IN YOUR DAILY DOSE: Research from the Gerontological Society of America points to the benefits of fiber in your diet. Of course, it keeps you regular every day. Today, researchers know it does much, much more than that.

MAKING CHANGES: Aging can be a challenge. Joints don’t work like they used to. You are at higher risk for more illness and disease. More of your friends are spending more time with their doctors than they are with their friends. With just a few changes to your daily habits you can make a difference in the way that you age.

FACT OR FICTION: Dolphins are fascinating creators, able to kill sharks and whales, hunt in packs, exhibit friendliness and aggression. Here are more facts you might not know.

In The News

Research published from the Gerontological Society of America now links dietary fiber with better health while aging. Examining over 1600 adults ages 50 and older, researchers found that fiber made the biggest difference in what they called “successful aging.”

They defined success as the absence of disability, depression, cognitive impairment and chronic disease. It was the first study to look at the relationship between eating carbohydrates and aging, with results significant enough to warrant more study.

Of all the different types of foods and nutrients evaluated, insoluble fiber was the type of carbohydrate that made the most difference in health and wellness as you age. Individuals who ate the most fiber had an 80 percent greater chance of living a long and healthy life.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160601112609.htm

Daily Health Tip

Increasing your daily intake of fiber may help you do more than age gracefully. Fiber fills you, so you don’t eat as much. It helps to stabilize your insulin, reducing your risk of type-2 diabetes. Fiber feeds the good bacteria in your gut, improving your immune health and regulating your stools. There are so many reasons you should increase the amount of fiber you eat each day to close to 50 grams.  

Making Changes

Many people don’t eat more than 10 -15 grams of fiber a day from their diet. This may increase your risk of developing significant health issues and problems that plague you through your older years. Here are several tips to increase the amount of fiber you get each day.

1. Plan your meals before grocery shopping. Be sure to include foods that are higher in fiber with each dinner.

2. Do not be tricked into eating processed carbohydrates claiming to be “high in fiber.” These foods will also spike your sugar and insulin levels, increasing your risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. This spike in sugar also triggers storage of cholesterol and will increase your hunger just 2-3 hours after eating.

3. Include real foods that are high in fiber in your meals every day. These foods include pears, avocado, berries, coconut, figs, peas, acorn squash, brussel sprouts, black beans, split pea, chick peas, lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, nuts and quinoa.

Daily Affirmation

I am ready for a positive relationship. My personality is interesting and engaging, so others are attracted to me. I have the confidence and self-respect to attract the "one."

I know that the best match for me is out there - I need only to get out there and look. So I attend social functions and welcome new people into my life. I regularly go out on dates. I reach out to others to find my soul mate.

Fact or Fiction?

These are one of the interesting, recognized and smartest of marine mammals. Here are a few facts you might not know:

1. They are the only mammal that gives birth tail first and not head first.

2. The babies stay with their mother for 2 to 3 years before venturing out on their own.

3. Like cows they have two stomachs - the first stores the food and the second is where digestion takes place.

4. They can swim up to 25 miles an hour for long periods of time and live between 17 and 50 years.

5. Dolphins in a pod bond strongly, caring for their sick, elderly and injured with great care.

6. Their brain size, compared to body size is second only to humans.

7. They can leap up to 20 feet in the air.

8. Although it looks tough, the skin is very delicate and easily injured.

9. Even while resting, only one side of their brain sleeps at a time, this allows them to continue to breathe and watch for predators.

10. Dolphins hunt for their food together and work in sync as a group.

Have a wonderful day!

Your Healthy Life America Team