The key to healthy eating is to focus on the whole, minimally processed food that your body needs as you age — food that is as close to its natural form as possible. Our bodies respond differently to different foods, depending on genetics and other health factors, so finding the healthy diet that works best for you may take some experimentation.
No matter your age or your previous eating habits, it’s never too late to change your diet and improve the way you think and feel.
These tips are a good place to start:
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Break the apple and banana rut and go for color-rich pickings like berries or melons. Aim for two to three servings a day. When it comes to veggies, choose antioxidant-rich dark, leafy greens, such as kale, spinach, and broccoli as well as colorful vegetables such as carrots and squash. Make veggies more appetizing by drizzling them with olive oil, sprinkling with goat cheese, or frying with garlic or chili flakes. Try for two-three cups every day.
Choose calcium for bone health, as well as nerve health, hormone health, and muscle health which can all decline as we age. Maintaining bone health, in particular, as you age depends on adequate calcium intake to prevent osteoporosis and bone fractures. It’s best to get around 1200mg a day for both men and women. Good sources include milk, yogurt, cheese or non-dairy sources such as tofu, fortified soy milk, fortified orange juice, broccoli, almonds, and kale.
Go “good fat” not “no fat”. Rather than trying to cut out fat from your diet, focus on enjoying healthy fats—such as omega-3s—that can protect your body against disease and support your mood and brain function. The best sources of omega-3’s come from fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna, as well as seaweed if you’re vegetarian. Aiming to eat two to three servings of fish per week is recommended to maintain brain health as you age.
Vary your sources of protein. As you age, eating enough high-quality protein can improve your mood, boost your resistance to stress, anxiety, and depression, and even help you think more clearly. Eating enough protein can also help to prevent natural muscle loss that happens in our older years. However, eating too much protein from processed meat products such as hot dogs, bacon, and salami may increase your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. Vary your sources of protein instead of relying on just red meat by including more fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds in your diet. Most older people require a daily intake of at least 1 to 1.2 grams of protein for each kilogram of weight (think 0.5g of protein per pound of body weight if that’s easier) to maintain muscle mass and help with energy and mood. Try to space out this intake between meals and snacks throughout the day.
Eat more fiber. Dietary fiber can do so much more than keep you regular. It can lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, improve the health of your skin, and help you to lose weight. As you age, your digestion becomes less efficient, so it’s important to include enough fiber in your diet. Women over 50 should aim to eat at least 21g of fiber per day, men over 50 at least 30g a day. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t getting even half those amounts, with only 5% of Americans meeting their daily fiber needs. Focus on eating a variety of whole grains, leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fruit. Raspberries (6.5g of fiber per cup), apples (4.4g per medium apple), lentils (13g per cup), oats (16g per cup), and avocados (10g per cup) are great choices.
Be smart about carbs. Choose whole grains over processed white flour for more nutrients and fiber and cut down on sugar and refined carbs. While our senses of taste and smell diminish with age, we retain the ability to distinguish sweet tastes the longest, leading many older people to consume more sugar and refined carbs than is healthy. Unlike complex carbs that are rich in fiber, refined or simple carbs (such as white rice, white flour, refined sugar) can lead to a dramatic spike in blood sugar, followed by a rapid crash which leaves you feeling hungry and prone to overeating.
Water. As you age, you may be more prone to dehydration because your sense of thirst is not as sharp. Remember to sip water regularly to avoid urinary tract infections, constipation, and even confusion.
Vitamin B12. After the age of 50, your stomach produces less gastric acid making it harder to absorb vitamin B12—needed to help keep blood and nerves healthy. Get the recommended daily intake (2.4 mcg) of B12 from fortified foods or a vitamin supplement. For many older adults supplements may be necessary so it’s important to discuss this option with a doctor or dietitian. It may be necessary to get regular B12 shots or to take better absorbed forms of B12, such as methylcobalamin.
Vitamin D. With age, your skin is less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D, so consult your doctor about supplementing your diet with fortified foods or a multivitamin, especially if you’re obese or have limited sun exposure. Some foods that have vitamin D, either naturally or through fortification, include fatty fish (such as like salmon), liver, mushrooms that have had sun exposure, fortified milk, and fortified orange juice.