Health and Longevity after 60- Part 1: Diet

There is quite a bit of conventional wisdom that anyone who is over the age of 60 should practice a health DREAMS lifestyle is they want to live a long and healthy life. DREAMS is an acronym for Diet, Rest, Exercise, Medical Attention And Social Interaction. 

Today we'll focus on Diet.

Key Nutrients for Seniors

Here are the 7 key nutrients for senior nutrition:

• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Vitamin B-6
• Vitamin B-12
• Fiber
• Protein
• Calories

Here are good food sources of vitamin D

Fish liver oil Salmon Liver Tuna Fortified milk or juice Beef Eggs (the yolk only) Fortified dairy products Fortified plant-based milks Fortified cereals

Here are some food sources of calcium

Yogurt Cheese Milk Fortified beverages Turnip greens Almonds Edamame Kale Bok choi Broccoli

Here's a list of vitamin B-6-rich foods:

Chickpeas Beef liver Salmon Chicken breast Potatoes Bananas Cottage cheese Rice Spinach Watermelon

These foods are high in vitamin B-12:

Clams Beef liver Fortified nutritional yeast Salmon Tuna Fortified cereal Beef Milk Yogurt Eggs Chicken breast

Here are several sources of dietary fiber:

Chickpeas Black beans Almonds Quinoa Broccoli Oatmeal Apple Banana Whole wheat bread Brown rice

Here are some protein-rich foods to consider:

Beef Yogurt Salmon Chicken Lentils Almonds Milk Quinoa Chickpeas Eggs Oatmeal Spinach Green peas

Here are some high-calorie food options:

Avocados Whole milk Olive Oil Peanut butter Honey Eggs Butter Coconut Nuts Cottage Cheese Ice-cream

1. Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2011. https://www.nap.edu/read/13050/chapter/5
2. FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture website. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/. Accessed November 19, 2019.