Smart food choices for healthy aging | Food & Cooking

5. Use herbs and spices. Foods may seem to lose their flavor as you age. If favorite dishes taste different, it may not be the cook! Maybe your sense of smell, sense of taste, or both have changed. Medications may also change how foods taste. Add flavor to your meals with herbs and spices.

6. Keep food safe. A food-related illness can be life threatening for an older person. Throw out food that might not be safe. Avoid certain foods that are always risky for an older person, such as unpasteurized milk. Other foods can be harmful to you when they are raw or undercooked, such as eggs, sprouts, fish, shellfish, meat, or poultry.

7. Read the Nutrition Facts label. Make the right choices when buying food. Pay attention to important nutrients to know as well as calories, fiber, sodium, and the rest of the Nutrition Facts label.

8. Ask your doctor about vitamins or supplements. Food is the best way to get nutrients you need. Should you take vitamins or other pills or powders with herbs and minerals? Your doctor will know if you need them. More may not be better. Some can interfere with your medicines or affect your medical conditions.

Instead of a big dish of ice cream topped by a handful of berries, enjoy a bowl of berries capped with a small scoop (about a half cup) of light ice cream.