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What food you should eat and what to avoid as you age

Health

While a healthy balanced diet is always essential, your body requires specific nutrients as you get older - here’s our guide from your 20s to you 60s and beyond

Eat up: A balanced diet is essential

In your 20s

It’s the carefree, socializing decade – but it’s also the time for laying down the nutritional foundations for later life, says Helen Bond, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association.

Eat more:

Dairy

The intensive bone growth of your teens reaches its peak by age 20, explains Helen.

“Yet, ironically, just when it’s vital to pack in as much calcium and vitamin D as possible, young women start omitting dairy because they falsely assume it’s high in fat.”

Aim for 700mg a day – that’s a 200ml glass of milk, a 30g matchbox-sized piece of cheese and a pot of yogurt.

Beef

Big Steak: Eat red meat

 This age group is often low in iron, so eat more iron-rich lean red meat.

Veggies should include plenty of greens, pulses, dried apricots and fortified cereal.

And eating these with vitamin C-rich tomatoes, orange juice or lemon juice will help your body absorb iron from other foods.

Eat less:

Junk food

Studies suggest that 20-somethings eat 25% more fast food than they did in their teens and that only 4% reach their five-a-day target, explains nutritionist Sarah West (sarahwestnutrition.co.uk).

“Low-fibre, high-sugar and high-salt diets can contribute to digestive problems, such as constipation and increase risk of diverticular disease and high blood pressure later in life, so try to avoid relying on fast foods,” says Sarah.

Alcohol

“Reserving food calories for booze is a common habit among some young women, but alcohol contains no nutrients,” warns Helen.

And these negative calories will not only affect your hair, nails and skin, but they will also cause damage that you can’t see by creating harmful visceral fat around your internal organs, for example.

In your 30s

Your 30s can be hectic. Finding a work-life balance and starting a family can often lead to poor food choices and eating on the run.

Eat more:

Brown rice

A simple way to boost nutrients for energy , fertility and immunity is to switch from refined white carbohydrates to low-GI, slow-release alternatives, such as wholegrain bread, brown rice and whole-wheat pasta, advises Helen.

These will also help you to feel fuller for longer and have proven heart-health benefits.

Brown rice in particular boosts your mood by stimulating the release of serotonin and, according to a US study, could cut your risk of developing diabetes by a third.

Green veg

“Pregnant women and those trying to conceive should take a folic acid supplement and eat folate-rich foods such as kale, spinach and broccoli,” says Sarah.

And men should eat more zinc-rich foods – meat, shellfish and dairy – to increase the production and activity of sperm.

Eat less:

Naughty snacks

Continue to eat as you did in your 20s – without increasing your exercise – and you’ll start to gain weight because your metabolism slows down by as much as 10% each decade, explains Helen.

Try to avoid snacking on biscuits, chocolate, cakes and crisps and always keep healthy emergency snacks on hand, such as carrot sticks, low-fat yoghurt, fresh fruit and oatcakes.

Coffee

Sarah says: “Research indicates that drinking as little as one cup of coffee a day may reduce a woman’s chance of conceiving and may also decrease sperm count in men.”

Try to reduce the amount of food and drinks containing caffeine – such as chocolate and cola – you have if you’re trying to conceive.

In your 40s

Once you pass 40, you start losing muscle mass, slowing your metabolism even further and making it harder to keep weight off.

Your diet and lifestyle could also be having a direct impact on your blood pressure and cholesterol.

 

 

Eat more:

Chicken

Eating protein, which you get from things such as chicken, fish, lean meat and eggs, with every meal will keep you fuller for longer, help to maintain muscle mass and to burn more calories than carbs or fat.

Oily fish

Salmon, sardines and trout are the best source of heart-healthy omega 3s, which lower inflammation throughout your body and improve your cholesterol.

Sweet potatoes

They’re packed with the plant pigment beta-carotene, which is taken in the bloodstream to the skin, where it is enriched and helps to fight against the damaging effects of sunlight.

A study by the US National Cancer Institute found that the skin-cancer risk of people who eat high levels of carotenoids – pigments that occur naturally in plants – was significantly lower than in those who ate the least.

Other great sources include carrots and cantaloupe melon.

Eat less:

Butter

Switch to an unsaturated spread, such as Flora, which contains heart-healthy plant sterols and stanols – clinically proven to lower “bad” cholesterol by up to 10% in as little as three weeks.

This will also help boost your levels of vitamin D.

In your 50s

Spinach: Good for the eyes

 Arthritis and aching joints become a problem because as we age the synovial fluid content of the joints is reduced, cartilage degenerates and ligaments shorten and therefore lose flexibility, explains Sarah.

The menopause also affects your health.

Depleting oestrogen levels not only cause dry skin and hair, night sweats and hot flushes but a higher risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Eat more:

Spinach

Eye conditions – particularly age-related macular degeneration, or AMD – can start developing during this decade.

Spinach and kale contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that act like chemical sunglasses – helping to protect your eyes from the UV rays that can lead to AMD and cataracts.

They’re also packed with calcium and magnesium – essential for bone health.

Drizzle or saute the chopped leaves with olive oil as healthy fats help your body to absorb the antioxidants better.

Flaxseeds

Known as the dietary oestrogen, flaxseeds help to balance hormone levels and can reduce hot flushes in particular.

Choose multigrain bread and sprinkle them on cereal, porridge and salads.

Yoghurt

Calcium is vital in this decade, yet ironically you absorb less from the food you eat because of natural changes in the digestive system.

Up your intake of low-fat dairy products, which burn off fat stored around your middle.

But try not to eat calcium and iron together as they compete with one another for absorption.

Eat less:

Salt

Salt raises blood pressure and heart-disease risk.

Switch to a substitute like LoSalt or seaweed granules for cooking and experiment with garlic, chilli, herbs and spices for flavour, advises Helen.

In your 60s-plus

Over-60s require fewer calories because their lifestyles become more sedentary, but they still need the same vitamins and minerals to avoid becoming deficient in nutrients.

Unfortunately, absorption becomes less efficient and can be affected by medication.

Make every food choice should count.

Eat more:

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds are full of zinc – perfect for keeping the immune system healthy, says Helen.

Also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, an essential good fat that the body can’t produce, pumpkin seeds help to keep the brain and heart healthy too.

Sprinkle on to soup instead of croutons.

Colourful fruit and vegetables

 

Eat a variety of seasonal, colourful fruit and vegetables to boost essential vitamins and minerals, advises Helen.

To protect the brain as well as the heart, base meals on a Mediterranean diet of fish, nuts and seeds and vegetables.

The vitamin E in olive oil, sunflower seeds and almonds in particular may help to protect the brain against Parkinson’s disease.

Prunes

Prunes will not only help maintain a healthy digestive system, but can protect your heart and promote a healthy nervous system, too. According to one study, eating dried plums helps to slow the build-up of cholesterol.

Eat less:

Sausages

Your risk of bowel cancer escalates over 60, so cut back on processed meats like sausages, salami, ham and bacon, which have been linked with the disease. “Have a maximum of 500g of cooked red and processed meat per week,” says Helen.

A medium portion of roast beef is about 90g and a medium steak is about 145g.

Nightshade foods

Foods in the nightshade family, which include potatoes, tomatoes, aubergines and peppers, can trigger joint pain in those with arthritis, explains Sarah.

“When these are avoided, about 70% of sufferers report less pain,” she says.

Photos: rollingout.com

 

 

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