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Nutrition and Aging: 5 Tips to Maintain a Healthy Eating Habit  

Aging is inevitable. Everyone will age at one point. Each birthday means you have another year to celebrate life, however, each birthday also brings you one year closer to your elderly years.

According to americanagingassociation.org

If you want to slow your aging, you must stop and look at the bigger picture. You must deal with all of your memories and attachments to the past. You must make space in your heart to move forward into the future.

You must understand that aging is not a curse, it is simply part of life and will not control you. It simply allows you to experience new life, experiences, relationships, and opportunities.

In your older years, you can begin to move your life in the direction you want, and someday in the future, you will make your dreams come true!

Healthy Aging and Nutrition

The best thing about this is we all have a choice if we want to age gracefully. As always, the best advice you will ever get is to eat healthy food and exercise regularly.

According to asaging.org

When you’re nearing the end of your active years your body needs to be maintaining itself at top physically and mentally to encourage you to continue the enjoyment of your life. You shouldn’t be living for a long time in a state of frustration and unhappiness. Your body needs to be providing all the necessities of life.

Nutrition is highly important when you are aging. Whether we like it or not, aging comes with health precautions. Our physical appearance will change. Our body won’t be as strong as it was when we were younger.

The things we can do become limited. But if you eat right, then you have more chances of delaying the aging process. In fact, it’s even possible to not even notice you’re aging at all!

According to who.int

For a healthy aging, you must maintain a balance of proper nutrients in your body. This means eating well and being active. This will let your body do its best to enjoy healthy aging.

The most important thing is to not skip meals and the way to do that is to have a little bit of everything when you eat. Be sure to mix it up and have some really nutritious food when you eat.

5 Nutrition Tips to Maintain a Healthy Aging

If you want to be sure that you nourish your body as you age, then you have to make healthy eating a daily habit. This can be quite challenging if you’re used to just eating whatever’s available.

To maintain healthy eating, here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Create a Monthly Meal Menu.

This may seem like a minor issue to some, but come to think of it, when you can’t think of anything to prepare for lunch or dinner, you will most likely eat out. If not, you will surely just settle with whatever’s available at home.

According to control-appetite.com:

To ensure that you’re eating healthy at all times, prepare your menu a month in advance. This way, dishes and snacks won’t be repetitive. You won’t have to think of what meal to prepare every day. This is a good way to control your appetite, too! You can shop for ingredients beforehand and easily prepare your meals daily.

2. Stick to Your Grocery List.

Since you’re shopping for ingredients in advance, then you must prepare a grocery list. Ideally, you should schedule grocery shopping at least once or twice a week to keep ingredients as fresh as possible.

When in the grocery store, stick to your list. Don’t buy anything that’s not on your list. Not only will this enable you to save money, but this will also help you resist temptations. When you have those bars of chocolate or bags of chips at home, you will most likely give in and indulge.

3. Prepare Your Own Meals as Much as You Can. Avoid Eating Out.

When you eat out, you don’t really know what ingredients were used while your meal was prepared. Furthermore, you don’t have plenty of choices unless you specifically chose to eat in a restaurant where only healthy dishes are served. To get around this issue, then just avoid eating out altogether.

You do know if the food came from a certified kitchen or not, but that still doesn’t always mean it is healthy.

4. If You Should Eat Out, Have a Small Meal at Home First.

But there are times when you must eat out. For instance, if you’re attending a get-together with friends or a family lunch or dinner, then you can’t just refuse invitations. Eat a little at home first before stepping out. This way, you won’t be very hungry and won’t have to eat so much unhealthy food.

Knowing what you need to eat and how much is ideal.

5. Create a Balanced Diet Plan.

If you are considering creating your own diet plan, it is vital that you do not skimp out on other necessary nutrients. A balanced diet is required for overall well-being. In order to stay focused on your success, the more meals you make with protein and water, the better. Make sure you supplement as well with vitamins and minerals if necessary, but in the past, I have found that those are only really needed in moderation.

Adjust your food to be as close to your daily energy needs as possible. Good nutrition requires consistent meal planning.

Please note: these tips are general and not exclusive. Every individual has to choose his/her own diet and supplement regimen. If one or more of these tips cannot be followed for some reason, a registered dietitian can provide more detailed support.

Nutritional Supplements for Healthy Aging

Some people may decide to try nutritional supplements. There is lots of evidence supporting the power of nutritional supplements for promoting healthy aging. Although they are proven to be safe and effective, a much better way than taking supplements is to get adequate nutrients from your own food.

Learn to cook, learn about natural sources of food, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, avoid trans fats and simple carbohydrates.