Reader\'s Digest IN 02.2020

Reader’s Digest

70 february 2020

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hile you can’t control getting older, the good

news is you can slow the decline of ageing

with smart choices along the way. And it’s

never too late to start. From the foods you

eat and how you exercise, to your friend-

ships and retirement goals, there are simple and effective ways

to keep your body tuned up and your mind tuned in.

First, a note about weight. Losing

just five per cent of your body weight

has been shown to reduce your risk

for diabetes and heart disease and

improve metabolic function in liver,

fat and muscle tissue. While we’d all

love to shed all of our extra pounds,

it’s a lot easier to start with a 5 per

cent weight-loss goal and keep it off.

What You Eat^

Studies have found that eating one

serving of processed meat a day, like

bacon, sausage and deli meats, was

associated with a 42 per cent higher

risk of heart disease and 19 per cent

increased risk of diabetes; other re-

search has implicated processed

meats in a higher risk for colorec-

tal cancer. Processed meats have on

average four times more sodium and

50 per cent more nitrate preservatives

than unprocessed meats.

Overall, the best strategy is to skip

all processed foods and beverages.

This will immediately eliminate

added sugars from your diet. How do

you know if a food is processed? One

good indicator is if it comes packaged.

Of course, some whole, unprocessed

foods that are good for you come in

packages. Think nuts, eggs, olive oil

and milk to name a few. Try to live

by the one ingredient rule. If a packa-

ged food contains only one ingredient

(ground turkey, for instance) it’s prob-

ably a reasonable choice.

There’s a lot to be said for eating

blueberries on a regular basis as well

as other dark-coloured fruits and vege-

tables. A high consumption of all fruits

and vegetables has been shown to

lower blood pressure and reduce your

risk for diabetes. Once you cut out

packaged foods, you will start eating

a lot more fruits and vegetables, lean

meats, fish and wholegrains, which

have been shown to be good for you.

What about

Supplements?

Study after study has seemed to de-

bunk the benefit of taking supple-

ments. The best advice: Save the

money you would spend on them and

invest in a new pair of walking shoes,