of nutrients. Micronutrients are our vitamins and minerals and macronutrients are where our calories come from. The three types of macronutrients are fat, carbohydrates and proteins.
Many people think that all fats are bad and recently started thinking all carbohydrates are bad too. That leaves us with just protein. If this were the case, our diets wouldn't be very enjoyable. Fortunately not all fats are bad and the same goes for carbohydrates.
With all the negative publicity recently, you might be afraid to eat any
carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are our main fuel source. Our brain can't use
anything else to power itself with and our muscles will work the best on it. Don't
deprive yourself of it. Carbohydrates that you should stay away from are simple
sugars that are found in candy, sodas and many snacks. Good carbohydrates such as whole wheats and fruits will keep you energized throughout the day and avoid sugar highs and lows.
Fats are also very important. Without fat, our body wouldn't be able to utilize some of the vitamins we consume. Fat is found in our cell walls and makes up a big part of hormones. Fats you should avoid are saturated fats that come in meat, milk and dairy products. Everyone should consume good (unsaturated fats) that come from plant sources such as nuts and olives.
Can Nutrition Help Slow Down the Aging Process?
We all age. That fact is inevitable. But a lot of the negative changes that take place in our bodies are not. As we age, we become more susceptible to such things as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and arthritis. However, medical research has shown that proper nutrition can slow down and even prevent many of these ailments. It is estimated that nearly one half of all health problems in the elderly are directly related to poor nutrition. The elderly are by and large some of the most poorly nourished people. Some reasons for this are as you age your sense of taste and smell decreases, it is harder to chew, and you just don’t feel hungry.
In some cases, financial reasons may affect the food choices made and it may be harder to get out and shop for food due to various physical factors. On top of this, as you get older your body may not be able to absorb some of the nutrition from food as well as it could when you were younger. In some cases a good
multivitamin (preferably in liquid form) could help offset this. Your doctor can help you find one that’s right for you. Here are a few things that you can do to plan for better nutrition in your diet and a healthier life as you get older:
Plan out regular meals for each day and try to include vegetables in at least 2 of
them every day. If you must snack, use fruits and vegetables rather than junk food like potato chips and candy.
If you have problems chewing meat, try going with things like fish and ground
meats. Also try to eat more soups as they can have plenty of nutrition in them and they are great choices if you are on a budget.
Make meals more interesting by inviting a friend to lunch or dinner once in a
while. Sometimes it can get boring to always eat alone and having someone over can entice you to get more creative with meals than you might when eating alone. One thing you can do to ensure that you’ll be getting better nutrition is to make each plate colorful. Different color vegetables for example generally contain different nutrients so the idea here is, mix it up.
Growing old may be inevitable but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow old gracefully and healthier and with a steady diet of proper nutrition, you can maintain better health well into your golden years.
Cheers.