When it comes to a healthy living, one diet does not necessarily fit all. As you age, your nutritional needs are bound to change. A diet that would have been ideal in your 30s might not be right for you today. In this class, you’ll learn how to aim for good nutrition and good health in your later years.

The basics of a healthy diet -- plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy -- remain the same regardless of age. You can learn more about these basics by visiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Pyramid Web site: http://www.mypyramid.gov/. After entering your age, height, weight, sex, and activity level, you can get your personal pyramid plan that lists the number of daily servings you need from each food group.This will get your diet off to a good start, but there are some other things to keep in mind as you age:

•Watch your calorie intake. Unless you are very active, your metabolism slows down a bit as you get older -- roughly 10 percent by the time you're 75. You tend to lose some muscle mass as you age, too. The result is that you need fewer calories to maintain your weight. Our Calorie Need Calculator can help you figure out how many calories you should consume per day.

•Eat enough protein. According to Drs. John Rowe and Robert Kahn, researchers involved in the most extensive study on aging in America, many older adults don't get enough protein. Protein is especially important for older adults because it speeds recovery from surgery, infections, and illness. You should get about 12 percent of your daily calorie intake from protein sources such as meats, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. However, if you have kidney or liver disease, check with your doctor about your protein needs -- you may need to get less, not more.

•Drink plenty of fluids. As you age, your body loses some of its ability to balance fluids. Your sense of thirst might fade, too. As a result, it’s easy for you to become dehydrated. To protect yourself, you should drink about one and a half to two quarts of liquid every day. This can include water, juices or other beverages that are mostly water. Fruits and vegetables are also high in water content and will contribute to your daily fluid intake. Keeping well hydrated can reduce the risk of flu-related complications like pneumonia and sinus infections.

As you get older, you may need more of some vitamins and minerals and less of others.. The best way to get the nutrients you need is through the food you eat, but if you think you have a shortfall, a supplement might be a good idea. Be sure your doctor knows what you're taking -- some supplements may interact with prescription medications and vice versa. Also remember that more is not necessarily better. Large doses of some vitamins and minerals can actually be harmful.

It's not unusual for older people to have low blood levels of the following:

Vitamin B6.

Why you need it: B6 helps regulate your blood sugar, keeps your immune system working well, and helps form red blood cells, to name just a few of its many jobs.

How much you need: Women over 50 need 1.5 mg; men over 50 need 1.7 mg.

How to get it: Some good sources are fortified cereals, fish, pork, chicken, bananas, beans and peanut butter.

Why it might be low: Some medicines can interfere with your body's absorption of B6. Heavy drinkers are more likely to be low in B6 because they usually eat a poor diet and because alcohol destroys B6 in the body.

Cautions: Too much B6 (usually from taking supplements) can result in nerve damage in the arms and legs, though this usually reverses when the supplements are stopped. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends getting no more than 100 mg per day.

Vitamin B12.

Why you need it: B12 helps keep nerve and red blood cells healthy. Vitamin B12, B6 or folic acid also reduce your body's levels of homocysteine, an amino acid normally found in your blood. High levels of homocysteine are linked to heart disease.

How much you need: 2.4 mcg (micrograms) per day.

How to get it: Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products are good sources of B12. Fortified breakfast cereals are also useful sources, especially for vegans or vegetarians.

Why it might be low: As many as a third of people aged 50 and older have something called atrophic gastritis, a wearing out of the lining of the stomach that leads to lower levels of acid secretion and decreased absorption of both folic acid and vitamin B12. Some medicines also interfere with absorption of B12.

Cautions: None. Since B12 doesn't seem to be toxic at higher doses, it is safe to take in supplemental form. In fact, the Institute of Medicine recommends B12 supplements for anyone over age 50.

Calcium

Why you need it: Calcium is the main building block for healthy bones and teeth. Adequate calcium can help prevent bone loss, a huge issue for postmenopausal women. According to the National Institutes of Health, women may lose as much as 5 percent of their bone mass per year immediately following menopause.

How much you need: People over 50 need at least 1200 mg but not more than 2500 mg every day.

How to get it: Milk, yogurt, and cheese are the primary sources of calcium. Broccoli, fortified juices, and tofu are also good sources of calcium, particularly for people who have digestive problems with dairy products.

Why it might be low: Your body's ability to absorb calcium declines with age, so you need to take in more to compensate. .

Cautions: Too much calcium can interfere with your body's absorption of other minerals. It can also interact with some prescription and over-the-counter medicines, so be sure to check with your doctor before you begin taking a calcium supplement.

Vitamin D

Why you need it: If calcium is the building block of bones, vitamin D is the bricklayer. It helps your body use calcium and other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to build and maintain strong bones. There’s growing evidence that vitamin D can also strengthen the immune system and may help prevent certain types of cancer.

How much you need: The recommended levels are 400 IU (international units) per day for people aged 51 to 70 and 600 IU for people over 70. The upper limit is 2000 IU per day.

How to get it: Most people get their vitamin D from exposure to the sun. The sun's ultraviolet rays trigger the manufacture of vitamin D in the skin. According to the Institute of Medicine, sun exposure to the face, arms, hands or back without sunscreen for 10 to 15 minutes twice a week is generally enough to give you the vitamin D you need. Egg yolks, salmon, tuna, fortified cereals, milk, and orange juice are also good sources of vitamin D.

Why it might be low: As you age, your skin is less efficient at producing vitamin D. Older people may also be less active and get less sun exposure than younger people. People with darker skins have a harder time producing vitamin D from the sun. There is some evidence that caffeine may interfere with the production of vitamin D, so if you drink a lot of coffee and caffeinated soft drinks, you might have a lower level of vitamin D.

Cautions: You're unlikely to get too much vitamin D from sunlight and diet alone. However, it's possible to go overboard if you take it in supplement form. Make sure you're getting no more than 2000 IU per day.

Chances are good that you're getting enough iron in the foods you eat. Red meat, fish, poultry, lentils and beans, and fortified cereals are all good sources of iron. The National Institutes of Health says you should only take iron supplements if your doctor prescribes them, because too much iron can damage your liver and your heart. And you're at greater risk of iron overload if you're a postmenopausal woman or healthy adult man. Your doctor might prescribe iron supplements if you have a disease that prevents you from absorbing iron properly. Otherwise, steer clear of iron supplements -- and if you take a multivitamin, look for one that doesn't contain iron.

Some experts believe you can use your diet to control inflammation, a major source of pain and a potentially serious threat to your health.

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, you experience the four classic signs of inflammation: Redness, heat, swelling, and pain. These reactions signal that your body is doing its work to protect and repair the injured area. However, inflammation can cause problems in other situations. Inflamed artery linings may result in heart disease, inflamed joints can cause arthritis pain, and inflammation in the brain may be a first step toward Alzheimer's disease.

In his book Healthy Aging, Dr. Andrew Weil lays out a diet plan for controlling inflammation. Some of his theories may be controversial, but his recommendations still make good health sense. Here are some tips from his diet plan:

•Minimize your consumption of processed foods and fast food.

•Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and choose from all parts of the color spectrum.

•Use cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil as your main cooking oil. Weil says most vegetable oils are produced with heat and solvents that cause chemical changes likely to promote inflammation.

•Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, preferably in fresh or frozen wild salmon, sardines, herring, fortified eggs, ground flaxseeds, or walnuts. If you don't eat fish at least twice a week, take 1 to 2 grams of supplemental fish oil a day in capsule or liquid form.

•Try to eat 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day by increasing your intake of fruit (especially berries), vegetables (especially beans), and whole grains.

•Never use any oil that smells rancid -- like oil paint. And don't eat any commercial product made with oil if it smells that way.

•Avoid trans fats.

•Take a daily multivitamin.

And remember to always talk to your doctor before taking any supplement or making changes in your diet.

Watching your diet may seem like an overwhelming task. Just take it one step at a time. Our Healthy Eating Guide and Healthy Shopping Guide are useful tools to help you formulate a healthy diet and make sure the right foods end up in your kitchen.

•Go to the Food Pyramid Web site (http://www.mypyramid.gov/.) and get a list of healthy foods for your age and lifestyle.

•Look over your current diet to see if you may have a shortfall of certain nutrients.

•Use our Healthy Shopping Guide on your next trip to the grocery store to stock your kitchen shelves with healthy foods.

Healthy Aging 101, Part 1: Change Your Outlook on Aging

Healthy Aging 101, Part 2: How’s Your Health?

Healthy Aging 101, Part 3: Get Moving

Healthy Aging, 101, Part 4: Staying Connected

Healthy Aging 101, Part 6: More Rest, Less Stress

Healthy Aging 101, Part 7: Planning for Your Later Years, Protecting Your Legacy

Healthy Aging 101, Part 8: Finding Deeper Meaning

-- Nancy Montgomery is a senior editor at Consumer Health Interactive.

References

Last updated October 7, 2008
Copyright © 2001 Consumer Health Interactive

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