Tony, a big problem is that if you don't eat enough, you won't get enough calories or nutrition and you can wind up malnourished. Our calories need to up with the amount of physical activity so older people need less because they are generally a lot more inactive. Of course if they ate more fruit they'd probably feel the urge to be more active too. Whenever I used to visit my grandmother I could see the boost in energy she'd get when I prepared the meals (salad with lots of garlic, avocado, etc) and the next morning she was always so pleased with her painless bowel movement instead of a rabbit pellet. The elderly simply eat too much soft & cooked food.

I really think sunshine plays a huge role in our health. Light is like a vitamin for us. Long-lived cultures tend to be spending a lot of time outdoors, often eating fermented foods so they are keeping digestion healthy. We need to move our bodies too. Our lifestyle (including my own!) is far too sedentary. Running beside car exhaust doesn't make much sense though either or swimming in acidic chlorine.

I'm not big on supplements. I use a detoxer to make sure my mineral receptors are not blocked by heavy metals so I can actually utilize the good stuff in the food and also a probiotic superfood. I use Liqui-Dulse for my thyroid too and every few days I use a liquid nutritional booster. In cold/flu season I use an immune booster when I venture out to public places and Vit D3 in winter.

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Some people don't have that much of an appetite to eat all that each day. I also have digestion problems and missing teeth so have trouble eating some veggies and fruits. So what I am in the habit of doing is buying good protein powder from a natural foods store that has a LOT of different nutrients in it and using this, along with wheat germ, bananas, herbs and veggies I both buy and grow at home, grapeseed oil, unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon, etc. and milk, tea or fruitjuice, etc. (and stevia sweetener if needed), and put it all in my blender for breakfast. This assures that I digest the food better and that I get all kinds of different healthy foods for breakfast. I certainly have a good appetite for this, and am always on the lookout for interesting and healthy foods and juices I can use. I've also heard that when people get older, they should eat less... I read with interest others' ideas for juicing and smoothies.

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Jessica, that is like I did last night: couple peaches plum pear tangerine and raspberries with egg whites and orange juice and brewer's yeast .. a little dollop of chocolate and maple syrup and left me quite full for a few hrs

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I find that juicing is an easy way to get a lot of nutrients at once. You don't even need an expensive juicer. I use an inexpensive handheld immersion blender, which makes for very pulpy juice, but if you add some store-bought juice to your fruits and veggies, it helps them blend better. Some ideas:
spinach, apple, beet, ginger, spirulina
swiss chard, carrot, blueberry, parsley, spirulina
kale, strawberry, peach, spirulina

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I love raw cashews.. but never blended 'em ever; never thot of using frozen bananas, mostly 'cuz my blender is wimpy
Don't know if I'd want to give up too much sleep— too enjoyable

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The easiest way to increase your fruits and veggies is to simply eliminate grains, dairy and meat and processed food. I eat almost entirely raw fruits and veggies and am not only healthy and slim but I sleep far less than anyone I know and am not tired all the time. You cannot eat too much fruit or overeat on veggies. They are cleansing and nourishing.

For a treat you can have frozen fruits. If you add frozen banana to just about any other fruit and blend it you have something far tastier than ice cream. You can add cacao if you desire chocolate. Cut back on fats and oils though which keep sugar in the bloodstream. Chia is also very nice to add to smoothies or "ice cream" or puddings made with raw fruits, especially banana and cacoa. Great brain food!

Unroasted nuts are fruits too. I just bought some amazing fresh hazelnuts. So much better than roasted!

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I'm not really a big fruit fan, but I love vegetables. The way I get my fruit is protein shakes or smoothies. Frozen fruit with some Silk milk (or low-fat ice-cream or yogurt if you eat dairy) and either whey protein or flaxseed is a great way to get your fruit servings and an extra boost of protein!

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Just grab a couple of these and some of those– I might overdo the fruits–and the sugar– by having two plums, a pear and a peach and a couple tangerines when I go off to work, but it keeps my hands busy when things are slow. I do make a production of slicing 'em up, 'specially the pears and peaches, and adding that sprig of mint, but I don't douse them in cream or extra sugar at least.

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