Certainly, by now you know that what you eat plays a large role in how you feel: both your general well being and more specifically, how your body handles the aches and illnesses associated with aging. And while there are innumerable good sources out there (including helpful resources on agebuzz!), with all sorts of recommendations for eating well and maintaining a healthy diet, chances are you may still be confused. A recent post in The Conversation by Harvard-based nutrition writer P.K. Newby underscores this: According to Ms. Newby, 80% of Americans are not sure what to eat and 80% of chronic disease is preventable through such modifiable lifestyle factors as changing your diet. So what to eat? For starters, take a look at the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate.

How about what not to eat? Some new research out of the NIH makes clear what you probably already know. With the easy availability of ultra-processed foods, you’re likely to eat way too many calories and put on weight when you consume these foods rather than minimally processed, whole foods. Many older adults turn to processed foods even though they’re not so healthy. As pointed out in a recent article in The Washington Post, processed foods are easier to ingest- they’re softer and require less work to chew and swallow, which makes them all the more appealing for older individuals. And buying minimally processed, fresh whole foods may be more expensive in certain areas (as well as harder to access for some). That’s why an intriguing new opinion piece on STAT is so provocative and yet compelling. Author David Waters from the Massachusetts-based non-profit Community Servings, suggests that health insurance companies start paying for medically-tailored meals. While it can be challenging for patients to follow dietary recommendations (because they don’t have the money or lack access to certain foods or maybe just can’t prepare the recommended diet), we also know that diets specifically tailored for certain maladies (such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease) can be as important to better health as prescribed medications. So, from a public health as well as an economic perspective, wouldn’t it make sense to create easy access to these special diets by having insurance companies pay for healthy eating? Find out more by reading here.