Unlocking the secrets of Longevity: How Nutrition can help you age gracefully.

Consuming a range of foods with various benefits can do wonders for the body and overall general health, especially as we get older with age.  They can make us look and feel younger, as well as make  feeling good about ourselves. So how do we know which of these are good for us?

We get all the benefits in the foods that we eat, however due to various lifestyle reasons including religion, environment, various food preferences etc this may not be possible, especially as we get older, and so we may have to look at other alternatives. The following topics below are important for people from the senior citizen community to be aware of:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Calcium
• Cholesterol
• Obesity
• Vitamin D

Vitamin C and Healthy Ageing

Vitamin C is personally the most widely known vitamin these days. This is not surprising because the body needs the C vitamin for over 300 functions. In fact, it has been proven to help protect against heart disease, cancer and other serious illnesses. Without this the body would not be able to heal itself.  This is because the C vitamin is vital for the formation of collagen. Whenever a person has a cut or an injury it is the collagen that helps repair the damage and without the sufficient C vitamin, this would almost be impossible. Collagen has a multitude of functions in the body, including keeping the organs in place. Folic acid and iron, for example, need the C vitamin to maximise their usefulness. The more C vitamin that the body has, the better its defence against colds and other common flu problems. The C vitamin may not prevent a person catching a virus or flu, but it can help to speed up the recovery process. There is the C vitamin in almost every fruit and vegetable, but some have far higher C vitamin content than others. Cranberries and melons have a high C vitamin content. In fact, tropical fruits have the highest C vitamin amounts of all the popular fruits.

Vitamin E and Healthy Aging

Vitamin E is linked to promoting haemoglobin (red blood cells) Since aging has an unknown effect on blood cells and bone marrow, reports show that Vitamin E’s support to haemoglobin is a potential solution to solving disease related to haemoglobin. Our haemoglobin structure detains oxygen for an extended time, which means that oxygen will flow smoothly. Vitamin E has been linked to reduced risks of disease, since it is said that oxygen will stay within the cavities of haemoglobin at a lengthier time. This means that the person can be able to live a healthy, youthful life.

The Heart and Healthy Aging 

As we grow older, we experience higher risks of heart disease, cholesterol increase, weaken joints, muscles, and so on.

So what can we do to decline this process slowly?  These tips below may be useful:

The Brain and Healthy Aging

Diet is very important to keep the brain healthy, especially as we grow older. Consume as many colourful fruits as possible and leafy vegetables. Vegetables are known to help the brain to perform and become better. Fruits and vegetable are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals along with being low in fat and calories.  Antioxidants have proven to benefit us, since it contains vitamins known to reduce dying or damaged cells.

 

Preventing Bone Disease in Healthy Aging

Our bones need continued activities throughout our lives starting as a child. Until we turn 30, the bones continue to build. After this age, the bones begin to disintegrate. We can cutback this degeneration process by taking care of our bones.

Bone health is achieved through activities, such as exercise. In addition, maintaining healthy bones by increasing calcium. Taking calcium is very important during our entire life. Besides calcium however, bones demand a mixture of magnesium, phosphorous and Vitamin D.

Healthy Ageing and Exercise

Staying fit is key to preventing risks of disease, hip fractures etc. When we exercise, we maintain weight. As we start to age, the body fat increases to more than 30%. This is too much added weight for the muscles, joints and bones. Carrying around this kind of weight on the feet, legs, etc will cause problems later. Maintaining our weight will help prevent and lower our risks of heart disease, bone disease, high-blood, high-cholesterol, diabetes and so on.

 

Fighting Obesity to Live through Healthy Aging

There are many effects of being overweight including the following:

·         Heart Attacks

·         Sleep aponia

·         Strokes

·         Diabetes

 

Fighting High Cholesterol in Healthy Aging

If the cholesterol gets out of hand, it can harden the arteries. This means the blood will not flow through to the heart properly, making this hard to pump naturally. The heart will pump at unnatural rates, working harder to keep the body alive.

 High diastolic is high cholesterol that increases the risks of heart attacks. When the heart does not receive any blood, this causes clotting or breaking of the blood vessels, causing a stroke. This happens when the brain does not receive enough blood due to the decrease in oxygen levels. High cholesterol can increase the risk of diabetes also, since this affects the haemoglobin

Cholesterol is something that clogs the arteries in our heart. In addition, cholesterol when out of control could cause heart attacks, or series of strokes. When we have high cholesterol, we must change our lifestyle, as well as taking the time out to look after ourselves, do various fun activities, socialising etc to keep our cholesterol at bay. When cholesterol is out of control, the cause comes to focus, which is arteriosclerosis.

In conclusion, nutrition and dieting can play an important part in healthy aging. As we age, our bodies require different nutrients, and it is important to make the necessary adjustments to our diet to support optimal health. By ensuring a well-balanced diet, incorporating fruits and vegetables, including staying hydrated, we can improve our overall well-being and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. It is also important to remember that healthy aging is not just about what we eat, but also about maintaining an active lifestyle and taking care of our mental and emotional health. So, let us embrace a lifestyle approach to aging and make various conscious choices that support our journey towards a healthier and happier future.