[projectjudi]

You can do it!
Hope this thread stays and gets more active. Thanks for starting it!

[Wannabehealthy]

I agree that your daily diet should include the recommended vitamins and minerals, and that doesn't mean taking supplemental vitamin tablets. The vitamins and minerals are in the food you eat. You should be having cooked and raw vegetables every day. A serving of cooked vegetables is only 1/2 cup and raw vegetables and salad vegetables is 1 cup per serving. Have 5-7 servings of vegetables and fruits every day and even more is acceptable. Fruits and vegetables, along with beans, provide fiber that is essential. Drink plenty of water and eat lean protein in small quantities.

I wish it hadn't taken until I was a senior citizen to learn more about healthy eating.

[JoggerGirl03]

I went wheat-free for 8 weeks just because I was tired of having acid reflux and being bloated and a lot of other digestive unrest. I had chatted with a person who turned out to be a dietitian while we were waiting to have other medical tests done and I mentioned how I bloated badly when I drank even a little beer, ate bread, some other things and she said I should try not eating grains for a while, all grains, and then slowly reintroduce each grain into my diet to find out if any of them affected me. Turned out to be a combo of yeast and wheat. I can eat other grains without having the same problems I get by eating wheat (the yeast got under control once I was diagnosed with diabetes and I changed my diet). I don't go into shock or anything, just have gut problems I don't really like and not eating wheat is fairly easy for me. However, eating other carbs still does raise my blood glucose and it takes me longer then it would a non-diabetic to get it back down to normal so I consider myself diabetic and am careful about what I eat although I am more lenient now that I know how to get my glucose back to normal. On PBS, and in some books I've read, I've already heard about the gene engineering that's gone on with wheat (and rice and corn and probably other things) to make them grow fast, more pest resistant, and more productive so people living in places that do not have optimal growing conditions can still grow this altered food; and American farmers can make more money from the same acreage. Some people have no problem digesting all these new-fangled foods. I don't think anyone should make a blanket statement that these things should be avoided unless they are found to be deadly (or until people start growing spikes out of their butts or something) but if someone is having digestive problems, doing the usual allergy "don't eat" diet for a couple months is pretty easy to do to find out what may be the offending food.

[Wannabehealthy]

I never thought I had any food related issues other than the starchy carbs that effect my diabetes but I am in the midst of a bad psoriasis flare right now, and after researching some nutrition sites I have decided that due to my very heavy consumption of leafy green vegetables I am getting a lot of folic acid. While it's good for you, in large amounts it tend to irritate psoriasis. I guess there's something to be said for moderation. I was consuming very large servings daily. Now I have been mixing in other veggies, and adding small amounts of leafy greens to other foods, waiting to see if it makes a difference. Psoriasis isn't necessarily life threatening, but it's annoying, and this time it's bringing a dose of psoriatic arthritis. Oh, it's so much fun to get old!

I think exercise is a big factor as we age. Many seniors who have a hard time getting around can contributed that to a lack of exercise. It's doesn't have to be running a marathon, etc. But lack of muscle tone can really slow you down. One muscle group that I think is very important is the thigh muscles, above the knee. This is used to raise yourself up, such as getting out of a chair. I notice most seniors have to push up holding onto the arm of a chair, and I am noticing that in myself. I am trying to do exercises to strengthen the thigh muscles and see if I notice any improvement. I want to reach the point where I can stand up from a seated position without holding on. I might not live forever, but I want to be ambulatory until the end.

[jmh6251]

Hello all I am 62. I have to keep my carbs low and also my calories. Most days I try and do 1/2 hour on the treadmill, and I power walk with hubby. It's hard because I have arthritis in my back and hips, but I make myself keep moving. If I quit I am not sure I could get started again LOL