For Senior Citizen Diets
If you’re a senior citizen, your body requires more nutrients than when you were younger, due to different metabolic needs. There are essential foods that can help you feel better and fight diseases at the same time.
These superfoods are easy to incorporate into daily meals and snacks:
Apples
They’re easy to find in any grocery store, and they’re one of the top superfoods for senior citizens.
Apples have fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. They’re also a good source of potassium and can help you feel full longer. In addition, apples can help prevent heart disease and several types of cancers.
If you’re getting ready to eat an apple, avoid peeling off the skin. The skin of an apple has high levels of antioxidants.
Butternut squash
This squash is a superfood because of its high level of beta carotene.
Beta carotene is essential for healthy eyes and helps prevent heart disease. Senior citizens can also benefit from eating butternut squash because it has fiber and vitamin C.
Fava beans
These beans are superfoods for senior citizens because of fiber and vitamins.
Fava beans are linked to better memory and higher energy levels. They contain large amounts of L-dopa, which is also known as L-dopamine, and this amino acid may reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are considered to be legumes. A study, titled “Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in U.S. men and women: NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study,” found that eating more legumes reduced the risk of heart disease.
Quinoa
This grain has essential amino acids along with other vitamins. It’s a superfood because of the high amount of nutrients it provides.
Quinoa is a good source of protein for senior citizens. In addition, it can help people with diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and reducing blood pressure. The grain can also help you feel full for a longer period of time, so you’re less likely to eat junk food.
A study, titled “Evaluation of indigenous grains from the Peruvian Andean region for antidiabetes and antihypertension potential using in vitro methods,” found that quinoa can help fight diabetes and hypertension. The grain has an antioxidant called quercetin that is involved in the process of fighting these diseases.
Kale
This common vegetable is a superfood because of its high vitamin K levels and other nutrients.
Kale has a high level of antioxidants that are important for senior citizens. These antioxidants fight cellular damage and keep cells healthy. They can also prevent diseases such as prostate cancer and breast cancer.
Kale also has calcium and fiber, and these nutrients are essential for healthy bodies.
Broccoli
This superfood has fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. It’s considered to be a nutrient-dense food that provides many benefits.
A study, titled “Broccoli sprouts: An exceptionally rich source of inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens,” found that this vegetable can help prevent and fight tumors.
You shouldn’t eat your broccoli alone, or you’ll be missing important health benefits. A study titled “Enhancing sulforaphane absorption and excretion in healthy men through the combined consumption of fresh broccoli sprouts and a glucoraphanin-rich powder,” found that eating broccoli with a spicy food helps fight cancer.
Researchers recommend that you add spices, mustard, horseradish or other items to your broccoli to increase its cancer-fighting properties.
Superfoods can help prevent disease and provide important nutrients. Take advantage of these foods to help you stay healthy and energetic well into your later years. OL
