Benefits of Seniors Eating Seafood

Living in a coastal state, it’s easy to get fresh and delicious seafood. For most people, eating seafood at least once a week is recommended for its many health benefits. Interestingly, experts recommend that seniors eat it at least twice a week! Let’s look at some of the benefits of seniors eating seafood.

Benefits from Seniors Eating Seafood

  • Seafood is a nutrient-dense food. It’s got tons of nutrients that seniors need, including iodine, vitamins A, D, and B complex, Omega-4 fatty acids, minerals like zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, and selenium, and high-quality protein. The best sources of all of these nutrients together? Wild caught salmon, tuna, cod, herring, farmed oysters, and sardines. Cook your seafood in a healthy way, and pair them with other healthy ingredients for maximum impact.
  • Seafood is great for the cardiovascular system. Omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood are a type of healthy fat that can strengthen the heart, reduce bad fats in your system, ease inflammation and prevent blood clotting, help your blood flow smoothly, keep your blood pressure in the normal range, and decrease your risk of irregular heartbeats. Because it does so much for your heart health, it reduces your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
  • Seafood is brain food. Those same healthy fats, along with DHA found in seafood, can improve your memory and help you think more clearly. Eating seafood protects against age-related brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
  • Seafood can help preserve your vision. Is there anything Omega-3 fatty acids can’t do? One of the most important seafood health benefits is a reduced risk of vision problems like macular degeneration, blindness, and cataracts.
  • Seafood can help you sleep better. Because seafood contains vitamin B6, it can help your body create melatonin, promoting better sleep quality. The best choices for good sleep include salmon, halibut, and tuna.
  • Seafood is a bone-boosting food. The mixture of Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA, EPA, and vitamin D contained in seafood helps preserve your bones’ strength and structure. It can also alleviate the joint pain and inflammation of arthritis. Eating seafood reduces your risk of bone loss, osteoporosis, bone cancer, and calcium deficiency.
  • Seafood can prevent depression. Many seniors suffer from depression, especially if they live alone or have a chronic health condition. Eating seafood boosts both the cognitive and psychological function of the brain. It can help reduce depression and feelings of isolation and loneliness, helps you manage stress, boosts the effectiveness of antidepressants, helps manage other mental conditions like bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, and ADHD, and helps ward off dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

If you’re looking for a senior community that values and nurtures its residents, come take a tour of a Cambridge Village community. At each Cambridge Village location, you can experience Optimal Living® for active adults that’s given us the reputation of being one of North Carolina’s premier communities. We offer an exceptional lifestyle, with evolving wellness, concierge healthcare, and engaged experience, for a retirement experience that exceeds your expectations. For more information, contact us through our website.