Golden Years Bliss presents must-have nutrients for seniors!
Your body is constantly evolving, but chances are that you’ll see these changes happen quicker and more drastically as you age. You probably don’t have as much mobility, you might lack important vitamins, your energy level drops and you simply don’t feel your best.
You can quickly improve your life by adjusting your diet and including physical activities in your routine. We’ve talked to experts about the effect aging has on our bodies, and they’ve told us that if you want to keep them under control, you should include these must-have nutrients in your diet.
The food you eat has a major role in how you feel and look, and since aging depletes your body of particular vitamins and minerals, changing a couple of things in your diet is going to make a huge difference. If you want to see what must-have nutrients we’re talking about, keep reading!
Do you consume any of these must-have nutrients?
1. Vitamin B12
One of the first must-have nutrients we’re going to talk about today is vitamin B12. The reason why this one is so important is because it helps your body produce blood and nerve cells. You can easily get it from animal foods such as dairy, eggs, meat, and fish.
If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you can consume B12-fortified foods like breakfast cereal or take vitamin B12 supplements like these ones. While studies say that the majority of Americans have enough B12 vitamins in their bodies, aging can change this, so it’s best to talk to your doctor about a test to see where your levels are.
Moreover, sources say that approximately 30% of people over 50 suffer from atrophic gastritis, a condition that makes it harder for your body to absorb vitamin B12 from foods. Taking particular medications or having weight loss surgery in the past are other reasons you might not be able to absorb this nutrient. After a proper test, your doctor will be able to give you more insight and recommend treatment if needed.
2. Calcium
Unfortunately, as you age, your body starts losing more calcium than it can absorb, and that can lead to osteoporosis (bones that are easier to break), especially for women at menopause.
Calcium is one of the must-have nutrients your body needs because it helps your blood vessels, muscles, nerves, cells, and even your heart do their job properly. You can get it from dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt, and if you don’t consume animal products, you can get it from vegan dairy alternatives, but make sure it says calcium-fortified on the package.
According to experts, men over the age of 70 and women over 50 should consume 20% more calcium than other adults, so make sure you treat your body right. Besides that, studies suggest that calcium, along with vitamins, could protect your body against high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes.
3. Vitamin D
Speaking of vitamin D, this is another one of the must-have nutrients for seniors because it helps your body absorb calcium. Another thing this amazing vitamin does is help your nerves, muscles, and immune system do their job properly.
Doctors say that even if you try to take your vitamin D from the sun each day, your body has a hard time converting it into the nutrients it needs as you age. To combat this, you can include mushrooms, egg yolks, salmon, mackerel, and sardines in your diet.
4. Magnesium
We continue with these must-have nutrients for seniors, and this time we have to talk about magnesium. According to experts, every cell in your body contains magnesium, and that’s because magnesium is necessary for its functions. 60% of the total amount of this mineral in your body is located in your bones, while the rest can be found in your soft tissues, muscles, and even fluids, like your blood.
Sources indicate that magnesium plays a major role in over 600 reactions in your body, such as gene maintenance, protein formation, muscle movements, nervous system regulation, and energy creation.
While magnesium is one of the must-have nutrients for your body, not a lot of people, especially seniors, get as much as they need. If you want to boost your mineral intake, make sure you consume black beans, chia and pumpkin seeds, spinach, edamame, soy milk, peanut butter, brown rice, and salmon.
5. Vitamin B6
Did you know that vitamin B6 is another one of these must-have nutrients? It is very important for people of all ages, especially seniors. Your body needs it to fight germs, boost your energy levels, keep your brain functioning properly, protect you from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and stabilize your mood.
If you want to boost the amount of vitamin B6 in your body, you can do that by including more nutritious foods in your diet, such as chickpeas, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, avocado, liver, bananas, beef, papaya, dark leafy greens, poultry, nuts, carrots, oats, potatoes, milk, and pork.
6. Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are other must-have nutrients, especially for seniors. They’re known for being essential, and that’s because they can help your body be incredibly strong and healthy.
These incredible nutrients can protect your body from cardiovascular disease and cancer, lower inflammation, improve your heart health, support your mental health, improve your cognitive capacities, lower your risk of Alzheimer’s and arthritis, boost your eye health, protect you against metabolic syndrome or autoimmune diseases, and provide so many other benefits.
Some of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids are flaxseed, chia seeds, mackerel, cod olive oil, salmon, oysters, herring, sardines, anchovies, caviar, walnuts, and soybeans. Do you consume any of these must-have nutrients? If not, this is your chance to start!
7. Zinc
We continue with these must-have nutrients for seniors by talking about zinc, because it’s important and you need it. Many Americans don’t know how useful this mineral is for their health, and that can lead to severe side effects, such as loss of taste or smell, blurry vision, impotence, diarrhea, and blurry vision.
Make sure you consume lots of foods that contain zinc, such as crab, oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds, legumes, eggs, cashews, lentils, beans, roads, dark chocolate, fortified breakfast cereals, chicken, red meat, and even cheese. Don’t neglect the importance of this mineral because it can help you fight inflammation and infection, help you heal any wound faster, and improve your sense of taste and smell.
8. Selenium
Did you know that selenium is one of the must-have nutrients that can help you prevent cellular damage, improve your thyroid function, and fight against particular illnesses, such as dementia, thyroid diseases, and particular types of cancer?
While selenium is important for your body, don’t consume too much of it because it can cause hair loss and make your nails brittle. However, if your doctor notices that you don’t have enough of this mineral in your diet, you can eat two Brazil nuts (you don’t need more than that to get the optimal amount of selenium in a day), enjoy a cup of baked beans, a bowl of oats, a can of tuna, two whole eggs, and some chicken.
Do you know any other must-have nutrients for seniors? Let us know in the comments below! If you find this article helpful and you want to check out something else from Golden Years Bliss, here’s a good post for you: Seniors Beware: 9 Important Preventive Care Tests You MUST Get After 50
