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Issue 101Lifestyle Tips for Wellness Lifestyle tips to help maintain health and to benefit the nerves, eyes, bones and bacteria that should promote wellbeing in later life could include: A 'balanced' diet contains a variety of good food There is an idea that to eat well and have a good diet costs a lot, but it needn't. A good diet needs a sense of adventure and willingness to try different tastes and textures and possibly to try a different method of cooking. Good food doesn't need to be 'processed' before it is eaten. Simple recipes and minimal preparation or cooking is part of the secret of food success. Wow your friends with stunning salads; amaze your Mum with steamed veggies! Play the fruit and vegetable alphabet game with the children:- Apricots, Bilberries, Cherries, Dates, Eggplant, Figs, Grapes, Haricot Beans, Ice plant, Jackfruit, Kale, Lettuce, Mangoes, Nectarine, Okra, Persimmon, Quince, Radishes, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Ugli fruit, Vine leaves, Watermelon, Yam, Zucchini. All colourful and leafy vegetables together with the flavonoid-rich fruit such as bilberries, blackberries and cherries are rich in carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins and minerals. Where possible eat Whole-foods instead of processed food, and consider a piece of fruit instead of the low-nutrient chocolate bar. Ideally, limit meat intake to about three times a week. Try to include oily fish two or three times a week. Mackerel, salmon, trout, sardines, fresh tuna or anchovies are the ones to look for. Cod, haddock and other white fish have less of the beneficial Omega-3 oil in their flesh. Limit the intake of convenience food containing hydrogenated, saturated or processed fat, these are hard work for the body to efficiently deal with. Where possible eat organically grown food, it contains less chemicals and is kinder to the environment longterm. If there are any concerns about the diet, consider getting some professional advice. Food supplements such as antioxidants, multinutrients or perhaps special supplements for body systems could be helpful where food availability is limited. Probiotics are also a useful addition to the diet. Maintaining healthy bones Some foods make acid, and some foods make alkali in the body. Foods that are good for us like fruit and vegetables make alkali which is also good. The acid making foods are animal protein, sugar, refined carbohydrates and alcohol, which in excess are not good for the body. A study confirms that acids derived from food influence calcium metabolism, and that alkalising nutrients inhibit bone loss. Dietary counselling is recommended to help avoid acid ash-forming nutrients as a preventative measure against osteoporosis, or to consider supplementing with calcium(9). Walking is good for lungs, heart and digestion Go for a walk! Walking is weight-bearing exercise it helps maintain bone density and encourages circulation of oxygen and blood round the body which benefits all the body systems. Eye nutrients Lutein is a carotenoid that must be obtained through the diet. It collects in the macula and is known as the 'macular pigment'. Lutein has the ability to filter short wavelengths of light and so reduce formation of free radicals; it can stabilize free radicals without being damaged itself. The foods richest in lutein are dark green leafy vegetables and fruit, especially broccoli, kale, spinach, kiwi fruit and peaches. However, because lutein (and zeaxanthin) is yellow, the colour may be masked by the green of chlorophyll in many of the darker green vegetables. Corn and egg yolks are also a source of lutein. The average European/British consumption of lutein is approximately 2mg a day. Eyes are particularly susceptible to damage by "free radicals" because they are exposed to light, have a high consumption of oxygen molecules, and contain many polyunsaturated fatty acids. Vitamins C, E and zinc are particularly beneficial in the health of the eyes. Other benefits of an 'eye conscious' diet and lifestyle may well include reduced risks of cancer, heart disease, obesity, premature aging, cataracts and other conditions associated with low antioxidant intake. Protect eyes from sunlight by wearing sunglasses or a wide brim to shade the eyes from direct or reflected sun. |