Foods to help as you age and give you good nutrtion!!

Vitamin B12 is often overlooked. Needed to make blood cells and improve cognition, vitamin B12 gets into the body along with animal proteins like eggs or meat.

B12 not bound to protein is found in fortified cereal and supplements and is more readily absorbed by the body. Starting at age 50, you should get most vitamin B12 from these types of fortified foods.(That means I need this.)

Blood pressure tends to rise as we age. To combat this problem and lower stroke and heart attack risk, you should eat less sodium and more potassium.

To replenish potassium, look to fruits and vegetables. A banana is always a good choice, as are broccoli and baked potatoes (with the skin). Kiwi is excellent, too.

In general, people also tend to move less as they get older. Extra calories may mean extra pounds, which ups heart disease and diabetes risk, as well as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis risk. Cut Calories.(This is hard...I love to eat!!)

Try new food flavors and textures, and avoid overcooking food to keep it from losing flavor. And add more hot pepper or other spices like curry if you like them. "It might make you drink more water or milk" which is also good.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that women drink about 2.2 liters, or 9 cups, of water a day, and men drink 3 liters, or 13 cups. (Try to limit coffee, tea, and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which up dehydration risk.)
 

Adults should get 1,000 milligrams calcium a day, but that increases to 1,200 milligrams for women over 50 and men over 70.

Vitamin D is needed for your body to absorb and properly use calcium. Unfortunately, this vitamin—naturally gleaned from the sun—can be hard to get depending on the time of year, where you live, and what you eat.

The world can get blurry for a lot of older people. To save your eyes from age-related macular degeneration or cataracts, start upping your intake of lutein during middle age.

You can get your allotment of lutein by eating more green, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli, fruits like grapes and oranges, and egg yolks.

Our grandparents may have been onto something with their ever-present packages of prunes: The fiber in the shriveled fruit helps the digestive tract run smoothly.

Overall, fiber intake is key for normal bowel function and may lower the risk of gastrointestinal inflammation. Plus, it can lower cholesterol and decrease the rise in blood sugar that occurs after eating. But you don't need to limit yourself to prunes. Other vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains will also do the trick.

Most of the fat in an older person's diet should be good fats, such as polyunsaturated and monousaturated fat, that come from foods like soybean and canola oil. These oils can also be a good source of vitamins E and K.

Refined carbohydrates such as white bread are generally lower in vitamins and fiber than, for example, whole grains. Opt for healthy carbs, like fruit, over not-so-great carbs, like cake.

Food is your best source of nutrients, but it can be hard to get all you need in the recommended amounts.

Recommended calcium and vitamins B12 and D. But overconsumption is dangerous too; you can easily end up getting too much of a good thing if you take supplements. Be a smart supplement taker and know the risks. (I have taken water soluable vitamins over the years...if your body doesn't use them they flushout!)

All of this talk and information can take the fun right out of life...LOL...focusing 95% on good habits helps!