One of the phrases that, Doctor Tuckson and I talked about was nutraceuticals.

Right?

This idea that foods can confer special health benefits beyond their basic nutrition value.

And I find this to be maybe a little bit more of a marketing term than a science based one.

We do know that.

Sure, there's lots of compounds in foods.

We're discovering more of them every day and learning about how they interact with the body.

They may have health promoting properties.

They may even interact with each other in a synergistic effect.

But this is all very difficult to study in.

Proof.

Okay.

So I do like to kind of get back to the basics and remind people of any age, that what we know about how nutrition affects human health is actually pretty basic and has been known to us for a while and is not likely to change.

So some of those basics are eating minimally processed foods, preparing more of your own food at home, focusing on high fiber, whole grain, healthy carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, plant based proteins, lean animal based proteins, as well as heart healthy fats.

If people, focus on those types of foods that have a high nutrient density, they're going to pretty much cover their bases in terms of how nutrition can help promote their health.

For older adults, some of the issues that they may run into is one that they have decreased energy needs, meaning they don't need to consume as many calories.

And this usually unfortunately begins in our 30s and 40s even, but continues as we get older.

The other issue is, especially for folks maybe 65 or older, they may notice a real decrease in their appetite.

So in both of these situations, it makes it really important to choose as many nutrient dense foods as possible, because you're consuming less food, and you need to make sure that food is working for you as best it can.

So you want to make sure that every bite counts.

This program is part of KT's multi-platform initiative on aging called Next Chapter, that focuses on the rewards and challenges of growing older.

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