Inside Health Magazine: A Better You Starts With What's Inside May. 2016 | Page 5

Tips& Trends Look and feel Great! Tips for Eating to Age Well Build a healthy microbiome As we age, the microbiome—bacteria and other microbes that live in our gut—tends to decrease in diversity and shift towards more harmful species. Besides supporting your microbiome with probiotic supplements, consider natural food sources like yogurt and eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to provide material to nourish good bacteria. It may be one reason why eating more produce has been linked to longevity. A multi-vitamin a day keeps the… The importance of vitamins and nutrients in supporting the normal function of our body are well recognized. The multi-vitamins of today are very different from those in the past. Look for a multi-vitamin sourced from whole food, which your body is more likely to recognize as food and more easily absorb. Some of the best whole food multi-vitamins on the market also include guaranteed potency probiotics, enzymes and superfoods. Eat raw When food is cooked, many of the nutrients and all digestive enzymes contained within are destroyed. Try to incorporate some raw food into every meal, and consider converting 2 or 3 meals a week into a raw meal. In addition, raw food contains ATP (Adenosine triphosphate), a key molecule that transports energy within the cell. Have heart Skip soda; drink water Sugary sodas cause inflammation and damage that may shorten telomeres—the protective caps on the ends of DNA. Short telomeres have been shown in conjunction with premature aging and a wide range of other health challenges. A December 2014 American Journal of Public Health study of 5,300 healthy adults found that drinking 20 ounces of sugary soda daily sped up biological aging by 4.6 years, which is comparable to the effects of smoking. The cardiovascular system is one of the primary areas of the body that can become challenged with age. With this in mind, incorporate heart-healthy foods into your diet. Some favorites include fish high in omega-3s (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring and trout), healthy nuts like almonds and walnuts, or tomatoes, which provide lycopene, vitamin C and alphaand beta-carotene. Looking for a supportive supplement? Consider the enzyme nattokinase, which has been shown to break down fibrin (clots) in blood, which encourages healthy circulation. INSIDE HEALTH  •  5