Diet and nutrition have been touted as miracle cures for many illnesses in recent times. But the bottom line is that diet and nutrition do affect your aging process, period.
While their effects on our health and diseases might not be as drastic (and intuitive) as some people believe them to be, what you eat certainly affects how you age in the long run.
Not only that, as you age, the nutritional requirements of your body change, and you have to ensure that you adapt to this change for an optimal old-age experience.
One way to keep up with the advances in nutrition for the elderly is to spend time in a nursing home — like Kew Gardens aged care — where special attention is given to your changing nutritional needs as you age. But for now, let’s take a look at some examples of how your diet can affect how you age.
The “Bad” Cholesterol and Old-Age Diseases
You might have heard of bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol (as it’s called in the medical jargon). But have you ever wondered why it’s “bad”? Well, here’s why.
Our bodies use LDL to transport lipids and fat from our liver to the organs (like muscles) that need it.
However, LDL is unique among the fat-carrying molecules in our bodies in that it’s incredibly vulnerable to damage, for example, by free radicals.
Once damaged, LDL can no longer be taken back up by the liver, and an excess of LDL and its associated fat starts to build up in our blood vessels. In an attempt to clear up the excess fat, white blood cells start consuming massive amounts of LDL.
These white blood cells soon get overwhelmed and die, leading to a build-up of fat, cellular debris, and fibrous tissue in our blood vessels, which doctors call atherosclerosis.
As these fatty build-ups increase in size, they start obstructing blood flow to vital organs and cause widespread damage to our bodies.
Atherosclerosis can affect almost any area of our bodies, which is why its effects range from heart attacks to strokes to amputations of the legs (due to obstruction of the vessels feeding the legs).
And this is why foods that raise your LDL will directly impact your aging process.
The more you consume LDL-raising foods in your youth, the quicker you’ll get atherosclerosis and all its dreary manifestations. This can have a significant effect on your old-age experience.
Food items that are loaded with cholesterol and should be avoided include:
- Desserts — ice cream, cakes, and cookies. Not only are these full of cholesterol, but they are also full of sugar, another vital influencer of your aging process.
- Fried items — these include pizzas and burgers.
- Fast foods and snacks
- Sausages and hot dogs are processed meats and have been directly linked to heart disease and colon cancer.
You’ll notice that all of these items can cause you to gain weight very rapidly if they make up a large part of your diet. And if your BMI exceeds 30, your risk of developing diabetes becomes enormous, which is another entity that can have a massive impact on your aging process.
Foods that cause you to gain weight can lead to diabetes.
Desserts, fried items, and fast foods are not only going to give you atherosclerosis, but they can also lead to diabetes, which is going to have a significant (and negative) effect on how you age.
That’s because complications of diabetes are similar (and equally terrible) to atherosclerosis. Diabetes is an independent cause of atherosclerosis. In addition to giving you heart attacks and strokes, diabetes can damage your vision (it’s the primary cause of blindness in the developed world!).
In this context, you can see why controlling your weight as you age is extremely important. Most people develop diabetes when they cross 40 years of age, so it is at this point in your life that you need to be the most careful!
“Miracle foods” to help you fight old age.
Here are some additional nutrition tips that can help you delay some of the more annoying (although less deadly) aspects of aging!
You can fight wrinkles and dry skin with vitamin C.
Wrinkles are a highly annoying part of aging, but luckily, they can be warded off with a diet rich in vitamin C.
That’s because vitamin C is used by our bodies to cross-link and strengthen collagen. In turn, collagen provides strength to our skin, preventing wrinkles and dryness.
Foods that are rich in vitamin C include:
- Oranges
- Lemons
- Strawberries
- Broccoli
- Guavas
- Mustard Spinach
- And many more!
Omega-3 fatty acids can save you from Alzheimer’s.
Besides having beneficial effects on your lipid profile, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (like fish oil and nuts) can potentially reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s by lowering a protein that’s associated with the disease.
Alzheimer’s is a highly disabling disease, so adding a few nuts to your diet might just be worthwhile.
Foods that counter free radicals are great for your overall health.
Free radicals (or oxidants) are believed to be the primary culprits behind several aspects of aging. They have been implicated in a wide range of problems ranging from cardiovascular disease to cataract formation to reduced immunity.
So, foods rich in antioxidants can make your aging process less bumpy and give you overall good health. These include:
- Garlic
- Avocados
- Nuts
- Whole grains
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Dark chocolate
- Beans
- Berries
Oh, and by the way, berries are also thought to reduce the rate of cognitive decline. That means you’ll have better memory, thinking, and judgment as you age if strawberries and blueberries are a regular part of your diet!
