The Farmer’s Dog

Nutrition as You Age:

Are You Getting All That You Should from Your Diet?

Of course, good nutrition is important at any age, but as you reach midlife and beyond, it becomes even more crucial. As you age, the right balance of nutrients can keep your energy levels up, help you resist illness, and improve your mental sharpness, supporting your overall well being. Proper nutrition is also a key part of staying emotionally balanced and maintaining a positive outlook on life. Maintaining a balanced diet is essential for ensuring your body receives all the nutrients it needs for optimal health.

Thankfully, good nutrition isn’t all about sacrifice or following a strict diet. It’s actually more about eating a variety of fresh, whole foods, including all food groups, to ensure a varied diet and obtain essential nutrients, and taking the right multivitamin to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Choosing nutrient rich foods is especially valuable for supporting optimal health as you age.

No matter what your age or your nutrition habits, it’s never too late to make positive changes. Here’s what you can do to improve your nutrition as you age plus why it’s worth it.

How Good Nutrition Can Help as You Age

Improved Quality of Life and Longevity

Along with staying active, taking a multivitamin, and eating a nutritious diet can help you stay more independent as you age and support long term health. It will keep your immune system strong and help you fight off toxins to keep illness at bay, providing important health benefits of good nutrition. Good nutrition is also key for maintaining a healthy weight and keeping your blood pressure in check. It can also help to keep your bones strong and keep chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease away and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Keeps Your Brain Sharp

Folks who prioritize fresh fruits and vegetables and green tea for antioxidants plus nuts and fish for healthy omega-3 fatty acids may be able to keep their brain sharper, support healthy brain function, enhance their memory, and improve their mental focus as they age. Good nutrition may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Boost Your Mood and Energy Levels

Fatigue and depression often become a problem as you age. But taking care of yourself by providing your body with the nutrients it needs can boost your mood and keep your energy levels up. And, when your body feels good, you’ll be happier and more positive in general.

Why You Need a Multivitamin

As we age and go through hormonal changes and menopause, our bodies need more of some nutrients and less of others. Certain nutrients, such as specific vitamins and minerals, can also become harder to obtain from food alone as we get older.

For example, our stomachs make less gastric acid, so it becomes harder for us to absorb vitamin B 12, which is essential for healthy blood and nerves, as well as to meet our essential vitamins and mineral requirements.

We also become less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones, a strong immune system, and good mental health.

And, no matter how good your diet is, it’s very difficult to meet these increased demands through diet alone. In such cases, supplementing with a vitamin d supplement and vitamin e may be necessary to help maintain adequate nutrient levels. The best multivitamin for a woman over 50 can fill in any nutritional gaps in your diet so that you don’t develop deficiencies that could affect your overall health, quality of life, and longevity. Make sure you are getting enough vitamins for optimal health.

Here are some things to consider when choosing a multivitamin:

• Our need for iron decreases as we approach and pass menopause. An extra dose of iron in your daily supplement is no longer needed and may even be harmful.
• A healthy gut is key for good mental and physical health, so make sure your daily supplement regimen includes probiotics. They’re key for a healthy immune system, good digestive health; plus, a healthy gut allows your body to absorb nutrition better from your diet and supplements.
• Natural and organic vitamins are better than synthetic ones. The body absorbs vitamins and minerals from natural sources much more efficiently. Synthetic forms can be hard on the kidneys and may be excreted in the urine before they can do any good.

How to Create a Healthy Diet as You Age

A healthy diet at any age starts by prioritizing minimally processed, whole foods. In other words, the foods you eat should be as close to their natural form as possible. Monitoring your food intake and making mindful food choices are essential to ensure you get a variety of nutrients and support overall health. That being said, everyone responds to foods differently, and some people have allergies, food sensitivities, and other dietary restrictions.

Finding what works best for you will be a process of trial and error. Different diets and dieting approaches can affect your nutrient needs, and the average person may need to adjust their approach to avoid deficiencies and maintain balance. Here are some good starting points that you can adjust to suit your individual needs and preferences.

Eat a Wide Variety of Leafy Greens, Fresh Fruits, and Vegetables

An apple a day isn’t all that’s required to keep the doctor away. Including fruit as a key food group in your diet is essential for overall health. Prioritize a variety of colorful fruits and veggies in your diet to increase your intake of antioxidants, and remember to include all food groups for balanced nutrition. Berries, cantaloupe, leafy greens, carrots, broccoli, and squash are all smart choices to include in your diet regularly. Orange juice, especially when fortified, is also a good source of vitamin C.

Adding a side salad to your meals is an easy way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake.

Get Plenty of Protein

Getting plenty of protein is important for most body functions as you age, including healing, fighting stress, and keeping your immune system strong. Try to include a variety of healthy protein sources in your diet each week, such as lean poultry, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and cottage cheese. Keep red meat to a minimum.

Eat for Good Bone Health

Maintaining good bone health as you age is so important. Prioritizing calcium-rich foods in your diet can help to prevent bone fractures and osteoporosis. Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, and dairy alternatives like soy drinks and calcium-fortified options are also good choices. If you’re on a plant-based diet, kale, almonds, broccoli, and tofu are all rich in calcium, too, and calcium is an important mineral for bone health.

Prioritize Healthy Fats

Some people believe all fats are bad, but that’s simply not the case. Unsaturated fats, such as those found in plant oils and fatty fish, can help lower cholesterol and support heart health, while it is important to limit saturated fat intake to reduce the risk of heart disease. Healthy fats, like omega-3 fatty acids, are crucial for protecting your body against disease, reducing pain and inflammation, and supporting your brain and moods. Olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, fatty fish, nuts, and seeds are all excellent healthy fat choices to include in your diet regularly, but should be eaten in moderation.

Increase Your Fiber Intake

Fiber isn’t just for keeping you regular; dietary fiber is essential for digestion and overall health. Increasing your fiber intake lowers the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It also helps maintain a healthy weight. As you age, your digestive system becomes less efficient, but increasing your fiber intake can help it function better. Women over 50 should try to consume at least 21 grams of fiber every day from sources like fresh fruits and veggies, legumes, and whole grains.

Stick to Complex Carbs

Empty carbs are not your friend, especially as you age; choosing the right carbohydrates is essential for sustained energy. They can lead to blood sugar spikes, energy crashes, fatigue, cravings, and overeating. Stick to whole grains that are rich in beneficial fiber and B vitamins, such as brown rice, which provides more nutrients than white rice.

The Bottom Line

Eating a healthy diet and taking the right multivitamin to optimize your nutrition as you age can improve your quality of life and longevity. Choosing nutrient dense foods and including many foods from different food groups is essential for maximizing your nutritional intake.

Best of all, it’s never too late to change your nutrition habits. Limiting processed foods, highly processed foods, and processed meat can help reduce health risks associated with high fat, salt, and preservatives.

Making positive changes right now could help you have more energy, improve your moods, and keep sickness at bay. By making healthier choices, you can lose weight and lower your risk of certain cancers.

Focus on getting other nutrients and nutrients from food, not just supplements, to support your overall health.

Finally, monitor your total calories and calories to ensure you are meeting your nutritional needs without excess.

Have questions about eating healthy as you age? Let me know in the comments at the bottom of this page. 

Nicole has been obsessed with beauty and fashion since she was a young girl, always flipping through Vogue and stealing her mother’s cosmetics bag to experiment. She’s a former wedding makeup artist who loves spending her free time trying new products and staying up to date on the latest beauty and style trends. While Nicole’s days are now spent contributing to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle sites from home while raising her kids, she can still always be found putting looks together, even if it’s just for a trip to the grocery store! 

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