Can we have it all?  Maybe we can, at least when it comes to aging.  The 20th century is the first century where aging is something to even consider.  The life expectancy in the 19th century was 30.  Today, people want and expect to live into their 70,s and 80,s.  For those who balance good genes with good care can expect to live well past 100.

The view of the frail elderly person, one who is feeble and ailing may be something of the past as people begin to take charge of their lives and their health.  That’s because it is now realized that there is a significant lifestyle component associated with aging – from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and cataracts, skin wrinkling and osteoporosis.  So, it is not years alone that cause deterioration, but how we choose to live our lives.

There’s a whole lot you can do to hold off the aging process.  Most of the changes the body and mind go through as we age are modifiable by making a few simple changes in diet and exercise. The age related disease linked with aging, such as diabetes, a rise in blood pressure and cholesterol levels, developing heart disease, brittle bones (osteoporosis), as well as increased difficulty in processing new information for short-term memory to name a few.

Our nutritional needs increase with age.  Realizing that old age is not a sudden event it happens over time.   A seniors nutritional needs have their beginnings in the middle years. But you must get aggressive. Requirements for some nutrients are higher than previously thought and many time higher than many people consume.

Vitamin D3, a nutrient essential for the prevention of osteoporosis and possibly colon cancer, is one example of how starting early can skirt problems later on.  The body loses its ability to manufacture vitamin D3 with age.  The means that dietary sources of vitamin D3 become much more important.  Daily intake milk is the only reliable dietary source of vitamin D3 – each cup supplying 100 IU of vitamin D.

What to eat and how much to get what you need:  Folic Acid – two dark green leafy vegetable, such as broccoli, spinach romaine lettuce, collard greens.  Vitamins B6 and B12 – several servings daily of chicken, fish, extra-lean meat, or nonfat dairy products like milk and yogurt.  Vitamin B12 levels should be monitored by a physician as one ages, deficiencies can go undetected, and result in loss of mental function and memory.

Antioxidants to combat free-radicals ( highly reactive oxygen fragments consumed in food, enhaled from air pollution, and generated in the body by metabolic processes).  Vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium and health producing compounds call phytochemicals found in fruits and vegetable, beans, garlic and green tea are the most potent antioxidants.

Much disease is more a matter of accumulating damage over time than a matter of age.  Another way of putting it would be, if you stop the damage, you should stop, or slow, the aging process.  The sooner someone boosts antioxidant intake the better: although, it is never too late to strengthen the antioxidant system and slow the damaging effects of free radicals.  For over 20 years scientists worldwide have consistently found that people who eat fruits, vegetable, whole grains, and legumes have lower rates of cancer, heart disease, and disease in general.  Maintaining a normal weight and living longer than people who don’t eat these healthy foods has also been found.  The recommended intake of five servings a daily is actually a minimum. Eight or more servings a day will provide a more optimal amount of the antioxidant phytochemicals vitamins, and minerals.

For the most part, women also need to be getting more calcium, which also comes from milk and other dairy products.

The B vitamins – three  are essential for prevention of heart disease, folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.  They keep levels of homosysteine low in the blood.  If levels are allowed to rise, it contributes to risk of heart disease even in the absence of high blood cholesterol levels.  Up to 85% of women do not consume recommended levels of vitamin B6 and up to 93% of women don’t consume one folic acid-rich vegetable (dark green leafy vegetable) out of four days.  Our body also requires more vitamin B12 as we age and many typically consume less vitamin B12 as they age.

to be continued~

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In the 90’s the focus was to eat a low-fat diet to prevent obesity and other diseases.  Fifteen years later evidence now shows a low-fat diet may be ineffective for weight loss or prevention of heart disease and several cancers.

Research following 49,000 women for eight years reported that eating a low-fat diet did not prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and did little for weight loss ( Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial published in February 8, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association).  It is becoming clearer is that too much saturated and trans fats increase the risk for certain diseases while more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk.  The key being to eat more of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

The Harvard School of Public Health reports that the largest sources of saturated fats are dairy products and red meats.  Trans fats are mostly found in processed foods such as margarine, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, deepfried chips, fast foods and most baked goods.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, like olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish.  Although these foods contain small amounts of satruated fats, they have smaller amounts of saturated fats.  The key is to have larger amounts of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which happens with these foods.

Check out the Wholefood Farmacy link to your right and see the many convenient snackable and delicious whole foods that have more of the healthier fats provided it whole, natural food.

This is a sample health article provided FREE from Wholefood Farmacy. You can sign up to receive them by email (90 Days to Wellness).