Best Foods for Longevity and Health in Retirement

Getting old isn’t anybody’s idea of fun. However, it’s something that is inevitable, and that you can’t really escape. What you can control, however, is what sort of effect aging is going to have on you. 

Exercise and nutrition definitely delay the achiness and negative aspects of aging, and keep you feeling energized for years to come. Proper nutrition can stave off disease that can leave you paying out hospital bills for the rest of your days.

In terms of nutrition, there are several foods that, when consumed in a balanced diet, help improve your longevity...

Matcha tea

Matcha tea might seem like one of those health fad foods that rolls around and gets everyone talking, but there’s a good reason for that. Matcha tea is an incredibly nutrient rich powdered tea that traditionally comes from China, originally, and Japan. 

Not only do the intense amount nutrients in matcha make for a more nutritional diet, but matcha actually has mental benefits, such as improving your memory and potentially preventing Alzheimer’s disease. 

On top of these benefits, the matcha powder can be consumed in a variety of ways, not just as tea. You can put scoops of matcha into smoothies, and even use it in your baking, to get the benefits.

Sweet potatoes

While we wouldn’t recommend eating sweet potato fries for every meal, at least not for longevity, sweet potatoes are actually an incredibly rich source of a variety of nutrients, such as vitamin A and potassium. 

As a matter of fact, sweet potatoes are actually considerably more rich in potassium than bananas. On top of this, sweet potatoes have even more antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, than most leafy green vegetables. 

This makes regularly eating sweet potatoes a great boon to your immune system. Sweet potatoes are also great if your teeth aren’t in great shape, and they’re easy on your digestive system, as evidenced by the fact that they’re regularly used to help babies transition to hard foods, as this article points out.

Broccoli and sprouts

One of the biggest pains of getting older is the wear and tear that starts to occur to your joints. 

Getting arthritis as you get older is practically a natural law. However, by improving your diet, along with taking care of yourself, physically, you can greatly reduce the effects of joint pain. 

Eating lots of broccoli and sprouts, besides being exceptionally healthy sources of various vitamins and minerals, is incredibly beneficial to reducing joint pain. This is because both broccoli and sprouts contain a compound called sulforaphane that helps protect cartilage.

Blueberries

Blueberries work very hard to earn their title as a world class superfood. Many of blueberries’ health benefits come from the anthocyanins inside of them, which also contribute to the deep purple color. 

A healthy intake of blueberries helps lower blood pressure and can prevent the development of diabetes, due to the amount of fiber inside of them. The various antioxidants in blueberries also help ward off cancer, which is more of a risk, as you get older. 

From an aesthetic standpoint, as well, blueberries improve collagen, which keeps our skin looking young and wrinkle-free.

Avocados

Keeping a healthy heart should be a priority, as you get older, in order to prevent heart attacks. 

Avocados are an excellent source of fat that are low in cholesterol, since the fats are full of water. On top of that, avocados have an incredible amount of vitamin E and magnesium, and even help you get a little bit of protein in, as well. 

Because the fats in avocados are anti-inflammatory, they also help keep your skin looking fresh.

Coconut

As you get older, your body needs more fiber to keep a healthy heart and to reduce the negative effects of aging. Coconut is an excellent source of fiber, and even is a good source of protein. 

The fat in coconut gives is a plant-based fat that has no bad cholesterol, but helps your body produce natural cholesterol that reduces aging. Coconut also helps your stomach produce more bacteria, which improves your immune system and keeps it strong in older age.

Apples

Everybody knows the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Well, it might be cliche, but there’s a lot of truth to that. 

Apples help put natural sugar into your diet. Apples also have one of the highest amount of antioxidants that you can get in your diet, which helps prevent cancer.