Natural foods contain a startling number of anti-aging ingredients. These include heart-friendly fats, protective plant substances, and youth-preserving antioxidants that can neutralize the unstable molecules that kickstart the body’s aging processes prematurely and are increased in the body by exposure to stress, pollution, UV rays, cigarette smoke, and unhealthy fats. Eating food as close to its natural state as possible helps ensure maximum exposure to youth-enhancing nutrients, many of which are lost during storage, processing, and cooking. It also reduces exposure to artificial additives that enhance processed foods’ flavor, texture, color, and shelf life, from prepared meals to diet dishes.
GET BALANCED NATURAL NUTRITION BY FOLLOWING THESE STEPS-
1)Five a day
Fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, and the biologically active ingredients of plant pigments and flavorings have antiaging properties, too. They help keep you looking and feeling young and help ward off diseases of aging, from Alzheimer’s to stroke and heart disease. Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables daily—and up to nine if you can.
2) Think like a vegetarian
Plant Foods contain such life-enhancing properties that long-term vegetarians are 20 percent less likely to die prematurely than meat eaters. You don’t have to become a vegetarian to reap the benefits. Serve meals with two or three vegetables and salads on the side, and add extra vegetables to dishes such as stir-fries, casseroles, and soups.
3)Resensitize your tastebuds
If your diet majors of slimming foods and processed meals, you might be amazed by the taste of fresh produce. Rediscover the difference by sampling organic carrots and burrata, sourcing milk from special-breed cows, and seeking out meat that has been raised and hung well. Rid your kitchen of products such as cookies and potato chips, store-bought cakes and pies, margarine, and low-fat foods, all of which have long lists of unwanted ingredients.
4)Cut down on calories
If you carry excess weight and it won’t budge, it may be because you need fewer calories. Over 50 who aren’t active need 200 fewer calories per day than those who lead a physically active life. Adjust your diet to accommodate your slowing metabolism, for example, by reducing portion size rather than by cutting your foods.
5)Appetite adaptations
As you age, you may find you can’t tolerate large portions. Increase the amount of exercise you get to boost your appetite: aim for 30 minutes a day. Ensure that what you eat contains plenty of protein, vitamins, and minerals, since these nutritional needs don’t decline with age.
6)Find more folate
Older people with low levels of folate have noticeably more memory problems than those whose diet is rich in this plant nutrient,
7)Ditch dieting
Change the way you think about food, and you need never worry about dieting again. Eating mostly fresh, seasonal fare frees you from faddy diets and prevents the yo-yo-ing weight loss and gain that often accompanies dieting ( dermatologists state that, contributes to aged-looking skin). Instead of obsessing over the scales, judge your weight by how well your clothes fit.
8)Choosing good carbs
Good carbohydrates are unrefined, rich in nutrients and fiber, and high in flavor, and they keep you feeling satisfied for hours. Aim for six servings a day if you are not very active, up to nine if you do more exercise. Choose brown and wild rice, oats, seeded wholemeal loaves, and wholewheat pasta. Even a home-baked cake, such as lemon cake made with polenta and pistachios, supplies good carbs. If you’re used to fresh, home-cooked food, bad carbs are obvious because they don’t taste good: chewy white bread, soggy processed quiche, pizza bases, sugary breakfast cereals, and cake that never goes off. Avoid them altogether.
9)Potato pleasures
Women who eat fries twice a week increase their risk of contracting type-2 diabetes, a major disease affecting people post-middle age. According to one study. Opt for organic potatoes baked, boiled in their skins, or mashed with garlic and olive oil. Alternatively, try flavorful sweet potatoes.
10)Eat whole grains
Fiber-rich whole grains are a particularly good food choice as we age. In one study, people over 60 who ate the most whole grains were less likely to suffer metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms implicated in heart disease and diabetes. They were slimmer, too. Whole grains are also rich in B vitamins and magnesium. Brown rice, for example, contains double the magnesium of white rice. A magnesium-rich diet is also essential for bone density. Choose organic to avoid pesticide residue.
11)Try ancient grains
Give unusual grains space in your diet; try baking with spelt flour, making salads using quinoa, and planning breakfast around oats. Many nutritionists feel these overlooked grains are particularly well adapted to the human digestive system.
12)Source good bread
Home-baked bread warm from the oven is a foodie’s ultimate everyday treat, dunked in a little pungent olive or nut oil or spread with a little good butter. Try to wean yourself off supermarket bakeries and additive-loaded sliced loaves. Search for an artisan baker who sells bread that goes hard after a day (a good freshness test). Check out sourdough loaves, rye breads, mixes with grains and seeds, and Middle Eastern flatbreads. When you have time, buy fresh once or twice a day, as is traditional in France. Or bake it overnight in a bread machine.
13)Fat facts
Your fat intake should come mostly from oily fish, avocados, walnuts, other nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, and flaxseed oil. Dietary fat is essential with age, especially if you have a small or frail appetite. It speeds absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids, offers energy and essential fatty acids, brings flavor, especially in meat, and reduces inflammation in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Monounsaturated fats boost the health of the arteries and heart by increasing “good” and reducing “bad” cholesterol. They also decrease the risk of breast cancer, according to a Swedish study.
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“Trans fats are oils that have been hydrogenated to extend shelf-life.
They have no nutritional benefits, increase the risk of coronary heart disease, and have also been linked with cancer and skin disease. They are found only in processed foods and aren’t always labeled, so avoid them by avoiding processed foods.
14)Eat butter
Go to the refrigerator now and throw away low-fat spreads and margarine. They taste nasty and are packed with additives you should avoid. Substitute organic butter- look for local farmhouse butter, which has a distinct crumbly texture. Use only a scraping if you are worried about the health risks of saturated fat, or drizzle on extra-virgin olive oil instead.
15)Selecting good sugar
For baking and to scatter over bitter food and drinks, choose dark sugar. Brown sugar contains molasses, a good source of iron, and is so flavorful that a little goes a long way when stirred into desserts, oatmeal, and drinks. By adding the sugar yourself, you can monitor how much you are taking on board. Buy organic and fair-trade if desired. Honey is a sweetener and an antioxidant with fantastic health-giving properties, used in hospitals for wound healing. Studies suggest it may help prevent heart disease and offer anticavity protection for teeth.
16)Color combos
A rainbow of colors on the plate ensures you are getting a good intake of plant chemicals. Naturally deep green, yellow, and red foods contain antioxidant carotenoids that boost immunity and offer protection against heart disease, cancer, DNA damage, and age-related sight problems. Include peppers, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin in your diet, plus extra-virgin olive oil to aid absorption.
17)Grow your own
The best way to ensure the freshest, most flavorful organic fruit and vegetables is to grow them yourself. Even a city balcony can provide a good supply of tomatoes, salad leaves, herbs, and soft fruit.
18)Fitting in fruit
To boost the number of fruit servings you eat each day, slice fresh fruit or spoon-soaked dried fruit onto morning muesli. Snack on grapes, dried fruit, and berries, and eat an apple or banana midmorning or afternoon. Follow meals with a fruit salad, baked or poached fruit, or treat yourself to pieces of fruit dipped in fine dark melted chocolate.
19)Fresh is best
Choose ripe, seasonal fruit, vegetables, and grains in their whole form to ensure maximum flavor while retaining vitamins and minerals, antioxidant compounds, and other plant nutrients that are destroyed by processing.
20)Increasing variety
Diversity is the key to a healthy diet since no one food can provide all the nutrients and antioxidants the body needs. Be adventurous and introduce new foods when you can.
In conclusion, natural nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining overall health and well-being. By focusing on whole, unprocessed foods and avoiding artificial additives and preservatives, individuals can significantly reduce their risk of chronic diseases and promote optimal bodily function.
ALSO- https://yogvedalife.com/self-realisation-through-yoga/
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