Nutrition is always essential to your health — especially as you get older. Although eating well isn’t always easy, it helps you keep your body in good shape and may help you prevent certain medical conditions in the future. But are there other benefits that nutrition has as you age?
At the Physicians Medical Group of San Jose, located in San Jose, California, our team helps you understand how foods and vitamins help you throughout all stages of your life. Whether you’re an elite athlete or in your golden years, our team has a doctor or specialist that can help you maintain a healthy body and proper diet.
You’ve likely heard about healthy eating and nutrition since you were young. But what exactly does good nutrition mean? Nutrition is something that not only encompasses what you eat, but it is also the nutrients and vitamins essential for you to thrive and stay on top of your health.
Food is an essential part of a good nutrition plan. Eating a variety of whole foods is the key to maintaining a healthy weight and body. But what else does a proper diet entail? According to the Centers for Disease Control, a healthy diet includes:
It’s easy to get caught up eating processed foods such as chips and sweets, but they can wreak havoc on your overall health and weight. Moderation is the key to good nutrition. Making sure your daily food intake is healthy and made up of whole foods can help you reduce your risks of medical issues and help you age more gracefully.
The truth is, your nutritional needs change as you get older. As your body ages, it becomes more susceptible to certain conditions, which can become aggravated with a poor diet. Changes in your body also mean that you have different nutritional needs as you age.
So how exactly do your dietary needs change when you get older? There are a few physical changes that tend to affect your overall dietary needs, including:
All of these factors can make it difficult for you to get the right amount of calories and nutrients that your body needs as you get older. That means a lot of changes in your nutrition and diet, some of which include:
It can be difficult to understand these changes until you’re at the age where your nutritional needs change. However, our team of experts can help you prepare your body and eating habits gradually as you age. That puts you in a better position to maintain a healthy diet through the years.
Improving your nutrition isn’t something that happens magically overnight. When you’ve not been eating well for a while, it can take time to adjust. The first step to improving your nutrition is realizing that you have some work to do.
Eating a variety of foods is the best way to improve your nutrition. Each type of food has different vitamins and nutrients that each system in your body needs to function properly. That means you need fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to sustain a healthy life.
Staying hydrated with water is another way to improve your overall health and nutrition. Hydration is also essential to many of your bodily functions, especially as you get older.
Our team may also recommend that you take vitamin supplementation to make sure you’re getting enough of the nutrients that your body needs. That is especially important when it comes to calcium and vitamin D, both of which are essential to your bone health.
If you’d like to learn more about how nutrition affects your body, don’t hesitate to call our office in San Jose today at 408-937-3600, or you can schedule an appointment online using our convenient booking tool.
