It is said that "we are what we eat," and science is beginning to back this statement with hard facts. The better we understand the effect excess fat and cholesterol have on such conditions as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, the more we realize that nutrition is one of the most important building blocks to health and longevity. And although the eating habits of Americans have improved over the past 30 years there’s still significant room for improvement when you consider that half of all Americans are overweight.
Use the following nutritional guidelines, which are based on information from the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the United States Dietary Guidelines, to help you eat well. But also keep in mind that the nutritional needs of older adults change. As we age, our metabolism slows down. Also, our body composition changes, our fat deposits increase and our lean body mass (i.e., muscle, bone, and internal organs) declines. Because of these changes our daily caloric needs are less.
Ideas that Work:
- Eat a variety of foods. The "Food Pyramid" depicts the recommended daily servings of the key food groups. This model suggests that we eat more breads, cereals, fruits, and vegetables and eat less meat, dairy, and fatty foods in order to reduce our risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
- Balance the food you eat with regular physical activity and maintain or improve your weight. Besides good nutrition, regular physical activity is a powerful agent in controlling excessive weight gains that are associated with such conditions as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
- Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Cut down on the amount of fat you eat, especially saturated fats found in marbled red meats, whole milk, many cheeses (e.g., cheddar and brie), and coconut and palm oils. The more fat you cut out of your diet, the more calories you save and the lower your risk of heart disease, obesity, and cancer.
- Choose lean meats, poultry, and fish.
- Increase your consumption of fish and skinless poultry to two to three servings per week.
- Trim away visible fat.
- Try low-fat cooking methods such as broiling, baking, and steaming.
- When oils are needed, use those with monounsaturated fat such as canola and olive oils.
- Substitute high-fat foods with lower-fat foods.
Dietary cholesterol (responsible for about 20 percent of the cholesterol in your body) comes from foods of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Yet, not all dietary cholesterol automatically becomes blood cholesterol. Saturated fats boost your blood cholesterol levels more than anything else you eat. Therefore, controlling your total fat intake should be your first line of defense, followed by reducing your intake of cholesterol-rich foods, in reducing your cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease. - Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits. Eat more whole grains (e.g., barley and rice), fruits (e.g., apples and pears), vegetables (e.g., peas and carrots), cereals (e.g., raisin bran and oat bran), legumes (e.g., kidney and lima beans) and whole-wheat breads.
- Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium. Limit salt-cured, smoked, and nitrite-cured foods, and sodium-laden processed foods and snacks in order to help manage high blood pressure, or help prevent it. If you’ve learned to like a salty taste, you can train your taste buds to "unlearn" this preference, too. Gradually decrease the amount of salt you add to your food. Use herbs and spices instead to season your foods. And beware of the high-sodium content in many prepared foods. Read labels on packaged foods to find the sodium content, listed as a percent of the recommended daily limit of 2,400 milligrams of sodium.
- Moderate your alcohol consumption. If you drink alcohol, limit your intake to fewer than two drinks per day if you’re a male and no more than one drink per day if you’re a female. Overconsumption of alcohol increases the risk of cancer, liver disease, osteoporosis, alcoholism, and accidents.