In January, we often embark on more or less tenable resolutions. As a result, the annual sports subscription at €400 is only used three times, and our month-long break from sugar ends with a dinner. What if, instead of setting untenable goals, in 2025, we tried to improve our longevity, starting with our plate?
Nutritionist and dietician for ten years in Paris and co-founder of Sisuspirit, Alexandra Retion gives us her advice to optimize a long, and above all healthy, life. “ Longevity is interesting but the point is still to stay as fit as possible », Maintains the nutritionist.
In our busy lives, and with declining purchasing power, taking care of the contents of your plate is not always easy. “ Today with the industrialization of food, we have more solutions to save time”points out Alexandre Retion, “ but we eat more and more poorly », with many chronic pathologies to blame, such as diabetes or hypertension. “ Taking care of your diet allows you to put all the chances on your side to optimize your health. »
Maintain your cardiovascular system
The leading cause of death in the world according to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases are a prevention lever on which to work to increase life expectancy. “ In addition to sufficient physical activity, diet is one of the first things to focus on. », encourages the nutrition professional.
His first advice is to have a diet low in salt, because the latter promotes hypertension. As there is already a lot of it in processed products, such as cold meats and cheese, there is no point in adding it to your dishes. “ Salt, the more you add, the more you want to addsupports Alexandra Retion. “ It’s a question of taste education: you should rather favor spices and aromatic herbs. »
For people affected by cholesterol problems, the consumption of fiber is even more recommended. “ This involves the presence of vegetables at each meal, fruit rather than a sweet dessert, whole grains and legumes. ”, she advises. To rebalance the fats in your arteries, you must consume omega-3 (oily fish, ground flax seeds, soaked chia seeds or rapeseed oil) and omega-9 (olive oil, avocados). “ The ideal is to alternate or mix olive oil and rapeseed oil in these seasonings », suggests the nutritionist.
Conversely, it is better to limit saturated fats: red meats, lamb, cold meats, industrial products, etc. But the dietician prefers to warn: “ Be careful not to forbid yourself from certain food groups, but to limit your consumption, because there is a risk of developing eating disorders. »
To protect the arteries, it is good to also provide antioxidants. “ The functioning of our metabolism produces a lot of waste, which oxidizes our cells », explains Alexandra Retion. Consuming antioxidants slows down cell aging. “ It is found in very colorful fruits and vegetables: red fruits, green vegetables… or organic green tea ».
Maintaining muscle mass as you age
« The older we get, the more we lose muscle mass naturally, and this is even more true for women. “, explains Alexandra Retion, “ at the same time, women become less attracted to animal protein “. But proteins maintain our muscles, our nervous system and our cells. “ Our entire structure will age better », Says the nutritionist. You should eat a protein with every meal, whether animal or plant-based. To eat more protein without looking like it, you can add oilseed-based snacks to your day or seaweed as a starter.
Another important ally: magnesium. “It allows muscle contraction and maintains the nervous system », continues the dietician. It is found in oilseeds such as nuts or almonds, but also dark chocolate, green leafy vegetables such as spinach or whole grains.
Finally there are the vitamins. “ Vitamin D and calcium not only support bone strength, but also muscle contractions », she adds. They are present in fatty fish, dairy products and green vegetables.
What meal should you choose at midday when you’re short on time?
It is possible to anticipate the evening before with simple and quick cooking, or assembly, but it is not easy every day. Whether we bring our meal prepared the day before or buy a dish prepared that same day, our menu should contain these different elements most of the time:
- A quality protein (chicken, fish, egg, tofu, chickpeas, lentils, etc.).
- A complex carbohydrate (wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread, etc.) This allows you to last all afternoon without craving sugar. », explains the nutritionist.
- Vegetables (raw vegetables, salad, vegetables cooked the day before, etc.) to provide fiber.
- Good fat (olive oil, avocado, oilseeds like almonds or walnuts).
Top Santé shares with you a simple recipe idea from Alexandra Retion for a quick and healthy sandwich: Mix one or two hard-boiled eggs with a little Greek yogurt and olive oil to obtain a protein mayonnaise low in saturated fatty acids. “ but with the same taste and texture », assures the dietitian. We then spread the preparation in wholemeal bread with slices of avocado, cucumber or other vegetable and that’s it! You can supplement it with fruit or yogurt for dessert for a sufficiently nourishing meal.
What if we had to change just one of our eating habits to hope to live longer?
Alexandra Retion is final. “ If we only have to change one dietary practice, it’s to reduce ultra-processed foods. “. They are often too salty, too fatty, too sweet and contain additives. “ Opt for fresher, rawer foods, and try to cook yourself as much as possible, even if it’s assembly », recommends the dietitian.
Source: www.topsante.com
