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We all age. That fact is inevitable. But a lot of the negative changes that take place in our bodies are not. As we age, we become more susceptible to such things as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and arthritis. However, medical research has shown that proper nutrition can slow down and even prevent many of these ailments.

It is estimated that nearly one half of all health problems in the elderly are directly related to poor nutrition. The elderly are by and large some of the most poorly nourished people. Some reasons for this are as you age your sense of taste and smell decreases, it is harder to chew, and you just don’t feel hungry.

In some cases, financial reasons may affect the food choices made and it may be harder to get out and shop for food due to various physical factors. On top of this, as you get older your body may not be able to absorb some of the nutrition from food as well as it could when you were younger. In some cases a good multi-vitamin (preferably in liquid form) could help offset this. Your doctor can help you find one that’s right for you.

Here are a few things that you can do to plan for better nutrition in your diet and a healthier life as you get older:

Plan out regular meals for each day and try to include vegetables in at least 2 of them every day. If you must snack, use fruits and vegetables rather than junk food like potato chips and candy.

If you have problems chewing meat, try going with things like fish and ground meats. Also try to eat more soups as they can have plenty of nutrition in them and they are great choices if you are on a budget.

Make meals more interesting by inviting a friend to lunch or dinner once in a while. Sometimes it can get boring to always eat alone and having someone over can entice you to get more creative with meals than you might when eating alone.

One thing you can do to ensure that you’ll be getting better nutrition is to make each plate colorful. Different color vegetables for example generally contain different nutrients so the idea here is, mix it up.

Growing old may be inevitable but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow old gracefully and healthier and with a steady diet of proper nutrition, you can maintain better health well into your golden years.

Jim O’Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

Want to enhance your health in surprising ways? Drink green
tea.

We’re not talking about a new health discovery here. This
beverage has been used for thousands of years by the
Chinese. It has proved itself for centuries as worthy of being
included in our diet for its health properties.

Not only has this drink been endorsed for ages, but modern
science also has discovered astonishing facts about what
it may be able to do for your health.

There are a lot more benefits to drinking green tea than are listed
below, but here are seven:

1. Drink it to help shed extra pounds.

A study published by the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition in November, 1999, is encouraging. It shows that
this drink may enable people to burn more calories.

2. This ancient brew may help combat signs of aging.

That’s because it contains large amounts of vitamins E and
C which are antioxidants. Antioxidants have the reputation
of being able to combat free radicals that damage cells.
Cancer, heart attacks and diabetes can result from damaged
cell membranes.

In April, 1999, researchers at Case Western Reserve
University in Cleveland revealed that green tea may ease the
symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

3. This drink may help asthma sufferers.

Because it contains theophylline (a muscle relaxant), it can
help the muscles surrounding bronchial tubes to relax. This
helps asthma sufferers to breathe with less restriction.

4. Green tea may help lower blood pressure.

High blood pressure makes you susceptible to heart attack
and stroke. This ancient brew may also keep blood clots from
forming.

5. Green tea has been reported to help in the fight against
cancer.

Doctors from the prestigious Mayo Clinic found that green
tea extract given to four leukemia patients seemed to help
three of them experience regression of the disease. And even
the fourth patient showed some improvement. The reason the
doctors tried green tea extract is that a 2004 test tube
study showed that leukemia cells were killed by the
extract.

By the way, in Japan there are fewer reported cancer deaths.
Could it be because the Japanese drink a lot of green tea?

6. Drinking this beverage my help lower cholesterol.

Lowering cholesterol with no side effects has been reported
in studies using green tea. Your ability to fight heart
disease and ward off stroke is tied in with your cholesterol
count.

7. This brew may help your body fight infections.

The New York Times reported in April of 2003 that the immune
system’s ability to fight disease may be strengthened by
drinking green tea. Microbiologist Milton Schiffenbauer,
professor at Pace University (New York) stated, “Our
research shows tea extracts can destroy the organism that
causes disease. If we can stimulate the immune system and at
the same time we are destroying the organisms then it makes
sense to drink more tea.”

Now that you’ve learned 7 ways green tea has been shown to
help your health, why not give it a place in your daily
diet? It’s not a magic cure, but this proven ancient
beverage may just help you to be healthier.

Patricia Wagner offers informative tips and a newsletter to
help you live a more energetic lifestyle. Learn more about adding healthy foods to your life at A to Z Wellness website.