As we age, a healthy diet becomes increasingly important to maintain our overall health and well-being. In order to do this, embracing your cultural dishes and incorporating locally and organically sourced foods can help you stay healthy as you age. There are a few key ingredients and food groups that are particularly important for healthy ageing, which we will explore below.
Protein is essential at every age, whether you want to build muscle, retain strength or recuperate from surgery. This macronutrient can be found in a variety of foods, including meats, beans, dairy products, fish, nuts, seeds, and cottage cheese. These foods can be incorporated into your diet in the form of various curry preparations, providing not only protein but also a range of different flavors and textures.
Fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains can help with lowering cholesterol and managing body weight simply by keeping you full. There are plenty of ways to incorporate these foods into your diet, including dishes like chana masala, baingan bharta, and oats upma. These flavorful and satisfying dishes add healthy fiber to your meals while also offering a wide range of other health benefits.
As we age, our bones lose some of their calcium and mass, heightening the risk of fractures and weaker bones. Consuming milk, dahi, and cheese is a good source of calcium uptake, helping to keep our bones strong and healthy. There are also a number of Indian dishes that are high in calcium due to their ingredients, such as ragi dosa, til chutney, and paneer masala.
Vitamin D is important for healthy bones and is the only one that can be synthesized when the skin is exposed to sunlight. However, in areas where sunlight is not always readily available, it can be difficult to get enough vitamin D through natural sources alone. Fatty fish, eggs, and vitamin D-fortified dairy products are all sources of this essential vitamin, and should be included in your diet to ensure that you are getting enough.
To meet deficiencies and ensure that you are getting all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients, nutritional supplements can also be included in the diet. A regular, balanced diet is crucial to meet daily nutritional requirements, but some nutritional gaps may exist. To fill these gaps, one can include balanced nutrition supplements in their diet.
In conclusion, our diet has a significant impact on our health as we age. To maintain optimum health, it is important to embrace your cultural dishes which are prepared through locally and organically sourced foods. Incorporating the key food groups listed above, such as protein, fiber, calcium, and vitamin D, can help ensure that your diet is supporting healthy ageing, and nutritional supplements can be used to fill any gaps in your diet. By paying careful attention to what we eat and drink, we can help to preserve our health and quality of life in our later years.
