Forget depriving yourself. Try a new tactic this year: adding to your diet.
Focus on eating the good stuff and there’s less room for the overly refined not-so-good stuff. Here’s a decade-by-decade guide to what you should be eating now.
Your 30s
Broccoli
A great source of both iron and fiber.
Beans
One cup contains 200 to 300 micrograms of folate, important for mothers-to-be.
Hormone-free skim milk
Delivers nine essential nutrients and lowers your risk for heart attack, stroke, cancer, obesity and osteoporosis.
Salmon
Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon lower your risk for heart disease—and if you’re pregnant, they boost your baby’s brain and eye development, and may prevent postpartum depression.
Citrus fruits
They’re bursting with vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid and monoterpenes, which are believed to fight cancer by sweeping carcinogens out of the body.
Your 40s
Mangos
A great source of vitamin C, vitamin A, blood-pressure-lowering potassium and fiber.
Avocados
High in the good kind of fat, with more potassium than a banana.
Sweet potatoes
Ditch the baked potato for a sweet potato, loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.
Red Cabbage
It’s rich in antioxidants, which helps keep your mind sharp, and the indole-3 carbinole compound, which may reduce the incidence of breast cancer.
Dark Chocolate
It contains flavenols that lower blood pressure and protect against cell and tissue damage.
Your 50s
Low-Fat Yogurt
A great source of bone-strengthening calcium.
Oatmeal
Lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Brazil nuts
A great source of selenium, which may lower the risk of bladder, lung, colorectal and prostate cancers.
Mushrooms
Scientists think the compounds found in mushrooms may bolster your immune system and suppress cancers.
Tomatoes
High in lycopene, an antioxidant linked to a reduced risk of cancer.
Your 60s and beyond
Spinach
Contains antioxidants that protect against macular degeneration.
Fortified cereal
A simple way to get your daily requirement of folate, which may help stave off Alzheimer’s and protect against hearing loss.
Green tea
The compounds in green tea may improve memory and protect against cancer.
Peanut butter
Not only does it lower the risk of heart disease, this stick-to-the-ribs food is a great staple for seniors who are unable or unmotivated to cook.
Blueberries
Rich in antioxidants, blueberries might help prevent short-term memory loss, colon cancer and ovarian cancer.
