Why Eating Healthy Matters

Healthy eating is a key part of aging well. It is a way for you to stay healthy and strong, which is important to maintain your independence and quality of life.

Healthy eating can help:

• promote and protect health and well-being
• provide energy and essential nutrients to maintain health
• prevent or lower the risk of chronic diseases like:
  • heart disease
  • type 2 diabetes
• prevent muscle and bone loss to reduce your risk of falling or breaking your bones

As you age, you face different changes that may make:

• healthy eating seem more challenging
• you not feel as hungry or interested in food

Cooking and eating healthy food does not have to be difficult, time consuming or expensive. Consider these ideas to help you maintain healthy eating habits as you age.

Enjoy a variety of healthy foods

As you age, it is important to eat a variety of healthy foods to make sure you get enough of the different nutrients you need.

Choose a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods that you enjoy.

Every day, choose a variety of:

• vegetables and fruit;
• whole grain foods;
• protein foods

Drink water

As you age, your sense of thirst may decline, but you still need to drink regularly whether you feel thirsty or not. To stay hydrated, drink throughout the day and with each meal and snack. Satisfy your thirst with water instead of sugary drinks.

Other foods and drinks that can help keep you hydrated include:

• lower fat white milk
• low sodium soups
• vegetables and fruits
• unsweetened fortified plant-based beverages

If your sense of taste or smell has changed, try different spices and herbs to add more flavour, instead of salt. You can also switch up the texture and temperature of foods to make them more interesting.

If some foods have become more difficult to eat, try choosing and preparing foods differently. For example, for a softer texture, try cooking vegetables instead of eating them raw.

Take a look at our downloadable and printable infographics below for more information.

Source: Canada’s Food Guide – Government of Canada