Diversity 30

Diversity 30: Summary

In this article, I discuss the critical role of dietary diversity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that a varied diet, including a wide range of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats, significantly contributes to better health outcomes. I emphasize the need to aim for 30 different varieties of plant-based foods each week rather than just five a day. I also recommend incorporating a mix of seeds and nuts to enhance nutrient intake. Please take action to diversify your diet for better health!

What makes a healthy diet?

Diversity in your diet does. Dietary research shows that best health results come from diets that include a wide variety of vegetables, fruits such as berries and apples, whole grains and pulses. Some oily fish is beneficial and animal protein should be moderate.

The evidence

A recent report of 30 years of follow-up in two USA studies: the USA Nurse’s Health Study and Health Professionals Follow Up study 1 , They found that 9,771 (9.3%) of 105,015 participants [66% women], studied from early 50’s onwards had an ideal diet and they achieved ‘healthy aging’, compared with those whose diet was poor. The good diet doubled their chance of living to 75 without chronic disease or dementia.

So far so good – how do you do this?

The Big 4 – Essential Supplements Over 50

Supplements for Over-50s

Lots of possibilities – 4 essentials

If you are over 50, there are the essential vitamins minerals and supplements you need in order to support health, then there are lots of other possibilities used to reduce inflammation and enhance your protection against life threatening illness.

This post is about the essential minimum 4 you need.

Nutrition, supplements and cancer

Nutrition is not the cure for cancer – but ….

Nutrition cannot eliminate your cancer; neither is homeopathy an alternative to proper chemotherapy. The Bristol Cancer Help Centre Scandal in the 1990's made that clear to the whole UK. [1]

BUT if you DO have a cancer diagnosis or as in my case, your spouse has, or a close family relative is affected, then naturally you are asking – "Does anything we do at home make a difference?"

Musculoskeletal Problems

Summary

Musculoskeletal deterioration is a major cause of loss of function as we age. From 50 onwards loss of muscle, bone mass and collagen lead to reduced strength, susceptibility to fracture, and problems with joints. When somebody is 70 and these problems have been going on for 20 years, they frequently are frail. Frailty is a specific term for a tragic inability to perform daily acts of living and consequently reduced independence. When we say ‘so and so is looking old …’ what we mean is they are looking frail.

Supernutrution #4: Eight easy ways to lose central fat

Eight genuinely easy ways to shift dangerous central fat and prolong HealthSpan

The following 8 strategies have scientific evidence to support them and obvious logic. Critically none of them require you to go hungry.

I don’t deal here with hormone issues but will do so next week.

Supernutrition #3: The dangers of central fat

How do I lose my dangerous central fat?

This is important for your HealthSpan- This is not ‘fat-shaming’ just the truth that accumulating central fat increases your risk of fatal and life-diminishing diseases, shortens your life, and reduces the quality of your life. But you probably know that, deep down.

Clearly, keeping slim is difficult for many: so what do we know that is useful if you need some help, what are the myths?

Supernutrition #1: Use a Rainbow Plate to turbocharge your anti-ageing strategy

Supernutrition to lower your biological age doesn’t come from a single faddish ‘superfood’, but from a diet packed with the multiple beneficial nutrients that reduce inflamm-aging, promote immunity and reduce dementia and cancer risk.

YES! you can influence these outcomes by your food choices: in fact, it is absolutely the best way [alongside daily exercise]. The key dietary components to achieve this are adequate protein intake, lots of polyphenols and flavonoids, an appropriate choice of oils and fats and attention to trace element and vitamin content. Polyphenols and flavonoids are the chemicals in food that do the anticancer/ anti-inflammatory work.

Blow me down with a feather- where did all that muscle go?

You know the story: “Mum’s got a bit frail… Dad has difficulty getting up the stairs, now … my folks don’t seem to be able to do much for themselves these days, it’s very sad to see”

This is frailty – a combination of loss of muscle [sarcopaenia] and loss of strength [dynopaenia] that causes adverse outcomes, eg difficulties in all activities of daily living, likelihood of osteoporosis and falls, also meaning higher risk of hospitalisation, a longer hospital length of stay and risk of re-admission if there is an illness. The final consequences are loss of independence and death sooner than might be expected. The good news is you can prevent it or recover from it.

Are you borderline malnourished?

Strange but true. As you age not only must you avoid being in the overweight camp, but you also need to escape undernourishment which has even worse consequences. The reason malnourishment happens is either physiological, social, or medical issues. Your food is absorbed a lot less well, we all get reduced appetite, may be solitary and less ’bothered’ about food so eating too little, or have increased needs because of long term illness. Nowadays, rising food costs add another cause. Medically, inflammation is the key driver ie the ‘inflammaging’ addressed in other InfoSheets,