Healthy Eating - 5 Dietary Requirements For Senior Citizens

Healthy eating, whether as a child or senior citizen is a vital part of a healthy and active lifestyle. Your nutritional needs are pretty much the same at 40, 50, 60 and beyond as they were when you were younger--with some minor variations. As we grow older, our bodies becomes less forgiving, and we will have to make more of an effort to eat well and stay fit.

Here are 5 Dietary Requirements for Senior Citizens:

1. Exercise:
Studies of the elderly indicate that current weight, rather than age, determined energy intake in men and women. The study suggests that changes in lifestyle, not age, resulted in the dietary changes seen in the healthy elderly survey. As you mature, your body will loose muscle mass, decreasing your metabolic rate, which in turn burns fewer calories at a slower rate. A great way to maintain control of your maturing body is to exercise regularly and eat healthy meals in moderation.

2. Eat More Fiber:
Maintaining a regular cycle of all systems in our bodies is very important. Fiber helps maintain regularity to prevent constipation and gastrointestinal diseases like divertculosis (pouches that cause spasm or cramping in the large intestines). You may also want to be extremely selective in your diet and not include gaseous foods.

3. Eat More Calcium:
Around 40 years old, our bones start to lose more minerals quicker than it can replace them. For women, menopause causes a drop in estrogen levels, estrogen helps bones maintain calcium. Menopause is responsible for a greater loss of calcium than in men. You should discuss with your physician a dietary supplement to ensure you are properly maintaining your body.

4. Water:
Water is essential from birth throughout life. It is critical to health-and is chronically overlooked. Second only to air in its steady and relentless necessity, H2O carries nutrients to cells; aids digestion by contributing to stomach secretions; flushes bodily wastes and reduces risk of kidney stones by diluting salts in the urine; ensures healthy function of moisture-rich organs (skin, eyes, mouth, nose); lubricates and cushions joints; regulates body temperature; and protects against heat exhaustion through perspiration. And the list goes on and on. Everybody should consume the minimum eight glasses of water daily to maintain our youthful vigor and pep.

5. Avoid Foods With Too Much Sugar:
Too much sugar causes a number of problems- it suppresses the immune system, weakens eyesight, contributes to obesity and diabetes, causes constipation, leads to all different types of cancers, and the list goes on and on about the effects of sugar intake. Young and old should never binge on sugar.

Eating well can make us feel a lot better. It gives us more energy and it can actually help slow down the aging process!

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