Healthy Aging

Getting the Nutrition You Need

As you get older, good nutrition plays an increasingly important role in how well you age. Eating a low-salt, low-fat diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and fiber can actually reduce your age-related risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. By eating a wide variety of foods, you can pretty easily get what your body needs, including:

• Protein, which is needed to maintain and rebuild muscles. You can get low-fat, quality protein from poultry, fish, eggs or egg substitutes, soy, and limited amounts of nuts and low-fat meat and dairy.
• Carbohydrate, which is the body's preferred source of energy. There are two main sources of dietary carbohydrates: simple sugars, such as sucrose (the refined white sugar added to sweets and desserts), fructose (the sugar contained in fruit), and lactose (milk sugar); and complex carbohydrates, which come from vegetables and grains. Unlike refined sugars, fruits contain vitamins and fiber, dairy products contain nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D, and complex carbohydrates contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Get most of your carbohydrate calories from vegetables, grains, and fruits, and try to replace fat calories with complex carbohydrates in your diet.
• Fat, which also provides energy. To help keep your blood cholesterol levels low, get most of your limited fat intake from the polyunsaturated fats (as in liquid corn oil or soybean oil) and monounsaturated fats (in olive oil, avocados, and nuts). Limit saturated fats (beef, pork, veal, butter, shortening, and cheese). You can do this by eating these foods less often, having smaller servings, choosing less fatty cuts of meat, and by using stronger tasting cheeses so you can use just a little and still get the cheese flavor. Try to avoid the trans fats (hydrogenated fats) found in stick margarine and in many processed foods such as crackers and cookies. Trans fats are now shown on the nutrition facts labels found on most packaged foods.
• Water, to replace water lost through activity. Because your kidneys gradually become less efficient at keeping your body hydrated, make a conscious effort to get six to eight 8 fl oz (0.2 L) glasses of water per day.

As you take a look at your daily diet, remember that as you age:

• Your body's daily energy needs slowly decrease. You therefore need fewer calories per day than when you were younger. Your health professional or a registered dietitian (RD) can help you calculate your ideal calorie intake.
• Natural hormone changes make your body prone to producing more body fat (especially around your middle) and less muscle. You therefore need less fat and plenty of protein in your diet, combined with increased activity and muscle strengthening (muscle cells are the major calorie burners in your body).
• Your bones lose mineral content more rapidly than before, especially if you are a postmenopausal woman, because lower estrogen increases bone loss. As a result, you need plenty of daily calcium to help prevent osteoporosis. (Your health professional may have additional treatment recommendations, including a calcium supplement and/or medication.)

Simply put, the best way to reach and maintain a healthy weight as you age is to take in fewer calories than you needed in your youth and to make sure that most of what you eat is nutritious and low in fat and processed sugar. Avoid saturated fats and trans fats. These are harmful to your blood vessels and increase your risk for developing hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). And they can affect your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease. Saturated fats are found mostly in foods that come from animals, such as beef, pork, veal, butter, and cheese. Trans fats are found in the shortening in many cookies and crackers, in fried fast foods, and in stick margarine. Also consider how other food choices can improve or worsen your cholesterol levels.

For more information on nutrition, see the topic Healthy Eating.

Help for managing underweight or poor nutrition

People who are underweight have low reserves for bouncing back after an illness or injury. In the later years, this can lead to permanent ill health or disability. If you have trouble keeping your weight up, it's critical that you take special measures to build your weight, energy, and resilience. Every day, follow your health professional's recommendations and:

• Eat three meals plus three snacks, and never miss a meal.
• Choose higher-calorie foods from each food group, such as whole milk instead of skim milk. However, try to keep your overall saturated fat intake low—high cholesterol can affect anyone.
• Eat the highest-calorie foods in a meal first.
• Use liquid supplements, such as Ensure or Boost, between meals.

If you are having trouble getting the food you need because of transportation, financial, or health problems, ask your health professional about local meal programs. Most communities have Meals on Wheels programs that can deliver food to your door, as well as meals at churches and community centers that can nourish your needs for both food and social time.

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Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS	Last Updated: June 22, 2006
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine
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