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Stay healthy while aging – possible?

Staying Healthy While Aging – A Paradox?

Very few of us stop to think about what kind of impact our eating habits will have on our body and our health during the aging process. It’s a big mistake.

At 20 or 30 years old, we could make food choices and other lifestyle decisions that set us up for optimal health in our advancing years.   But what young person is thinking that far ahead?   I sure didn’t.   If the deteriorating health of the Baby Boomer population is any indication, I’d have to say that very few had that foresight growing up.

We all know growing old is unavoidable.   By 2030, the last of the Baby Boomers will turn 65, at which point close to 72 million people will be considered elderly; one out of every five Americans.  The advances in medical treatments are prolonging the average life expectancy.   People are living longer, but a large percentage of them are not healthy.

If there was a way to minimize the impact the aging process has on your mobility, stamina, mental and cognitive function, physical strength and overall health, wouldn’t you want to know about it?   Well there is a way.

The facts are that nutrition is a critical determinant of health in individuals over the age of 65[i].

Common indications of malnutrition in the aging include[ii]:

  • Involuntary weight loss
  • Abnormal body mass index (over or under weight)
  • Specific vitamin deficiencies
  • Decreased dietary intake

It is easy to associate these symptoms with other age-related health issues, making malnutrition an often overlooked diagnosis.

It is estimated that between 2% and 16% of community-dwelling elderly are nutritionally deficient in protein and calories[iii].   If we include vitamin and mineral deficiencies, this estimate may be as high as 35%[iv].

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A focus on nutrition becomes critical to healthy aging.

It’s common knowledge that around the age of 60 most people start to lose lean muscle mass as we age.   But there are other subtle changes that occur as well, such as: the sense of taste and smell may change affecting the appetite; changes in the gastrointestinal system can slow gastric emptying which will leave a person feeling full much longer after eating (you’ll eat less); the kidneys function at a much slower rate which can lead to an increased risk for dehydration and inadequate vitamin D metabolism[v]; and the immune system at the cellular level becomes impaired and dysfunctional leaving us more vulnerable to disease and infection.

Everyone in every age group should take their health seriously enough to pay attention to how and what they are eating on a daily basis. However, for those approaching “the golden years” (60+), a focus on nutrition becomes critical to how you live out your life and in what state of health.

We can all continue to have an active, vibrant life after the age of 60, but you have to plan for it, no differently than you planned financially for your retirement.

Prepare your body now for the aging process — start eating healthy!

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Start eating healthy!

According to Mike Geary, author of “The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging”, the top 4 foods that accelerate the aging process are[vi]:   wheat, corn-based foods (corn syrup, corn cereal, corn chips, etc.), sugary and starchy foods; and foods containing soy. All of these things are inflammatory, raise your blood sugar levels and increase oxidation in the body. Do you want to get healthy? Getting rid of these 4 things alone can put you on track.

So it’s time to cut back on the breads, pasta, desserts, soda, sugary foods and alcohol. Eat more organic whole foods — fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, meats and fish. And be sure to stay hydrated with purified or filtered water.

And lastly, discuss your current diet with a nutritionist or other healthcare provider who can figure out what deficiencies you may be dealing with, and who can recommend the correct supplements to refortify your nutritional status.

You’ll be glad you did.  Start now!

Until next time, wishing you health and happiness!

 

 

 

 

 

References

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[i] Wells, J. and Dumbrell, A. (March, 2006). Nutrition and Aging: Assessment and Treatment of Compromised Nutritional Status in Frail Elderly Patients. Journal of Clin Interventions in Aging, v.1(1).

[ii] Wells, J. and Dumbrell, A. (March, 2006). Nutrition and Aging: Assessment and Treatment of Compromised Nutritional Status in Frail Elderly Patients. Journal of Clin Interventions in Aging, v.1(1).

[iii] Whitehead C., Finucane P., (1997). Malnutrition in Elderly People. Aust NZJ Med. Feb; 27(1):68-74.

[iv] Chandra, RK. (2002) Nutrition and The Immune System From Birth to Old Age. Eur J Clin Nutrition, Aug; 56 Suppl 3:S73-6.

[v] Compher C., Kim JN., and Bader JG. (1998). Nutritional Requirements of an Aging Population With Emphasis on Subacute Care Patients. AACN Clinical Issues 1998 Aug; 9(3): 441-50.

[vi] Geary, M. (2015) The Top 101 Foods That FIGHT Aging.

Nutrition Life Strategies