Senior Health:

Eating Well, Aging Well

by Nissa Hallquist

There's no fighting the fact that as you grow older and your body changes, your nutritional requirements change as well. What you eat directly impacts the occurrence of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, even cancer and mental function. As such, food is a powerful weapon in the fight for healthy aging, one you should-and can-learn to wield with skill.

For ideal health after 50, you should reduce your intake of:

Calories

As you age, you may notice your metabolism slowing down (or actually come to a dead stop, depending on your perspective). So, in order to maintain a healthy weight, you should cut back on the amount of calories you intake. Just how much you cut back is dependent on your exact age, gender, and amount of physical activity. For example, a woman over 50 with low physical activity should consume no more than 1,600 calories. If moderately active, 1,800 calories, and if very active, 2,000 to 2,200. The same range for a man over 50 is about 400-600 calories higher across the board.

Saturated Fat

Avoid fried foods, red meat, baked goods, and full-fat dairy products. Saturated and trans fats are the greatest contributor to clogged arteries and heart and circulatory problems in general. No wonder heart disease is the number one killer in America. Sure, donuts, ice cream, and steak may taste good, but as a part of a daily diet, they're hardly worth dying for.

Sugar

Diabetes is coming up quickly on heart disease as the statistically biggest killer of Americans. That's why you should avoid the excessive intake of processed sugars, such as those in baked goods, breakfast cereals, candy, and soda.

Sodium

Americans as a whole consume too much salt. In fact, according to a 2009 study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), they consume over 3,400 mg, nearly twice the recommended amount of 2,300 mg (approximately one teaspoon). The health risks are high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. A low-sodium diet (up to 1,500 mg) greatly reduces these risks. It may sound difficult, but removing a bulk of the salt from your food can actually encourage you to be more creative with your food preparation by using other herbs and spices.

Now, before you start feeling deprived, keep in mind that you can replace much of the above by increasing your intake of:

Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fat

Your body needs a certain amount of fat for normal function. You just need to choose the right kind of fat, such as the monounsaturated fat found in nuts, fish, and vegetable oils. Also better for you are polyunsaturated Omega-3 fatty acids, which more specifically include salmon and tuna, walnuts, olive oil, and avocados. (Keep in mind that, while better than saturated fats, these still have high calories and so should still be consumed in moderation.)

Fruits and Vegetables

There's virtually no end to the benefits your body will reap by increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. You can satisfy a sweet tooth without the negative effects of processed sugar. The inherent fiber in many fruits and vegetables aids in digestion and satisfies hunger without blowing things calorically. Not to mention the wealth of vitamins and minerals that will keep your bones, heart, joints, and even your mind strong and flexible.

Lean Protein

In order to produce the amino acids a body needs for healthy muscle, bone, and skin, you need to consume 50 to 65 grams of protein every day. While you may cut out fatty red meat, you can still get more than enough protein from lean meats, poultry, and fish, as well as low-fat dairy products, beans, and rice.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are what give your body the energy to function. While you might cut down on excessive processed sugar, you can still find plenty of healthier energy-producing carbs in fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and whole grain breads and cereals.

Potassium

A healthier substitute for sodium. The CDC recommends 4,700 mg of potassium to balance a low-sodium diet and to lower LDL cholesterol levels. Certain lean meats (including chicken, fish, and white meat turkey), fruits (bananas, melon, oranges), vegetables (spinach, squash) and low-fat dairy products have high levels of potassium.

Other Vitamins & Minerals

Regardless of age, every person needs to intake thirteen vitamins (A, C, D, E, K and all the B vitamins), macrominerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfur), and trace minerals (iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium) for proper body function. A balanced, varied diet should meet your daily requirements. However, depending on any special needs you might have, a nutritional supplement may be advised by your doctor.

For more information on nutrition and other avenues to healthy aging:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
Healthy Aging, Atlanta, GA, (800) 232-4636,
www.cdc.gov/aging

Healthy Aging
Unionville, PA, (610) 793-0979,
www.healthyaging.net

National Institute on Aging
Bethesda, MD, (800) 222-4225, www.nia.nih.gov

National Institutes of Health, Senior Health
www.nihseniorhealth.gov