Here Is A List Of Nutrients Our Body Needs As We Age

As we age, our body's ability to perform various functions decreases. Our bodies start to age due to various reasons, like, environmental ageing, or cellular ageing. cellular ageing is caused due to natural wear and tear of the body and its cells. On the other hand, environmental ageing is caused due to the impact of the environment on our bodies. Some of the factors for environmental ageing are sun exposure (UV rays), air pollution, and consumption of tobacco, alcohol or other unhealthy substances. Though some of these effects of ageing are irreversible, you can take conscious steps towards reducing the severity of these signs as we age. Besides eating a balanced diet and working out regularly, you can incorporate these nutrients to better your health.

Nutrients you need to add to your diet to slow down ageing:

Calcium

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We have all heard that calcium makes our bones strong. This stands true, calcium is responsible for maintaining and building strong bones. As we age, our body and bones start to weaken, which might make us prone to fractures. To stop that from happening, you can incorporate these foods into your diet:

• Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese)
• Dry fruits (almonds, figs, dates, dried apricots)
• Soy products (Edamame, soybeans, tofu)
• Leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce, cabbage, kale)
• Beans
• Lentils

Besides these foods, it is always advised to consume calcium supplements to provide your body with the adequate amount of calcium.

Fibre

Fibre helps move our food smoothly through our digestive tract. Hence, incorporating fibre into your diet can help you better digest your food. Furthermore, eating a fibre-rich diet has proven to reduce risks of heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer, stroke, and many other chronic diseases. Here are some foods you can incorporate into your diet to add sufficient good fibre in your diet:

• Beans
• Broccoli
• Apples
• Watermelon
• Dried fruits
• Avocados
• Popcorn
• Whole grains

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 helps in the production of red blood cells in the body. Furthermore, it is helpful in creating DNA and promotes the healthy functioning of the nerves. Studies show, that as we grow older, our bodies ability to extract vitamin B12 from food decreases. Hence, you are advised to not only consume foods rich in vitamin B12 but also consume supplements to make sure your body receives enough of the nutrients it requires. Some of the foods you can add to your diet to increase your vitamin B12 consumption:

• Red meat
• Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese)
• Animal liver
• Poultry (chicken, turkey)
• Eggs 
• Soy products (Edamame, soybeans, tofu)
• Nutritional yeast

Vitamin D

Oftentimes, our bodies require certain nutrients to help absorb other nutrients. This means that if you do not eat a balanced diet (which contains an adequate amount of all nutrients the body needs), your body might have trouble absorbing the nutrients you did consume. For example, the body requires vitamin D to better absorb calcium in the body. In addition to this, vitamin D has various other benefits. Adequate vitamin D in the body lowers the risks of developing diseases such as diabetes, skin-related diseases, autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and many more. Here are some foods to add to your diet to increase your vitamin D intake:

• Egg yolks
• Animal liver
• Red meat
• Fish oil
• Cod liver oil
• Salmon

Most vitamin D rich foods might not be fit for people that do not consume meat, hence, we advise you to consume vitamin D supplements.

Finally, eating a balanced diet is the easiest way to make sure your body consumes and absorbs all the nutrients it needs. However as discussed above, the body's ability to absorb nutrients from foods still does diminish with age, hence, we encourage you to incorporate eating healthy food supplements into your routine to slow down and smoothen ageing.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.