Your Changing Nutrition Needs

Your Changing Nutrition Needs

What to
  eat in your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond
Lynne
Peeples
 
As we get older, nutrition rules change, or at least get  stricter. Some vitamins,
such as B12, become even more important with time. But  at what age do we need
to make changes?


"These recommendations should be addressed at different stages  of life, and it's
probably safe to start thinking about them in your 30s," says  Helen Rasmussen,
PhD, a registered dietitian at the Human Nutrition Research  Center on Aging at
Tufts University, in Boston. "Why wait until it's too  late?"


Here's how and what to eat in your 30s, 40s, 50s, and  beyond.


Seek out vitamin  B12


Vitamin B12 is often overlooked. Needed to make blood cells  and improve cognition,
vitamin B12 gets into the body along with animal proteins  like eggs or
meat.


Most young people who aren't vegetarians easily get it in  their diet. But for the
body to use B12, it needs to dissolve it away from the  protein. This gets more
challenging with age as the level of stomach acid  decreases.


B12 not bound to protein is found in fortified cereal and  supplements and is more
readily absorbed by the body. Starting at age 50, you  should get most vitamin
B12 from these types of fortified foods.

 Eat more  bananas


Blood pressure tends to rise as we age. To combat this problem  and lower stroke and
heart attack risk, you should eat less sodium and more  potassium.


Further, many hypertension medications have a diuretic effect  that lowers both sodium
and potassium levels in the body. "Both of those  electrolytes are necessary in
a certain amount, but you need more potassium than  sodium," Rasmussen says.


To replenish potassium, look to fruits and vegetables. A  banana is always a good
choice, as are broccoli and baked potatoes (with the  skin).


Cut calories


"As we get older, our metabolic rate slows down, so our  calorie intake should drop
accordingly," says Rasmussen. "We don't need as much  to keep us moving."


In general, people also tend to move less as they get older.  Extra calories may
mean extra pounds, which ups heart disease and diabetes risk,  as well as
osteoporosis and osteoarthritis risk.


"Every bite should be crammed full of as many nutrients as  possible," says
Rasmussen.


Spice it up


With age, a drop in saliva and taste-bud power can leave some  foods lacking "pop."
Don't try to fix the problem by reaching for the salt  shaker, says Rasmussen.
"There are millions of other spices that don't have  sodium that you can
enjoy."


Try new food flavors and textures, and avoid overcooking food  to keep it from
losing flavor. And add more hot pepper or other spices like  curry if you like
them. "It might make you drink more water or milk," says  Rasmussen, which is
also good.


Drink more  water


While your sense of taste can decline over time, so can your  sensation of thirst. In
addition, certain medications——such as antihistamines  and blood-pressure
drugs——can make you more prone to dehydration. That means  making a greater
effort to get enough fluids.


In fact, dehydration is one of the main reasons older adults  end up in the
hospital, Rasmussen says.


The Institute of Medicine recommends that women drink about  2.2 liters, or 9 cups,
of water a day, and men drink 3 liters, or 13 cups. (Try  to limit coffee, tea,
and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which up  dehydration
risk.)


Get more  calcium


Calcium is good for your bones and is found in dairy products  and other foods, but
Rasmussen says people may still not get enough. (Lactose  intolerance, which
tends to increase with age, is one reason, she says.) Adults  should get 1,000
milligrams a day, but that rises to 1,200 milligrams for women  over 50 and men
over 70.


Rasmussen recommends taking a supplement if you don't think  you are getting enough
calcium from your diet. The maximum calcium intake from  food and supplements is
2,500 milligrams a day for adults, or 2,000 milligrams a  day if you're over 50.
More than that can up the risk of kidney stones and other  problems in some
people.


Up your vitamin  D


Vitamin D is needed for your body to absorb and properly use  calcium. Unfortunately,
this vitamin——naturally gleaned from the sun——can be  hard to get depending on
the time of year, where you live, and what you eat.


Fortified foods can help, but may not be enough, says  Rasmussen. Since vitamin D is
soluble only in fat, low-fat milk doesn't always  contain very much. Adults
should aim for 600 international units per day and  raise that to 800 after age
70 (4,000 is the daily max for adults).


Rasmussen recommends taking a supplement to get enough vitamin  D.


Get lutein for  clarity


The world can get blurry for a lot of older people. To save  your eyes from
age-related macular degeneration or cataracts, start upping your  intake of
lutein during middle age, suggests Rasmussen.


According to some research, the nutrient, which is related to  beta-carotene and vitamin
A, may also help fend off cognitive decline.


You can get your allotment of lutein by eating more green,  leafy vegetables like
spinach and broccoli, fruits like grapes and oranges, and  egg yolks.


Focus on  fiber


Our grandparents may have been onto something with their  ever-present packages of
prunes: The fiber in the shriveled fruit helps the  digestive tract run
smoothly.


Overall, fiber intake is key for normal bowel function and may  lower the risk of
gastrointestinal inflammation. Plus, it can lower cholesterol  and blunt the
rise in blood sugar that occurs after eating.


But you don't need to limit yourself to prunes. Other  vegetables, fruits, nuts, and
grains will also do the trick.

 Limit saturated  fat


Avoiding foods high in saturated fat should be a lifelong  goal, and it goes along with
the aim of maximizing your nutrient-to-calorie  intake. Low-fat dairy products,
for example, are rich in nutrients such as  protein and calcium without adding
unnecessary fat or calories found in full-fat  dairy.


Most of the fat in an older person's diet should be good fats,  such as
polyunsaturated and monousaturated fat, that come from foods like  soybean and
canola oil. These oils can also be a good source of vitamins E and  K.


Cut out unhealthy  carbs


It
is always good practice to limit foods high in sugar. But  this rule may be
particularly important as we age in order to keep a healthy  weight, rest the
pancreas (the insulin-pumping organ whose functioning goes awry  in diabetes),
and maximize the intake of healthy nutrients per calories  consumed.


Refined
carbohydrates such as white bread are generally lower  in vitamins and fiber
than, for example, whole grains. Opt for healthy carbs,  like fruit, over
not-so-great carbs, like cake.


Be supplement  savvy


Food
is your best source of nutrients, but it can be hard to  get all you need in the
recommended amounts.


Rasmussen recently helped formulate a modified food pyramid  for older adults. "We put a
flag on top to remind elders to take supplements,"  she says.


She recommends calcium and vitamins B12 and D. But  overconsumption is dangerous
too; you can easily end up getting too much of a  good thing if you take
supplements. Be a smart supplement taker and know the  risks. Talk to your
doctor about appropriate dosages.


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