Real Age Diet Plan for 60s: The Importance of Oxygen Rich Diet and Nutrient Supplements

Real Age Diet Plan for 60s: The Importance of Oxygen Rich Diet and Nutrient Supplements
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The major health conditions during the 60s are:

  • decreased oxygen intake by the body
  • low levels of vitamin B12 due to age related decline in stomach acids
  • increased likelihood of urinary incontinence, especially among women
  • increased probability of diverticulosis
  • increased risk of arthritis in hip and other key joints

The age group diet for the 60s is an extension of the age group diet for 50s, for the conditions that develop during the 50s would most probably remain in the 60s, but with new conditions added during the 60s.

Oxygen Rich Diet

Any age group diet for 60s would invariably contain oxygen-rich foods to counter the decreased oxygen intake by the body owing to slow down of the heart and lung functions. Oxygen-rich foods help maintain a healthy pH for the body cells, and produce anti-oxidants to protect cells from free-radical damage.

Foods with a high concentration of oxygen include:

  • Foods composed of water such as fruits, green leafy vegetables, sprouted seeds, tomatoes, broccoli, egg-plant, and various types of nuts
  • Green leafy vegetables containing chlorophyll, which is close in atomic structure to human blood, and which transports oxygen for human use just as it transports carbon dioxide for plant use.
  • Oxygen-rich lemon juice that acts as an alkalinizing agent in the gut to bind acids and block their absorption
  • Vegetable soups to boosts the liver’s ability to increase oxygen absorption

The best way to consume the above foods is raw, as cooking kills oxygen and enzymes.

People in their 60s should decrease consumption of red meat, sugar, saturated fats, white bread, processed and frozen foods, and carbonated beverages, for such foods deplete oxygen from the body.

Importance of Nutrient Supplements in Age Group Diet for 60s

The aging body faces slow down of many functions and require nutrients more than ever before to keep the body functions running. Low levels of nutrients cause anemia, cardiovascular diseases, alzhimers disease, diabetics, high blood pressure, breast and colon cancer, and other medical conditions in people above 60 years.

People in their 60s usually have vitamin B12 deficiencies due to age related decline in stomach acids. The decline in stomach acid allows the growth of bacteria that feeds on vitamin B12.

The best way to provide people over 60 the required key nutrients, such as vitamin B12, is through supplements. As the body ages, its ability to derive nutrients from food sources decline, making supplements the best option to provide the body with nutrients.

Urinary incontinences are a serious medical issue for people over 60, but a good real age diet can help alleviate the condition. The recommended diet to alleviate urinary incontinence includes:

  • increase fluid intake to more than 2,400 ccs/day
  • elimination of bladder irritants such as alcohol, sweetener substitutes, and caffeine containing foods
  • consumption of barn based products - an ideal snack is unprocessed wheat barn mixed with apple sauce and prune juice

Real Age Diet

Diverticulosis is the condition where the inner lining layer of the large intestine or colon bulges out through the outer muscular layer and cause constipation.

The recommended diet for diverticulosis is a fiber rich diet that softens stools and reduces symptoms of diverticulosis. The American Dietetic Association recommends consumption of 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily, including 6-8 grams of soluble fiber in a diverticulitis diet plan.

A fiber rich diet also has many other benefits such as preventing heart diseases and protecting against colon cancer.

Rapid fiber increase might, however, cause gas, cramping, bloating, or diarrhea for people over 60s, and people not accustomed to a fiber-based diet should introduce fiber foods gradually.

Foods rich in fiber include:

  • fruits such as pears, apples, apricot, banana, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, dates, fig, grapefruit, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pineapple, and prune,
  • vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, carrots, green beans, green pepper, onions, peas, potatoes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, and turnips
  • breads, pastas, pizzas, pancakes, muffins, bagels, buckwheat, stone-ground cornmeal, rye bread, oatmeal, oat bran, dry barley, and brown rice, whole-wheat, whole-grain and bran cereal products

Chopping, peeling, cooking, pureeing, juicing, and processing fruits and vegetables reduce fiber content. The maximum benefit comes when eating fruits and vegetables raw.

Diet to Counter Arthritis

The 60s is the time of increased risk of arthritis.

The Dong diet attempts to cure arthritis by eliminating all fruits, red meat, alcohol, dairy products, herbs, and all foods containing additives or preservatives

The Nightshade elimination diet believes that plants of the Solanaceae family cause arthritis and advocates elimination of over 1700 herbs, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant from the diet to prevent arthritis.

There is, however, no clinical evidence to verify the effectiveness of the Dong Diet or the nightshade elimination diet to cure arthritis.

A healthy and nutritional balanced age group diet for 60s, in combination with healthy eating patterns help counter the medical conditions of the age.

Disclaimer:

Please read this disclaimer regarding the information in the Alternative & Natural Health Channel.

References

  1. breathing.com, Increasing Your Body’s Oxygen Easily and Naturally
  2. diet.com, Arthritis Diet.
  3. everydiet.org, Diverticulitis.
  4. Newman, Diane, K. Urinary Incontinence Treatments
  5. Laiberte, Richard et al. The Best Health For Your Age. Prevention Magazine. April 2009

Image Credit:

  1. Pam Brophy, Creative Commons License
  2. wikimedia commons