As we get older it becomes easier to gain weight and seemingly more difficult to keep it off. Changes to the body through menopause and the general aging process mean that you tend to have a reduction in muscle mass which means the rate at which your body processes calories becomes lower. But, that doesn’t have to be the way forward. Here is a brief look at how changing your diet as you age can make all the difference in keeping your body in a healthier shape.
So, first of all, we need to have an understanding of the nutritional change your body needs as it gets older. As mentioned above, the aging process does lead to a natural reduction in muscle mass, however making changes to your diet will have an impact on that process. For example, reducing your calorie intake but increasing foods which are high in fiber or protein and whole grains have been recommended on the basis that it reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
But, far from being another article telling you to cut this and cut that from your diet, it is important to take in scientific advice from across the spectrum. Books such as The Big Fat Surprise have looked to demonstrate that the movement within the nutritional science community to encourage a diet that turns away from fats might have been on the wrong path. This is a fine example of how we must do our own due diligence and develop our own nutrition plan based on the texts available to make sure any diet changes we make are right for the individual.
Instead of just talking about what you can’t do as you get older, let’s look at what you can do. The food that you can make and enjoy. To know which dishes you should be preparing for a healthier lifestyle, understanding what the recommended superfoods are for over-50s is vital. As outlined here, you should be including berries, cruciferous vegetables, leafy greens, omega three rich fish, yogurt, the aforementioned whole-grains, and soy. So, there are much more foods that you can add to your recipes. Getting older does not mean enjoying less, but it does mean looking at new ways to enjoy your food.
Before you do go forward and start planning your meals, especially if you are concerned about your health or weight gain as you get older, one major recommendation is to seek advice from your local physician. There is a tendency to treat our cars better than ourselves with regular oil changes and services. Getting a health check doesn’t have to be a daunting event but rather just a normal process that will give you the information you require to go forward and build on your life well into your 50s and beyond.
Everything we thought we knew about women’s nutrition is wrong.
Find out more by watching this interview with Nina Teicholz
Don’t be deterred by the over saturation of information related to your body, your diet, and your health. Always look at where this information is coming from and who is funding it. Look at a wide range of information and don’t take government recommendations on surface value. This is your health, your body, your life so take charge. Be confident that understanding the basics will help you put together your own plan and take control of your own health.
(Pass the Butter – Women, Aging, and Nutrition) I know now that I have to be very careful on what I am eating now days. It just get harder and harder for me to loose any weight anymore.
Lossing weight is a nightmare as we age.
Brenda and Evelyn, there are so many extremes battling it out right now! The “avoid meat and fat” crowd and the “eat nothing but meat and fat” people! Like you, I prefer a more balanced approach. I think some of the things I’ve done for health reasons are responsible for my maintaining a healthy weight as well. Several years ago I started limiting my sugar intake to never more than 6 teaspoons of sugar in a day and nearly a year ago I started 16:8 Intermittent Fasting. No counting of calories, carbs, etc. and no can’t-have-that restrictions. Both are things I will do for the rest of my life.
Thanks for the health tips. I do try to eat and prepare healthy meals, but I enjoy a little bit of butter every now and then too! 🙂
Yes losing weight can be a bit harder but with a good diet and regular exercise, its not a problem. I’ve found its important to eat a balanced plant based diet to stay healthy and to keep the extra pounds from slipping me.
When I was in my childhood, teens and 20s and even 30s, even after giving birth to 4 big babies, I was still always naturally very slim without even trying ( I Had to start trying some after my 4th baby when I was 27 but was still slim.) But as I aged, it became harder and harder so much so, that it was shocking and I would find myself even overtrying without any results but instead gaining and crying on the scale and feeling self-conscious. I’m over 50 now and have painfully slowly lost 20 lbs (still have a long way to go) to reach my healthy bmi weight goal but I did that much by actually eating MORE healthy fats and protein which honestly make it easier for me and make me feel so much better in general too It also seems to reduce cravings dramatically for me and even get migraines much less often and less severely. I also believe healthy fats and avoiding processed refined carbs and sugars (which break down collagen) help us age a bit more slowly and more gracefully too, well at least, so far. haha.
This is good advice to keep in mind, especially around the holidays.
I shed my extra pounds cutting bad carbs. I can now eat butter and the weight stays off. We will feature your helpful information on the next Blogger’s Pit Stop.
Kathleen