The pillars of health are all connected. Nutrition, stress, sleep and other factors affect our ability to maintain mental capacity. Our nutritional needs change as we age. Consider whether you are eating a balanced diet and getting the right nutrients such as calcium and iron. Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne on the Answers for Elders Radio Show to talk about Intellectual Wellness, one of the eight foundational principles of senior wellness featured in this summer’s Vitality Revolution podcast series.

Dr. Shawn says, “It’s not all about just working your mind, doing the bingo, puzzles, crosswords, and book clubs. One of the reasons why I was so excited to do Vitality Revolution is because it fits into my philosophy and the things I coach about, which are really all the pillars of health, because they are all connected. For those of you who have been listening to Vitality Revolution this summer, you’ll see that there’s some overlap, there’s so many things that affect each other. And in terms of intellectual capacity, you have to look at nutrition, gut health, exercise, sleep, stress. Those will all affect your cognitive ability.

“One big thing is nutrition. They say your gut is your second brain. Believe it or not, there’s maybe 2 billion organisms in your gut microbiome alone. As we get older, our needs for different macro and micro nutrients change. Are you getting the appropriate balance of your macronutrients: your proteins, fats? Are you looking at micronutrients, like calcium, iron? Are you having regular blood panels done so you can see if you are in balance. Those will affect your cognitive abilities and your mental capacity. Nutrition is a huge thing.”

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR