How To Stay Healthy As You Age: Diet Part II

by Alden Smith

To view the first article in this series How To Stay Healthy As You Age: Diet Part I

As we grow older, our nutritional needs change. Older Americans are more sedentary than they were when working full time and chasing a house full of children. Too often, seniors tend to eat as they always have. In Part II, diet, we discuss how to meet nutritional needs when we go older, and what changes to make.

The Case For Obesity

Americans are known for a nation of obese people, and older Americans are no exception. According to the Center on an Aging Society from Georgetown University, about 15 million adults over the age of 51 are overweight. This one in 4 population is at risk for the four leading causes of death in the United States – heart attack, diabetes, stroke, and several forms of cancer. The target group for this population is those aged 51 to 69. For the obese, not only is the quality of life decreased, but the cost for caring for a population that is obese is astronomical. This can all be changed by a healthy diet.

What Constitutes A Healthy Diet

One of the best tools available today is the My Pyramid website supported by the US Department of Agriculture. There have been changes to the Pyramid in recent years, with more emphasis placed on what works best for the individual. These facts come from the My Pyramid website

• Eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal or crackers per day. When buying food, look for the word “whole” first.
• Vary your intake of vegetables – eat dark green leafy vegetables, orange vegetables and dry beans and peas.
• Eat a variety of fruits, whether canned, whole, dried or frozen. Be careful with fruit juices as they contain a lot of sugar.
• Use milk products, but choose carefully. Low fat or no fat milk is the best, but be careful about the calcium content. Eat lots of cheese and yoghurt.
• Protein is gained not only from lean meats, but from fish, dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Beans and peas are not only a part of the vegetable group, but of the newer meat and bean group. If eating meat, always broil, bake or grill it to reduce cholesterol levels and avoid fat.

The My Pyramid site has a lot to offer. They individualize meal planning according to age and gender, and take into consideration age, weight, height and level of physical activity. A very good resource on the site is a section that gives tips on things such as changes you can make to begin eating a more healthy diet. This is especially important for seniors, because our dietary needs change considerably after we retire.

Changes in dietary needs are not the only changes needed to be made to stay healthy when we grow older. In Part III, we will discuss exercise requirements needed for senior citizens, and the best exercises for individual needs.

To view the next article in the series How To Stay Healthy As You Age: Diet Part III

Alden Smith is an award winning author and regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He writes on a variety of subjects, and excels in research.