Health starts with diet. Eating a balanced diet filled with healthy foods can help older adults maintain healthy and cognitive function.
What three foods should older adults include in their diet
Dark leafy greens. For example, cabbage, broccoli, spinach.
Spinach is rich in vitamins A and C, which help protect the heart and lower blood pressure levels.
Vitamin K plays an important role in preventing bone problems.
Leafy greens can be added to a salad, sandwich, or stir-fried vegetable with a little healthy oil.
Cruciferous vegetables. This includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts and turnips.
These foods are excellent sources of fiber, vitamins, and phytochemicals that prevent cancer.
Cruciferous vegetables are delicious and extremely versatile.
You can add them to soup, pasta and casseroles; fry them with seasonings and a little olive oil.
Nuts and seeds. Any nuts, for example, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, are rich in vegetable protein, as well as healthy antioxidants and fats.
You can add nuts to salads, breakfast, and pesto.
Seeds are another healthy superfood.
Chia seeds, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants, may help prevent cancer and protect the heart and liver, according to a 2016 study.
We previously talked about the health benefits of red lentils.