SHOULD I CHANGE MY DIET WHEN I’M OLDER?

Eating well when you’re over 60 will assist you maintain your health and independence. an honest diet can also assist you manage conditions like high sign , high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

As you age, your nutritional requirements may change — albeit you’ve been eating healthily as a younger adult. Nutritional needs can also differ between men and ladies .

After 60, you’ll not be as active as you were then you’d like fewer kilojoules. you’ll even have a reduced appetite. So, you’ll have to be compelled to pack more nutrients — like vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre — into a smaller amount of food.
Why is it important to require care of a healthy weight?
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can help older Australians be more active — preserving bone health and muscle strength as they age.

Excess weight puts strain on the center , joints and spine, which can make existing conditions worse. It also increases the danger of developing chronic diseases like diabetes.

Even if your weight doesn’t change, the composition of your body can change. the everyday person loses muscle mass and performance as they age — stated as sarcopenia. Muscle is typically replaced with fat tissue.

Do strength or resistance training if you’ll to require care of or increase muscle mass and performance . Muscle mass also helps prevent type 2 diabetes since it helps keep your blood sugar levels under control .

After menopause, some women find that their body shape changes which they develop fat deposits around their middle — brought up as central obesity. This puts a girl at higher risk of cardiopathy and cancer, albeit she could also be a healthy weight. To minimise the danger , follow a healthy diet, and do resistance training and moderate aerobics .
Do i need more fibre in my diet as I age?
It’s important to consume enough fibre, especially as you mature , since it helps prevent constipation, bowel cancer and haemorrhoids. Fruit and vegetables are good sources of fibre, in conjunction with wholegrain breads and cereals, beans and lentils.

Wholegrain high-fibre foods, which are rich in insoluble fibre, reduce the danger of heart disease . Soluble fibre, found in fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and oats, can lower cholesterol levels and help manage blood glucose levels.

High-fibre foods are filling and help with weight control.

Australian adults should have the following:

Men (aged 19 years and older) — 30 grams (g) of fibre per day
Women (aged 19 years and older, not pregnant or breastfeeding) — 25g of fibre per day
Which vitamins and minerals are important for older people?
It are often challenging to satisfy your vitamin and mineral needs if you eat less food as you become older . But older people need more of certain vitamins.

Adults aged 51 to 70 need twice the utmost amount of ergocalciferol as younger adults. Those aged over 70 need 3 times the most amount vitamin D as adults under 50 years. this can be actually because the skin isn’t as efficient at making it.

Your body makes vitamin D from sunlight and gets limited amounts from the food you eat. It’s virtually impossible to urge enough from your diet, so it’s important for older people to spend a short time within the sunshine daily .

People who protect cultural reasons are at increased risk of cholecalciferol deficiency, as are people with dark skin, like Aboriginal and sound Islander people, who need more exposure to create the identical amount of D . If you can’t get outside often, ask your doctor about D supplements.

Calcium
Calcium is required for healthy bones, and nerve and muscle function. Inadequate calcium can cause low bone density (osteoporosis) and a risk of fractures, which can be a greater risk for girls after menopause.

The RDI of calcium for older Australian adults is:

Men 51-70 years — 1,000mg per day
Men over 70 years — 1,300mg per day
Women 51 years and over — 1,300mg per day
Good sources of calcium include milk, yogurt, cheese, fish with soft edible bones — like tinned sardines and salmon — almonds and calcium-enriched milks.

Iron
All your iron comes from food and is stored within the body. Good sources of iron include meat, poultry (such as chicken), fish and wholegrain cereals.

If you don’t get enough iron, you’d possibly deplete your iron stores, which can cause iron deficiency and eventually, iron-deficiency anaemia.

Iron deficiency develops gradually — there are usually no symptoms until a personal develops anaemia. Symptoms of anaemia include fatigue, dizziness, irregular heartbeat, and memory and concentration problems.

In older people, low iron isn’t necessarily due to a scarcity of iron within the diet. It are often an emblem of hidden bleeding from the digestive tube , or a problem with the small intestine that affects the absorption of iron. Anyone with symptoms of anaemia should see their doctor.The RDI of iron for Australian men and ladies aged over 51 years is 8mg per day.

How much protein do older people need in their diet?
Protein is extremely important for cell growth and repair, and for muscle strength. Men and ladies aged over 70 need about 20% more protein than younger adults.

How much fat, sugar and salt should I have?
Fat
You need fats in your diet to require in fat-soluble vitamins, provide energy and more. There are 3 main varieties of dietary fat: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are generally healthier than saturated fats.

Monounsaturated fats are found in olive and canola oils, avocados and most nuts. they go to assist lower cholesterol when replacing unhealthy saturated fats within the diet.

Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats. These 2 forms of unsaturated fat are ‘essential fats’. They can’t be made within the body and must come from food.

Omega-3 fats help protect against cardiopathy . Omega-3-rich foods include olive and vegetable oils, nuts, flaxseeds, avocados, fish and seafood — especially oily fish. the middle Foundation recommends adults consume 2 to some serves of oily fish per week.

Omega-6 fats are found in margarine spreads, sunflower and soybean oils, some nuts and sunflower seeds. Most Australians get enough omega-6 fats from their diet.

Saturated fats in processed foods — like snack foods, packaged cakes and biscuits, takeaway meals, pies and pastries — increase the danger of high blood cholesterol and cardiopathy .

All fats are high in energy (kilojoules) and can cause weight gain if overconsumed.

Salt
Consuming an excessive amount of sodium — most often , in salt — can raise sign . Many convenience foods, like frozen or packaged meals, are high in salt and thus sodium, so check the labels on the packaging for lower-salt versions. try and limit salty snack foods and cured meats, and avoid adding salt at the table or during cooking.

The recommended maximum amount of sodium for Australian adults is 2,000 milligrams per day.

Sugar
A diet high in added sugars — found in many packaged, low-nutrient foods and drinks — can cause obesity, upset , cavity and disease disease.

You don’t should be compelled to consume any added sugars to satisfy your dietary needs. Healthy carbohydrates, proteins and fats will provide you with energy. Fruit, vegetables and dairy foods contain present sugars, together with useful nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Why is it important for older people to remain hydrated?
Good hydration is extremely important to stay your bowels moving and brain functioning, and to stop tract infections and kidney stones.

Older people could even be more in peril of dehydration thanks to reduced kidney function, not feeling thirsty, and medicines like diuretics and laxatives. Reduced mobility can make toilet trips difficult, leading people to limit fluids, which may then cause dehydration.

In summer, older people who are unfit and overweight and who become dehydrated are more prone to heatstroke, especially after strenuous exercise.

Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to drink; as people age, they don’t feel thirst the foremost amount . Generally, women should drink 8 cups of fluid per day and men 10 cups. Plain water is additionally a healthy choice, but milk, soup, tea and occasional all contribute to your daily intake of fluids.