Healthy Diet

I firmly believe you are what you eat. Those of us who want to achieve a long life and healthy aging acknowledge the importance of following a healthy aging diet. But what is a healthy aging diet? It seems that a food that was considered bad for us is now good for us and a food that was suppose to make us healthy is now bad for us. First let us look at foods that everyone agrees are bad for us.

Foods such as fatty meats, potatoes chips, sugared cereals, etc., basically all the foods that you grew up loving are high in ingredients that cause disease and aging. Now that does not mean you have to completely eliminate these foods. But it does mean that limiting them from your diet will go a long way to improving you health as you age. Now I enjoy a cheese burger and fries as much as anyone and Christmas cookies or a warm homemade chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven will always test my willpower. But I try to live by one of my Mom’s saying “Everything in moderation”. So enjoy an occasional burger or a couple cookies and a glass of milk. But be aware that these are foods consumed on a regular basis will affect your health.

The problem is these foods are inflammatory to your body and more and more scientists are realizing that inflammation is the cause of many of our health problems. Inflammation is your body’s reaction to foreign or toxic ingredients. Below are some common causes of inflammation.

*Low grade food allergies.

*Stress.

*Environmental pollutants

*Diet and Lifestyle

Inflammation, oxygenation and free radicals cause rapid aging and are linked to most diseases. So obviously it’s a good idea to limit your intake of foods known to cause inflammation.

Okay if these foods are bad for you what foods are anti-inflammatory? Well once again my Mom was right. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish are among the most common anti-inflammatory foods. Increasing the consumption of these foods will counteract the bad foods and help heal the body. Additionally the foods with help support your immune system building a defense against everything from the flu to cancer.Healthy aging, skin and increased energy, lower weight and better brain function are just some of the many health benefits.

The verdict is in you are what you eat. Diet is critical to healthy aging. Ignore the years of research and tons of studies and you ignore the role food plays in your quest for vibrant health. I leave you with one more of my Mom’s sayings, “If you want any dessert eat your vegetables!”