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Food For Thought

Food For Thought: Nurture your Body

On Wednesday Jan 16th, Jewish Seniors Alliance along with JCC Seniors presented its first lecture in a series of 4 called Food For Thought: Nurture Your Body. It was presented by Tamar Kafka, a Registered Dietician. It was a very informative and helpful presentation as it outlined how we can maintain a well-balanced, nutritious lifestyle and help decrease risks of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and heart disease. As well, eating healthy can lead to improvement in the areas of memory, cognition, energy and overall emotional well being.

The four food groups such as dairy, carbohydrates, protein and fruits/vegetables were discussed with helpful advice what to eat more of and what to avoid. Tamar advised seniors to include vitamins A and C, potassium and more fibre in their diets. Always drink water and introduce dark green and orange vegetables into your meal plan as they contain the most nutrients e.g. squash, sweet potatoes. Whole grain products such as barley, whole wheat pasta are extremely healthy and helps to reduce strokes, diabetes and some cancers. As far as dairy products go, Tamar advised us to take a Vitamin D supplement, 400 IU a day, calcium if needed and look for products with 2% milk fat or less. Plain Greek yogurt is very good for all and if too bland just add honey or jam.

If you do not eat meat then substitute with beans, lentils or fish. Protein in your diet is critical for muscle strength and prevention of infections. Overall, to meet one’s daily needs…imagine you have a plate…50% should be filled with fruits and vegetables, ¼ with grains, ¼ protein and a little side dish of dairy. Thanks Tamar for your personal and informative presentation.

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