How to Create a New Healthier You Over Fifty

There are many changes that occur when your body begins to age. Many times activity levels slow as does the metabolism and bit of rounded belly begins to show. Foods that you once hated now sound appealing because your sense of taste and smell diminish through the years. Your body doesn’t process the food as well since stomach acid and saliva production diminishes and vitamins like B6, B12 and folic acid diminish because of reduced absorption. The body slows or ceases production of many enzymes and coenzymes that create needed building blocks or aid in the digestion of food. If this all sounds way to grim, don’t worry. There are simple remedies to keep you in the pink and get your body up to optimal operation.

You know that it is essential to eat a healthy and balanced breakfast but it is easy to forget to look after yourself the way you have looked after others. A light healthy breakfast including fresh fruit, whole grain cereal such as oatmeal, toast and juice (or a cup of tea or coffee) can give you a healthy and enjoyable start to the day.

Fruit should be your first choice for a mid morning snack. Full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as high in vitamins, fruit is a great immune system booster. Smaller meals eaten more frequently, whether fruit or otherwise, make digestion easier and speed up metabolism making it less likely that you will gain weight as you age. Frequent, small meals also help to control blood sugar levels and prevent hunger.

As well as a good breakfast and a healthy morning snack, a light lunch is important to keep you feeling well. Healthy wraps, salads and soups are good choices for your midday meal. However, it is a good idea to avoid creamed soups and other foods containing dairy. The body produces the enzyme lactase which is necessary to break down lactose or milk sugar. As you age, your body produces less lactase and consequently it becomes more difficult to digest milk products. Cheese which has been aged for more than sixty days contains a minimal amount of lactose and is usually fine.

Watch out for food allergies you never knew you had. Just like lactose intolerance, many food allergies aren’t allergies at all but the body’s inability to process certain foods. Gluten intolerance plays havoc on bodies and is seldom suspected until some bright physician asks just the right questions. Gluten is found in wheat and grain products like bread and vinegar.

With the best will in the world, it is difficult to give your body all the essential vitamins and minerals that it needs. Therefore, it is a good idea to take a daily vitamin and mineral supplement. You can also supplement with enzymes or coenzymes. CoQ10, in particular, is a coenzyme which diminishes in the body as you age. It has been found to help people on cholesterol lowering drugs, those with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and heart damage. Supplementing with CoQ10 can make many people feel substantially better.

Keep your processed sugar intake down as each year passes. When you ingest sweets, make them healthy and in the form of fruit. When you eat right, your body tells you with increased vigor and stamina. Add a bit of exercise, whether it be walking, biking, yoga, swimming or anything else to grease the joints and you find that you feel a lot fitter.

More than anything, it is important to be positive, happy and enjoy life. Maintain an active life and stay interested in people and life in general. By simply changing your approach to eating, you can develop a new outlook to life. You can learn new healthier recipes, create interesting healthy menus and begin to enjoy food in a different way. Your generation changed the way youth was viewed and experienced. Are you ready to change the future of aging?

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