7 Correct Ways Of Diet

Limit your intake of fats

Take extra anti-oxidants from supplements if your doc advises

With excess fat, you’re in trouble. Fat cells cause mid-life ailments and speed ageing. They produce hormones that raise the risk of type 2 diabetes and cause inflammation—stiffening arteries, putting the heart at risk and damaging other organs. Yet, underweight women have a lower life expectancy than people who have a healthy weight. Eating smart and maintaining a healthy basal metabolic index is crucial.

Keep the total fat less than 30% of your daily calories, with about three quarters of it coming from unsaturated fat.

Smart Options

• Choose fat-free or low fat dairy products. They are lower in saturated fat compared to their full cream versions. Avoid cookies, margarine and snacks such as chips. They are loaded with unhealthy Tran’s fats.

• Drop red meat from your animal protein list. It is high in saturated fat. Choose fish such as lake trout, salmon. They are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA.

• Take olive and canola oils, rich sources of Omega-3. They are associated with lower heart risks. Omega-3s also help ward off depression and age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.


Cut back on sugar

The skin's ageing occurs due to a natural process known as glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Most vulnerable to damage: collagen and elastic, the protein fibers that keep skin firm and elastic. Once damaged, springy and resilient collagen and elastic become dry and brittle, leading to wrinkles and sagging. But the final blow is that AGEs de-activate your body's natural anti-oxidant enzymes, leaving you more vulnerable to sun damage still the main cause of skin ageing.

Smart Options

• Resist sugary drinks and fruit juices. Eat whole fruits instead.

• Watch out for hidden sugar. Many prepared foods contain hefty amounts of it. Barley malt, corn syrup, dextrose, fruit juice concentrates, maltose, maple syrup and molasses are alternative names for sugar. Watch out for them.

• The key is determining how many teaspoons of sugar each serving contains. Doing this is easy: check the nutrition label for sugars that are listed in grams under total carbohydrates, and then divide that number by 4 (each teaspoon of sugar is equal to 4 grams) to convert it to teaspoons. For example, if sugars are listed as 12 grams, you're getting 3 teaspoons of sugar per serving!

• Avoid high-glycerin foods. High GI foods such as refined foods and potatoes are high in sugar but low on fiber. They push up your blood sugar levels.

Remove the salt shaker

Those who don't suffer from high blood pressure may wonder what all the hue and cry about salt is. A high sodium intake affects the bones. In a 2-year study of post-menopausal women, researchers found that the higher a woman's sodium intake, the greater her bone loss is at the hip.

Smart Options

• Salt is hidden in many items of your supermarket cart. Avoid being tripped up by cheese slices, packets of soup and sandwich bread. Always read labels.

• Choose fresh first: buy foods in their most natural forms whenever you can; it's the processing that ups the sodium. Pick unsalted nuts.

• In the kitchen: when a food product comes with a seasoning or sauce sachet, use only half (or less) as most of it is salt. If you love rice and pasta mixes, toss in naturally low-sodium foods such as steamed fresh vegetables, or grilled chicken. You'll increase the total volume of food, spreading out the sodium over more servings. Season your curd or salad with herbs such as mint and rosemary instead of salt.



Supplement vitamins and minerals

Your best option is to get your vitamins and minerals from natural foods, fruits and vegetables. A helping of 5 fruits and veggies daily will keep you healthier and younger. But truth be told, we don't end up taking our required portions every day. Even if you do, pollution and the depleted nutrition levels in natural foods fail to provide your required daily allowances. Check with your doctor who knows your medical history for the dosage of various supplements.

Smart Options

• Consume a moderate-dose multivitamin-and-mineral supplement on a regular basis.

• Supplement your diet with vitamins B1 and B6. These vitamins proved to be potent AGE inhibitors according to a number of published studies.

• Vitamin C is vital for the body's ability to produce collagen, a building block for healthy skin.

• If you are peri-menopausal and experiencing heavy bleeding, ask your doctor for iron supplementation.


Up your fiber

Fibers are your magic potion against weight gain due to reduced metabolism beyond a certain age. Fiber cranks up your metabolism and fires fat loss! Plus you get the added benefit of the anti-ageing brigade in them. Fiber-rich whole grains pack in folic acid, Vitamin E, and other anti-oxidants. Have 3 servings a day.

Two or three servings of legumes and/or whole grains every day can lower your 'bad' LDL because their soluble fiber works to slow down the absorption of cholesterol in the blood.

Smart Options

• Quick-digesting carbs, such as refined flour and high-GI foods can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. This leads to overeating and enhances diabetes risk.

• Brown rice, wholegrain bread and whole wheat pasta are preferable.

• Beans and peanuts are other good anti-ageing foods. A handful of nuts every day are good enough. More can lead to higher calories.

• Take Soya in its fermented form such as tofu. It also helps maintain estrogen levels in menopausal women.


Get anti-oxidants from colorful produce

Smart Options

• A bowl of cherries is a great idea. Go on load up on them!

• Walnuts, bananas, oats, rice, ginger, green tea, sage and thyme fight free-radicals and keep the age enhancers away.

• Spike your green tea with citrus juices (lemon, lime, orange). A Purdue University study found that mixing citrus juice with green tea allowed 80% of the tea's anti-oxidants to stick around after simulated digestion, making the pairing healthier than thought.

• Turmeric is loaded with curcumin, a potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. So that masala box in the kitchen deserves renewed respect.



Drink more water

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate: it's a commandment from the medical world. It's the best way to rid your body of toxins and unwanted waste materials. Eight to ten glasses of water a day are recommended.

Smart Options

• Keep a bottle of water on your table. Sip on it through the day.

• Carry a bottle of water when outdoors.

• Make sure you drink extra water before and after exercise.