As age and responsibilities build up, eating for strength and health becomes paramount.
Thankfully, such necessary activity is pleasant, so you can always choose any healthy (and energising) option of food that you find tasty. When it comes to feeding as a 30+, the taste is secondary, especially because you need strength to show up at your best self in your role as a CEO, an executive, manager, or even an employee. You need food that is not just nice-looking but is suited to meet your dietary/nutritional needs.
In this article, we would be showing you some of these foods.
There is a chance that you had to alter your dietary habits as you grew older. You probably developed an allergy or health scare that forced you to follow a specific diet. Or, you might have become self-conscious of your age and its associated impact on metabolism, so you decided to take your diet seriously.
It is unpleasant news; but as you age, your chances of developing age-related degenerative diseases increase. Food, luckily, is one way to counter the effect of that. That’s why doctors advise you to stay away from certain foods after a certain age bracket. You might have noticed that after age 30 you could no longer eat or drink as much as you used to in your 20s without feeling the effect in your gut.
The problem is many people mistake healthy eating for a boring and uninspiring diet. Yes, the taste is secondary to the dietary value of your food, but who says it has to be bland?
Here are some nutritional and tasty food options that you should consider as you adopt a healthier and energy-inducing diet.
- Whole grain
- Coconuts
- Eggs
- Avocados and pine nut
- Vegetable
- Whole grain
Whole grains like oatmeal, bulgur, and brown rice are not only tasty but also healthy. They contain fibre, vitamins, and minerals that can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. They can also reduce your risk of stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
If you are looking for tasty whole grain recipes to include in your diet, you will find many online from swallow (if you are African) to bread, salad, and cereal options.
- Coconut
What is not to love about the chewy tropical delight that is coconut? They are versatile, tasty, and healthy, providing vital nutrients to the body. Coconuts contain fibre, protein, carbs, and more. Because of their low-fat high fibre quality, they are useful in controlling blood sugar levels. Likewise, the presence of potassium, sodium and magnesium aids hydration, as it contains electrolytes.
- Eggs
Ask anyone to list 10 foods with protein and they are likely to mention egg immediately after beans (which are almost everyone’s top proteinous food). But did you know that eggs contain other nutrients? They contain vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids which can reduce the risk of age-related degenerative diseases. And did we already mention that they are tasty?
Eggs are a fantastic food for gaining muscle and keeping a healthy weight. They are also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for a healthy metabolism and neuronal function.
- Avocados
Avocados are arguably tasty; arguably because we know many people who cannot stand them; well, these people have no clue what delight they are missing.
Aside from the fact that avocados can be eaten raw, they are also versatile and can be had in different ways. There is the widely loved avocado toast, which is super healthy and tasty. They can also be had as a salad, they can be had with a smoothie bowl, as a pudding, with pasta, sushi, a cocktail (yes, avocado prawn cocktail), and anything you can imagine.
The vitamin E found in avocado is crucial for reproduction as it helps to increase fertility.
- Vegetables
Vegetables have gotten such an unfair reputation that many people have missed out on their awesomeness because they could not get past their greenness. However, anyone who has made a habit of eating green knows that green is tasty!
All you need to do is pick a selection of veggies that you like, plus points if you make your veggie bowl colourful. If you have a hard time trusting the taste of green vegetables, you should know that there are other kinds. There are root vegetables under which potatoes and yams fall, edible plant stems like asparagus and celery, marrow vegetables like pumpkin and cucumber, and your leafy greens (which many run from).
Vegetables are highly nutritious foods that contain potassium, dietary fibre, and vitamins, all of which are good for your skin, heart, and metabolism.
To prevent significant health concerns like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes, you have to keep track of your diet and stay away from foods that add little nutritional benefits to your body. This, along with frequent exercise will reduce your risk of developing heart disease, high cholesterol, cancer, prostate issues, gout, arthritis, and diabetes.
Having said that, there are some foods you should eliminate from your diet. If you cannot, you should at least eat less of them because while they taste great, they are not the best option for people who want to maintain optimum health.
Stop Eating These Foods
These foods include red meat, white bread, alcohol, energy drinks, carbonated drinks and caffeine.
- Red meat
We love red meat and its juicy tenderness when it has been braised, grilled or fried. However, that’s also where the problem lies because frequent meat consumption is associated with high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and a high risk of diabetes. Meat is tasty, no doubt, but meat cooked at high temperatures is often carcinogenic, increasing the risk of prostate cancer in men.
- White bread
White bread and other meals made with white flour frequently cause the body to become inflammatory, which can exacerbate arthritis and lead to blood sugar rises. According to some scientists, potassium bromate, which can be found in white bread and has been banned in some countries, is hazardous to human cells and contributes to cancer.
- Alcohol
Even though drinking a little wine may be good for your health, as you age, it is expected that you avoid binge drinking. Drinking too much alcohol can harm your liver, hasten your age, and even cause osteoporosis. Regular and excessive alcohol consumption widens blood vessels in the skin to the point where the skin loses its rich tone. Likewise, regular consumption of alcohol can cause deep facial lines and wrinkles – watch out if you want to maintain supple skin well into old age.
- Energy drinks
These bottled beverages may give you a quick boost of energy, but they are loaded with tooth-damaging sugars that are worse than those in soda. These beverages, although tasty, are not worth the sudden burst of energy that they offer. If you want to maintain your energy levels without relying on unhealthy alternatives, a balanced diet is your best bet.
- Carbonated drinks
Caffeine, fructose, and refined sugar are commonly found in carbonated beverages. As a result, your chance of suffering a heart attack increases by 20% because these sugars raise insulin levels in the body.
- High sodium foods
For older adults, eating too much salt can be problematic, especially if you have a history of hypertension. Instead of relying heavily on table salt, experiment with adding various herbs and spices if your cuisine lacks flavour. Always check the nutritional labels’ salt content as well.
- Caffeine
In addition to preventing many individuals from obtaining a decent night’s sleep, caffeine may also make you feel more anxious and cause your heart to beat more rapidly or irregularly. If you have a cardiac issue, you should avoid this. In addition to coffee, caffeine can be present in a variety of teas, sodas, chocolate, and even some over-the-counter painkillers. Therefore, you need to be mindful of your caffeine sources.
Eating for nutrition should be of priority to you as you age. It should go without saying that eating ultimately maintains your strength, health, and ability to perform at your best for the rest of your life. However, a good diet is not effective in isolation. It needs to be supplemented with regular exercise, hydration, and a good 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
