Oct. 10, 2001 — Gray nutrition issues that confront seniors — from osteoporosis to heart disease — begin in the early adult years.”
You Are What You Eat
That means that the foods you may or may not be eating could be laying the foundation for your health, or lack of it, during your senior years. Of course, eating well is a difficult choice with the ever-present temptations of fast food and junk food.
But take a look at what these foods are doing to you. Sour cream-filled burritos and grease-soaked french fries provide fodder for artery-clogging plaques. A fiberless daily menu of a beef patty nestled between two slices of white bread promotes calcium-rich dairy foods and greens can strengthen your bones. Fiber from whole grains helps to keep longevity, says Arthur Schatzkin, MD, DrPH, a co-author of the study and chief of the Nutritional Epidemiology Branch at the National Cancer Institute. However, the proof that what you eat counts for a lot, he says, “is certainly provocative.”
So get ahead by eating right early in life. If you’re already approaching those later years, it’s not too late to start. There are always rewards to reap.