looking and feeling your best at any age
Author: Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.
Now that you have a new smile thanks to dentures, it’s time to take care of the rest of you. I’ve compiled a few of my best tips to help you feel great, lose weight, sleep better and help lower your risk for age-related diseases.
- Focus on Produce. Include at least eight servings daily of colorful fruits and vegetables. The more colorful, the more antioxidants, which in turn protect tissues from damage and keep arteries, skin and brain cells more vibrant and youthful throughout life. Try to eat two at every meal and one at every snack.
- Add Good Fats; Remove Bad Fats. The saturated fats in meat and fatty dairy products, as well as many processed foods, clog arteries, which can lead to dementia and heart disease, increased cancer risk and aged skin. In contrast, the good fats, especially the omega-3 DHA in fatty fish like salmon and sardines, protects skin from aging, keeps arteries subtle and brain cells sharp. They also help boost mood. Try to eat at least two servings a week of fatty fish, add DHA-fortified foods to your daily diet and take a fish oil or DHA supplement.
- Go For the Grain; Make Sure it is Whole Grain. While refined grains add inches to your waistline and raise the risk for heart disease, diabetes and hypertension, whole grains lower the risk for all these problems. Choose 100% whole grain breads, brown rice, old fashioned oatmeal and other real grains.
- Choose Real Food. The more a food is processed, the higher its calorie, fat, salt and sugar content, and the lower its content of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Choose oatmeal over a granola bar, fresh broccoli instead of frozen broccoli with cheese sauce and blueberries instead of blueberry-flavored juice.
- Supplement Right. Take a multi-vitamin to fill in the gaps on days when you don’t eat perfectly. Supplement your multi with extra calcium and magnesium. Consider taking extra Vitamin D and either fish oils or a DHA supplement.
- Exercise Daily. Anyone who is really serious about feeling and looking their best must exercise daily. Almost everyone, regardless of age, weight or physical fitness, who has successfully lost weight and kept the weight off, has exercised. Exercise also raises a person’s happiness quotient, lowers risk for all diseases and slows or stops the hands of time. Build up to an hour a day of semi-vigorous activity, including brisk walking, cycling or dancing. Consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen.
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