Dr Federica Amati talks to ITV’s This Morning about the foods we should be eating more of (Image: ITV)
A leading nutrition expert has revealed the exact superfoods we should all be eating at different stages of our lives. According to Dr. Federica Amati, these foods could help prevent silent killer conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems and dementia.
Speaking to ITVs this morning, nutrition scientist Dr. Amati, revealed the best way to reap the benefits of these foods.
He explained: “The foods that really make us healthy and nourish us change as we age.
We often have this idea that a fixed diet is what we have to follow for the rest of our lives and I’m trying to connect with the idea that we really do evolve and change.”
He added: “Our physiology changes and so different foods support us in different ways at different stages of life and to embrace that change instead of trying to resist it and say, ‘Why not? can i eat the same things “Why can’t I feel as good as I did when I ate this 10 years ago?'”
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Men are more at risk of heart disease, he warned (Image: Getty)
Dr Amati also advised against strict calorie counting, saying it doesn’t tell us anything about the nutritional value of food.
Calories are a metric — they don’t tell us anything about the nutritional value of food, he said.
They tell us nothing about how good that food will taste, and they tell us nothing about how you will use that food individually.
“It’s useful in research, but I would say that for daily calorie counting it often takes the joy out of food and doesn’t point us toward foods that are good for us and nourish us.”
Instead, we should focus on what we can add to our plates rather than take away.
“We know, from the global data of hundreds of thousands of people, that actually the risk factors that are associated with food and health, it’s not so much eating too much red meat or eating too much saturated fat, it’s eating not not enough whole grains, not enough legumes, not enough nuts and seeds and not enough fruit, he said.
He urged women in their 40s to eat more green leafy vegetables (Image: Getty)
“The data is very clear that what we’re missing is adding these foods to our plates. Focus less on what you can’t eat and focus more on adding food to your plate.”
So what are the superfoods he recommends adding to our meals? According to Dr. Amati, these are:
- Leafy greens
- Beetroot
- black beans
- Eggplant
- Blackberries and blueberries
- Broccoli and cauliflower
- oats
- Extra virgin olive oil
- avocados
- Whole grains
- Kefir
- dried fruit
- fatty fish
However, it is important to consider the ages at which we should eat more of these foods.
In your 40s
At this stage in life, women will begin to experience menopause and men should be aware of heart disease, he said.
Dr Amati said: “There’s this idea that a healthy diet always includes lots of fruit and vegetables – we don’t get enough of them as a nation anyway. But there are specific foods that are really helpful for specific outcomes.
In our 40s, women often start to feel the effects of the postpartum, so having children nutrient depletion that occurs and, frankly, being pretty tired. And also experiencing the beginnings of perimenopause.”
Eating avocado could help lower blood pressure, he said (Image: Getty)
“Eating very rich green leafy vegetables like this one supports a lot of micronutrient content: it helps us feel better and supports our gut health. In men, we have to pay close attention to the prevention of diseases of the heart
Men are more at risk of heart disease. Now, those colorful beets and dark black beans and eggplants all contain polyphenols, which are these helpful plant chemicals that actually protect our vascular system and our heart health.”
In your 50s
She urged people to go even harder in their efforts to maintain their health and well-being.
Dr Amati said: “Women usually go through menopause in their 50s, we know that colorful berries like blackberries and blueberries really help to control symptoms.”
She advocated a diet rich in colorful vegetables to ease menopausal symptoms.
And for men, he recommended vibrant cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower for heart health and cholesterol reduction, as well as pressed oats.
She also suggested swapping the butter and butter for extra virgin olive oil in all baking.
In your 60s
This is when we begin to see an increase in diet-related diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke.
We can prevent not all of them, but a lot with our diet,” he said.
Dr. Amati advised eating plenty of potassium-rich foods for hypertension, recommending avocados, fruits, whole grains, and beans.
He added: “We don’t talk about this age enough. They need to watch what they eat and make sure they have three nutritious meals a day. Our hunger levels start to drop, so we’re less sensitive to hunger at this age group”.
Dr. Amati also recommended adding kefir to your diet, saying, “It supports your gut health, but it’s also higher in protein and other essential nutrients.”
He then endorsed nuts and fatty fish for their omega-3 content, which is beneficial for brain health.
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