Food for Thought: The Role of Nutrition in Healthy Aging

The way we eat throughout our lives impacts the way we age. Science has proven that a well-balanced and varied diet full of nutritious foods like fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean proteins; and limited in sugar, salt, saturated or solid fats, and alcoholic beverages; is critical to good health. This means we all have the power to maximize and improve our health, add vitality to our years, reduce the risk of disease, and increase our healthspans—the number of years we live in good health. And research shows that it’s never too late to make improvements.

This short educational film shares the nutritional needs that change with age, the role of nutrition in keeping us healthy, nutrition-related diseases, recommendations from the recent US Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines, and the impact of food insecurity on healthy nutrition.