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ONCE WE progress past the age of 50, should we be choosing our food with more care? For a number of reasons, the answer is a definite ‘yes.’
For one thing, as we age our metabolisms slow down. That means we burn up fewer calories, so eating the same amount of food as we always did means we start to put on weight. Becoming overweight is a risk factor for a number of illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease and dementia, and it will also put more pressure on the joints.
Some foods may also be useful in helping prevent and alleviate the kind of ailments that can can creep up on us in later life. Hard evidence that a particular food will prevent a specific illness is still lacking, but existing research, anecdotal reports and traditional usage supports the idea that – for better or worse – we are at least partly what we eat.
The Arthritic Association, for example, states “research has shown that a good diet can help people manage their arthritis – and that a poor diet can make it worse.”
Portion control, along with a healthy, balanced diet, is the key to food health after 50, according to Sioned Quirke of the British Dietetic Association, but adjusting portions doesn’t mean anything too drastic. “It’sjust being aware of portion size, especially starchy carbohydrates because they canbe sohigh in calories,” says Sioned. “So it may mean taking into account your activity level compared with your portion sizes; and there are things that can help – having a larger portion of fruit or vegetables and forgoing an extra potato.”
While food portion size usually remains the same as we get older, exercise often tails off, but regular exercise slashes the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, arthritis and Alzheimer’s. The strategy here, Sioned suggests, is to adjust the type of exercise. “It might not be the same form of exercise as previously, but you still need to do some to build muscle mass.It’s not just how many calories you burn during the exercise, it’s that you’re maintaining muscle mass. And muscle actually requires calories to stay there, unlike fat, which doesn’t use any calories at all. So by doing regular activity, you’re naturally burning off more calories, even when you're asleep"
Arthritis
Alzheimer's
Avoid: saturated fats and trans fats, which double the risk of Alzheimer’s; go easy on sugar and salt; and favour baking or grilling food instead of frying.
Jess Smith of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that a Mediterranean diet and regular exercise can significantly cut down our risk of developing dementia.”
Heart disease
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Take to the waterways
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DVD reviews
Yoga
Our new website - Enjoy Britain online www.enjoybritainonline.co.uk/
New CD releases
Discover Knightsbridge, London
Cruises
Birdwatching and more