The Importance of a Healthy Diet
Fruits and veggies are extremely beneficial to seniors and are packed with crucial vitamins and fiber which are an important part to diets not only for seniors, but people in general. With as little as 3 servings of fruits and veggies everyday you can obtain the amount of vitamins needed to stay healthy and prevent future health problems. The beautiful part is that most fruits taste great as they are without any added preparation time or ingredients and can be taken on the go easily. Vegetables often take time to prepare, but can make an average meal healthy and add flavor as well as variety to the meal. An easy and delicious way to eat your daily intake of veggies is to make a tasty salad with dark, leafy greens which have the most vitamins in them. A good size salad with lunch and dinner can be extremely impactful toward your health. Both fruits and veggies have been proven to improve your health and prevent health problems in the future.
When it comes to fruits, it is better to avoid juices and stick with good old fashioned whole fruit to obtain your healthy daily intake. Apples and bananas are a couple of the best on the go fruits for seniors. According to Cara Rosenbloom of Canadian Living, apples can help decrease the risk of diabetes as well as asthma because of the antioxidants they have. She also brings up a fun fact about apples that many people may not know about saying “Apples are also a natural mouth freshener and clean your teeth with each crunchy bite.” Rosebloom describes bananas as a very healthy fruit with a large amount of potassium which can bring down blood pressure. These two fruits are great for seniors and can be easily taken on the go or prepared as a side with breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Veggies can be easily added to the three daily meals and bring out amazing flavors when prepared well. Sarah Kelsey from She Knows Health & Wellness has broken down the top ten veggies along with their health benefits and I was intrigued by the top two although one may not be considered a veggie all. According to Kelsey, both tomatoes and broccoli are extremely healthy veggies with many added health benefits. Tomatoes are packed full of vitamins and help fight cancer as well as lower blood pressure. Broccoli is one of the healthiest veggies out there and helps to fight off different types of cancers and can increase immunity during cold/flu season. It is amazing how beneficial the best fruits and veggies truly can be for seniors.