Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Professor Emeritus, University of Minnesota
How should you eat as you get older? Which foods are likely to keep you most healthy and which ones should you limit? Is it possible to eat well and stay within a healthy weight? These and other questions are addressed on the health and wellness website developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), both part of the National Institutes of Health.
Eating well is vital at any age, but as you get older, your daily food choices can make a significant difference in your health. Good nutrition is one component of an overall strategy to stay healthy. Eating a well-planned, balanced mix of healthy foods every day may help prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bone loss, some kinds of cancer, and anemia.
However, eating healthy may not always be easy for older adults. Changing appetites, slower metabolism, eating alone, buying ready-to-eat meals, and living on a fixed income can affect the quality of one’s food choices. Yet our need for healthy foods does not diminish with age. As we age, our bodies still require essential nutrients to help us maintain function, and most of those nutrients are found in foods.
It is important for older adults to select foods that provide them with the nutrients and energy they need for healthy, active living. Learn how to make wise food choices. Older adults should seek out information about reading food labels, food safety, meal planning, food shopping, and ways to enhance the enjoyment of eating.
Older Americans should consult their health care providers for information on healthy eating.
If you would like more information on “Tips for Eating Well as You Get Older” contact Gail Gilman, Family Life Consultant, M.Ed., C.F.C.S. and Emeritus University of Minnesota at waldn001@umn.edu. Be sure to watch for more Family Living Focus™ information in next week’s paper.