Getting older is a privilege and aging well and with optimal health is largely under the control of your lifestyle choices. One of these choices to optimise your health as your age includes including adequate whole grain servings each day. Wholegrains have a variety of health promoting factors to support healthy ageing, this includes:
Supporting Your Heart Health
By including at least 3 servings of wholegrains each day may reduce your risk of heart disease by as much as 40! The fibre in whole grains plays the biggest role in keeping your heart healthy and specifically the soluble fibre. This type of fibre drags out cholesterol from your body and prevents it being reabsorbed and consequently increasing your total and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.
Supporting mental health
Wholegrains provide prebiotics which are the source of fuel for the good bacteria in your gut. The type of fibre also supports more of the good types of bacteria in your gut. Your gut has many important functions and one being its capacity to influence your mood and mental health. There is a direct link to the brain from the gut called the brain-gut axis, so a healthy gut means a healthy brain.
Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Wholegrains have a matrix of health benefits and the fibre specifically helps keep the munchies away for longer and makes maintaining a healthy weight easier. Being a healthy weight is important to reduce your risk of heart disease, certain cancers like breast cancer and inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Keeps your muscles strong
Wholegrains like Corn Thins™ are good sources of zinc, magnesium, and protein. These are three nutrition factors which support the maintenance and growth of muscle cells. When you have muscle, this pulls on the bones which stimulate the creation of a strong bone reducing your risk of osteoporosis.
Decreases your risk of colorectal cancer
There is a direct link between including wholegrains in your diet and a decreased risk of colorectal cancer. As you get older your risk of colorectal cancer increases. By including at least 3 servings of wholegrains daily with a serving being 1 slice or 40g of wholegrain bread, ¼-1/2 cup of cooked brown rice, quinoa, wholegrain couscous, or 6 Corn Thins™ you are helping reduce your risk of this cancer.
Take home message: Including wholegrains like Corn Thins™ in your diet as a lifestyle is beneficial for healthy ageing and optimising your quality of life.
