British Nutrition Foundation publishes food guide to protecting the body

[I found this interesting article in telegraph.co.uk. Read this and post comments if you like:
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4225446/British-Nutrition-Foundation-publishes-food-guide-to-protecting-the-body.html]

A guide to which foods help protect different parts of the body is due to be published today by the British Nutrition Foundation.

The Healthy Ageing report explains how to protect the eyes, brain, bones and heart and stave off diseases including diabetes and cancer in later life by eating the right diet.

The experts who compiled it, from universities including Oxford, Surrey and Newcastle, over a period of three years, believe that if everyone were to follow the advice - which also recommends stopping smoking and taking more exercise - Britain's ageing population will be markedly more free of illness in later life.

Britons now live an average of a decade longer than they did in 1959 to around 80 years old now. The experts claim that could rise to 90 years old by 2060 if the current trend continues.

BNF Director General Professor Judy Buttriss, said: "Many people already live for 20 years or more after retirement, and 20 years from now a quarter of the population will be elderly.

"So urgent action is needed now to help ensure we all enjoy better physical and mental health. It will make those extra years we have ahead of us something to look forward to, rather than dread."

Among foods the report recommends for the heart are those containing healthier fats, soluble fibre and potassium, such as vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, pulses, oats, potatoes, root vegetables, fish and milk.

For the heart and brain, fish, meat, poultry, eggs, leafy vegetables and nuts are recommended to ensure a decent intake of Vitamin B12 and folate. Alcohol is also recommended in moderation.

The bones, the report says, are best served by Vitamin K found in green leafy vegetables, liver, broccoli and asparagus, and both bones and muscles benefit from Vitamin D found in oily fish, eggs, margarine and fortified cereals.

The blood benefits from iron found in liver, meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit, wholegrain foods and leafy vegetables, and the eyes require lutein/zeaxanthin from kiwi fruit, grapes, spinach, kale and peppers.

The teeth need fluoride found in drinking water, tea and fish, while the prostrate needs lycopene found in tomatoes, guava, apricots, watermelon, papaya and pink grapefruit.

For all body systems, a list of foods containing Vitamin C, beta-carotene and Vitamin E is provided which includes tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, citrus fruits, melon, dark green, yellow and orange fruit and vegetables along with plant oils, nuts, seeds and wheatgerm.

Professor Buttriss said: "Diet and activity might not make you live any longer but it might make the quality of those extra years much more worthwhile. It is never too late to start and to encourage your children and your grandchildren to think about it as well."