Our metabolism slows down as we get older, as anyone who noticed a few extra Thanksgiving pounds on the weigh scale can attest.
That means our bodies don’t burn off the calories we consume as quickly, which makes it more difficult to maintain a healthy body weight.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn’t give us much of a hand because we still need the same levels of nutrients while not being able to consume the same amount of food.
Noelle Tourney, a nutritionist and diet consultant in Saskatoon, said that while diet requirements do change depending on one’s age, the basics still apply to everyone.
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Tourney recommended avoiding saturated and trans fats and eating a varied diet of whole food. A good place to start is emphasizing fruit and vegetables, whole grain, calcium-rich products and lean meat, she added.
As for specific age groups, Tourney said the Canada Food Guide is silent regarding the need for extra nutrients until age 50.
She said people in their 20s and 30s and women of child bearing age who are pregnant or thinking of having kids need to consume more folic acid.
A prenatal multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid is a good way to get more of the nutrient, which helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in developing fetuses, she added.
Women considering having children also need to take more iron to bolster the blood supply available for a baby. Tourney recommended a prenatal multivitamin containing 16 to 20 milligrams of iron.
After age 50, Tourney said the body begins to have trouble absorbing certain nutrients from food. Vitamins B12 and D are particular nutrients that people in that age bracket should consider supplementing. Deficiencies in these vitamins could cause anemia, depression and fatigue.
“Vitamin D is one that increases with age,” Tourney said.
“That’s the one everyone calls the sunshine vitamin. The Canada Food Guide recommends that anyone over 50 consume 400 international units. And that’s just because our bodies have less capacity to produce it through the skin.”
Recommended calcium intake is probably the biggest thing that changes with age.
Children and adolescents aged nine to 19 years need the most calcium, said Tourney, who recommended a daily intake of 1,300 mg. She said this was because 45 percent of peak bone mass is formed in this age bracket.
Tourney said less calcium is needed after age 19, and 1,000 mg per day should be sufficient for most people. Women older than 50 should increase their calcium intake to 1,200 mg per day to maintain bone density and ward off osteoporosis, she said.
“The vitamin D and the calcium kind of work together in bone health.”
Tourney said choosing nutrient-rich food and avoiding the empty calories found in junk food were the keys to healthy eating.
“That just comes down to making smart food choices as we age, and throughout life as well.”
