Eating Well As You Get Older
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can eating well help me stay healthy?
Video length: 5 min 2 sec
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Good nutrition is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Eating a well-planned, balanced mix of healthy foods every day may help prevent heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, bone loss, some kinds of cancer, and anemia. If you already have one or more of these chronic diseases, eating well may help you better manage them.
Making good food choices may also help you reduce high blood pressure, lower high cholesterol, and manage diabetes. If you have a specific medical condition, be sure to check with your doctor or registered dietitian about foods you should include or avoid.
Making good food choices also gives you the nutrients needed to keep your muscles, bones, organs, and other parts of your body healthy. These nutrients include vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, some fats, and water.
Eating well helps keep up your energy level, too. By consuming enough calories -- a way to measure the energy you get from food -- you give your body the fuel it needs throughout the day.
