What you eat is important at ANY age, but it becomes even more critical as you age. Avoid eating large amounts of fat and salt, which have associated with clogged arteries. Counting calories is also a good idea since metabolism tends to slow down as we age. Keeping fiber in your diet is essential, especially for the elderly digestive tract. Fiber, which is found in colorful fruits, vegetables and high fiber grains such as whole wheat, oats, barley, etc, helps the digestive tract work better. Studies have indicated that diets low in fat, salt, and sugar, can bring ward off vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s.

And don’t forget plenty of water for hydration and disease prevention. That’s right . . . Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer. Water also pe reduce the risk of breast cancer. Water also performs the following functions:

•Water serves as a lubricant
•Water forms the base for saliva
•Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.
•Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is
distributed through perspiration.
•Water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the
intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste
•Regulates metabolism

So make sure you keep a glass of water nearby -and try to go green
by not buying bottled waters. Those containers end up in landfills! Most city tap waters are safe and taste fine. However, if you’re unsure or you live in a town with distasteful water, there are plenty of good water filters on the market. You want to be sure to be getting filtered and reputable bottled water as studies have been conducted that suggest aluminum from drinking water can be linked to vascular dementia.