When you want to change your dietary habits with the best intentions to get healthy, you might find modifying your eating routines challenging. There are several fad diets we learn about from television, magazines, and the internet. Often a diet that works for one person won’t work for another person. This leads to people trying several different diets for short periods, becoming more frustrated and discouraged with every failed attempt at finding the best option. This is the sort of confusion our senior magazine strives to address. We’ve researched three of the most popular diets out there and provided a little background information so that you can make an informed decision when selecting the diet that may be right for you.
What is the Paleo Diet?
This is a diet based on what prehistoric humans likely ate 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago when humans spent their time hunting and gathering food sources such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. The Paleo Diet discourages eating foods that became readily available when small-scale farming techniques began about 10,000 years ago which included grains, legumes and dairy products. The Paleo Diet stems from the idea that people should eat the same foods as early humans because our genes have not caught up to the modern diets that grew out of farming, as well as the processed foods we find in supermarkets and convenience stores. Supporters of this diet suggest that current eating habits outpaced evolution and our ability to adapt to modern times, leading to illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as obesity. Switching to this diet is beneficial to the senior lifestyle because it provides high levels of essential nutrients with few to no empty calories. Seniors need to get just as many essential nutrients as their younger selves but should be getting them in less food.
What is the Vegan Diet?
This is a plant-based diet where people do not eat meat, fish and poultry, as well as foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs but stick to food sources like vegetables, fruits, and grains. The Vegan Diet became popular in the 2010s but is believed to have been practiced across numerous cultures for about 2500 years. Many chain restaurants, supermarkets, and specialized smaller markets began to market vegan options as a healthy alternative to eating animal products for health, ethical, environmental and religious reasons. But there have been numerous studies that suggest that people could be at risk for deficiency of essential nutrients and need to monitor their dietary intake and take supplements when necessary. Health professionals believe that people that switch to a strict Vegan Diet may be lacking in vitamins B-12 and D, iron, calcium, protein and omega-3 fatty acids and should consider taking supplements. There are several health reasons people switch to veganism: processed meat, fish, and poultry as well as their byproducts are farmed for mass consumption. This means that many seniors can be putting potentially harmful chemicals into their bodies. People must be aware of the potential risk of nutrient deficiencies before making the switch and do their due diligence in monitoring their health throughout.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
Despite this culturally inspired diet having been around for a long time, it’s not a strict diet in the sense that there are hard-and-fast rules. It’s a lifestyle choice that utilizes ingredients eaten by people living around the Mediterranean Sea. It incorporates minimally processed foods and opts for mostly plants instead of red meat and encourages the use of flavors from herbs and spices to enhance meals. The U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the Mediterranean Diet as one of the healthiest ways for adults to eat across four categories, including Best Overall Diet, Best for Healthy Eating, Easiest to Follow, and Best Plant-Based Diet. In the last half-century, there have been numerous studies that show that people who follow this diet tend to live longer and have much lower rates of cardiovascular disease. Is this the right diet for a senior lifestyle Florida? Following a diet that is low in red meat, processed sugar, and saturated fats significantly lowers the risk of many health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all of which are big health concerns for elderly people. Research has shown that a Mediterranean Diet also has a positive effect on gut and brain health.
Which One is Best for You?
A certified nutritionist can guide you through the misinformation and can recommend the diet that is best suited for your health needs, physical needs, and lifestyle. A nutritionist can also provide ongoing support, encouragement, and accountability. If your healthcare plan or insurance does not cover the services of a certified nutritionist without a doctor’s referral, you can consult with your primary care physician to get some useful information to help you get started. You should always run dietary changes to your physician to ensure your choices do not conflict with your body composition, medications or overall health. Our team at OurSeniors.Net strives to provide useful and entertaining information to enhance the quality of life for seniors and retirees. Check out our senior living magazine online for more informative content on a variety of subjects. You can also subscribe to our quarterly lifestyle magazine and follow us on our social media sites, including Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Help keep OurSeniors.Net going strong by donating to our cause at OurSeniors.Org/Fundraiser.
