INVC Bureau
New Delhi. Eat less is the new prescription for the elderly said Dr KK Aggarwal President, Heart Care Foundation of India.
Calorie restriction boosts memory and cognition by reducing insulin resistance and inflammation, which may be linked to age related cognitive decline. Improvements in memory could be especially important, because memory losses are an early indication of Alzheimer’s disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment.
Dr Aggarwal further said that one should eat less and weigh less. Cutting calories leads to long term weight loss. The body’s energy requirements progressively decline with age, energy intake must mirror that decrease or weight gain occurs. Women who practice eating restraint avoid the significant weight gain commonly observed in middle age. Tips for better eating: Record what you eat and how much. Put less food on your plate. Eat more fruits and vegetables. The U.S. food pyramid recommends at least five servings each day.
Nitrates rich diet is good for the heart. One should not heat leafy vegetables twice. Nitrates in foods such as spinach, beet root and lettuce spur production in the body of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels. Ingested nitrate is reduced by oral, commensal, bacteria to nitrite, which can further be reduced to nitric oxide. Foods in which nitrite are present are bacon, fermented sausage, hot dogs, bologna, salami, corned beef, ham, and other products such as smoked or cured meat, fish, and poultry. The conversion of dietary nitrate to nitrite has antimicrobial benefits in the mouth and stomach. Some epidemiological studies show a reduced rate of gastric and intestinal cancer in groups with a high vegetable-based nitrate intake.
