Healthy Aging and Your Diet: 5 Menu Tips to Help You Stay Young

Fear of aging and it’s inevitable conclusion inspires people to do some crazy and expensive things. Longevity schemes ranging from restrictive eating regimes, growth hormone injections to miracle supplements coax billions of dollars from America’s baby boomers every year. Peddlers of these products would have you believe that you can stop the biological clock for the right price.

[No matter what we do of course we are not getting out of here alive, but you can take steps to keep your body robust, strong, and nimble for as many years as possible - life is simply full of so many beautiful things to see and experience. There is a revolution in how we think about aging in this country.]

Along with exercise, avoiding toxins and reducing stress What You Eat can have a powerful effect on how you age. The goal isn’t to stop aging but to delay the onset and reduce the risk of age related disease. Right now the best way to do this is to eat the right foods and in the right quantities. The recent animal based study released about the restrictive diet experiment and it’s effect on age allegedly proves eating less adds years to your life- but how many years in humans has yet to be proven.

Also do you really want to deprive yourself of the pleasure of eating to add a few years? It’s something to think about. The authors of the study recommend a 30% reduction in the amount of food you eat, but I believe if you just ate 15% less you would see dramatic changes in your health and appearance.

I would rather take a proactive approach and focus on What You Can Eat that will help you live longer, smarter and stronger.

Here Is My Menu Ideas For Staying Young:

1) Base Your Diet On Mostly Fruits And Vegetables. They contain a wide variety of antioxidants and anit- inflammatory agents that increase your chances of being disease free as you grow older. Studies show people with lots of fruit and vegetables in the diet have a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and have better memory and eyesight.

2) Choose The Right Fats The best fats are the OMEGA 3 fatty acids found in foods like fish ,flax seeds, avocadoes and walnuts which protect the heart and help the brain. They reduce inflammation and may decrease the incidence of Alzheimers.

3) Watch The Sugar And Starch Intake High glycemic foods like white bread, pasta and sweet baked goods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar and a spike in insulin levels which creates an environment for fat storage, metabolic syndrome, and high levels of inflammation. Choose foods high in fiber like barley, oatmeal, sprouted wheat bread, rye, wheat berries, quinoa and bran cereals and crackers. If you do eat a sugary food pair it with a high protein or moderate fat food to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. For example eat sweetened cottage cheese on whole wheat crackers. Never eat a dessert unless you have had a real meal of poultry, fish or beef along with vegetables.

4) Eat Fresh Forget the processed foods. The less you eat from a box the better. Jack La Lanne always said “Don’t eat anything with a label” ..You are robbing yourself of all the goodness and nutrients. From farm to plate hundreds of vitamins, minerals antioxidants and nutrients get lost in the industrialized processing of food. These foods are high in transfats that trigger inflammation. Always opt for locally grown for locally grown and in season produce.

5) Eat Consciously Make meals social and family oriented. A convival atmosphere of sharing and spending time with those you love and are close to has more affect on aging than knowing about the calories. Eat mindfully and take time to savor what’s in front of you. Appreciate how it was grown and how it was prepared. Avoid watching TV or reading while eating. Eat to 80% fullness- this is a practice of the Okinawa people of Japan who have the longest life expectancy of all the Asian people. By making wise food choices now in terms of what and how you eat, you can increase your chances of aging gracefully and living a healthier more fufilling life.

Incorporate These Super Foods Into Your Menu As Much As Possible Kale and dark leafy greens Whole grains Berries- Blackberries, rasberries, blueberries and strawberries Healthy fats- Olive oil /flax seeds/ chia seeds/ fish oils / avocadoes Tomatoes/ mushrooms, eggplant, cabbage, brussel sprouts Nuts- especially the superstars in this category – almonds and walnuts Red Grapes Fatty fish – Salmon, herring, sardines, tuna and anchovies Tea- green / black/ white Spices- tumeric and cinnamon

image by AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker