Written by: Lori Bergman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
From the very start of life, our bodies are in a constant state of growth and change. And as the physiological changes occur as we age, so do the caloric and nutritional needs. It is not difficult to imagine that the dietary requirements of an infant are different from the needs of an adolescent, and adolescent needs are different from older adults. But as we move up in years, the foods we choose along the way are either going to allow us to age in a healthful manner and increase longevity, or they will create an environment that will invite illness and possibly malnutrition.
There are many socio-economic and physiological challenges the older population face that makes fueling their bodies with fresh and nutritious foods more difficult as they age:
Being on a fixed income, where fresh foods may be out of their price range
Illness or mobility issues
Inability to cook for themselves, or suddenly finding themselves on their own and unable to go to the grocery store
Medications, where the side effects are problems with taste and smell, or even appetite suppression, so their desire to eat is lessened
As we age, the body becomes less efficient at absorbing and using certain vitamins and nutrients, and some medications that are typically taken by older adults further block the absorption of those nutrients as well, such as:
1. Calcium and Vitamin D: Both are important for maintaining healthy bones, proper heart function, and nerve health. The best sources are dairy (milk, cheese, and yogurt) but there are also non-dairy options, like green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, fortified orange juice, beans, canned fish (including the soft bones), as well as fortified non-dairy drinks like soy and almond milk.
2. Dietary Fibre: Women should aim for a minimum of 21 to 25 grams of dietary fibre per day while men should aim for 30 to 38 grams per day. Fibre will help reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems, obesity, diabetes, and keep your digestive tract running smoothly. It’s important to have a good amount of water along with any of the following high-fibre foods, to allow them to move through the body easily: fruits (with their skin, when possible) like pears, apples, bananas, and raspberries, and vegetables like a baked potato, broccoli, green peas, brussel sprouts, whole grain bread, cereal, lentils, beans, and turnip greens.
3. Vitamin B12: This vitamin is essential to maintain healthy red blood cells as well as protecting the central nervous system. It can be found in most animal proteins, like fish, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lean meat, as well as fortified cereals. If you are vegetarian or vegan, supplementation is a good option, as supplements tend to be more bioavailable than obtaining B12 through food sources.
4. Potassium: Potassium is an essential mineral required for all the tissues in the body and helps maintain a normal fluid level in all our cells, normal blood pressure, and it helps with muscle contraction. Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, as is cooked spinach, cooked broccoli, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and cucumbers.
It becomes difficult for both the older individual and their caregivers to ensure that they maintain their caloric needs to stay healthy, and yet it has been clinically proven that diet quality has a huge impact on a person’s physical condition, regardless of age. Unhealthy food choices could reduce cognitive function and/or cause vision impairment, the immune system can become compromised, and a low-quality diet paves the way to potentially developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, among other diseases.
It’s important to note that a balanced diet is important at all stages of life, with as many different foods introduced as possible to invite a variety of essential vitamins into the body. However, if you are on a budget and are unable to choose fresh fruits and vegetables because of their cost, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits are just as good of an option. Frozen foods are flash-frozen and will be packaged within 24 hours of being picked, so they are an even better choice than the fresh, which are sprayed with preservatives to keep them from going bad during transportation and delivery to the supermarkets. Whenever possible, choose the healthiest options you can afford to eat.
Limiting your intake of saturated fats (such as palm oil, butter, ghee, lard, cured meats), salt, added sugar, processed foods and alcohol will further help you along in improving your diet. Adding various herbs and spices to make meals more palatable and choosing nutrient-dense foods will give you more bang for your health buck and stimulate your appetite for the better options available. Planning your weekly meal and snack menu ahead of time will further help keep you on a good track and if you don’t love spending time in the kitchen, there are many meal delivery companies that offer healthy and delicious options, if that is financially available to you.
And while diet quality is crucial, we also need to consider activity level when discussing living a healthy lifestyle. The aging population will likely move less, which leads to a slower metabolism, which means energy requirements will decrease and caloric needs will be less as well. Moving your body is necessary at every age and combining that with a good diet will prevent osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity and allow you to live your best life. Something as simple as a walk outside or exercises while sitting in a chair can go a long way to improve muscle strength and flexibility.
One of the most incredible facets of diet and nutrition is the fact that at any given point in time, most individuals have the power to change their health status. Whether you are 20 or 60 years old, if at one point you were making less than stellar choices when it came to food, changing to whole foods will have only a positive impact on your life. But it is noteworthy to mention that aging is a lifetime process and not something that just happens at 65 years old. How we take care of ourselves and fuel our bodies when we are young will make all the difference in our later years. We only have one body… how you choose to treat it is up to you.
Lori Bergman, Executive Contributor Brainz MagazIne
Lori Bergman is the founder and President of Alithini Nutrition, a health and wellness company that works with clients to help them achieve their nutrition goals and become the healthiest version of themselves.
After having gone through years of yo-yo dieting herself, Lori became passionate about furthering her education in nutrition and learning how to balance a healthy lifestyle without extremes. She became Natural Health Practitioner, received a certification in Exercise Nutrition as a level 1 coach as well as receiving a certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living with Cornell University.
She is an internationally published author of a cookbook, Kitchen Confident, and a mom of a teenager.
