Eat yourself healthy

It is wonderful to have the enjoyment of tasty food and special drinks in your week, but you also need to remember that a balanced diet will look after your health and let you continue to enjoy the finer things for even longer.

Nutrition is super important as you age and become more at risk of health conditions.

However, people also lose taste, smell, their appetite and sometimes the skills to make nutritious meals as they get older, so it can be difficult to keep up a balanced diet.

Since your body requires fewer calories as you age, you need to make every bit of food you consume count.

It’s well known that malnutrition affects many older people living in aged care facilities, but most don’t realise that malnutrition can occur before someone is even in a facility and may even be the cause for ending up in a nursing home.

Your body is less able to absorb the nutrients and vitamins you need when you are older, which is why you really need to focus on what you are putting into your body early on.

Just being aware of what you are eating and what may be lacking in your diet can help though, as you will know which area of your diet to focus on when cooking at home - or even what to choose to eat if you’re out at a restaurant.

For example, if you know you are low in iron you might order the steak, or if you need more vegetables a home cooked vegetable soup would be an easy way to fit in those nutrients.

If you already have a health issue, such as diabetes or heart disease, you can also be actively involved in managing these conditions by being in control of your diet.

There are some easy steps you can take to keep your diet on a healthy track:

◆ Eat well-balanced meals

Strive for the 'five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit' goal every day and add to this with lean meats and whole grains for the best health benefits.

These foods give you the fibre your body needs to get cholesterol out of your system and promote good bowel health.

◆ Reduce salt and sugar

Salt increases blood pressure and puts you at greater risk of heart disease, while sugar is added to many processed foods and can result in diabetes or heart disease as well.

Healthy substitutes for salt and sugar for flavouring are fresh herbs and spices.

◆ Consume lots of protein

The protein guideline for older people is to eat 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight. This means if you weigh between 80 to 85 kilograms you need about 100g of protein a day to maintain muscle.

You can consume protein through meat, legumes, vegetables and yoghurt.

◆ Absorb calcium and vitamin D

Calcium is important for bone health and you need vitamin D in order to absorb calcium. Making sure you have enough vitamin D to take in the calcium you eat will also help with arthritis and osteoporosis.

◆ Reduce saturated fats

Saturated fats impact on your heart health, so your heart will thank you for avoiding high-fat dairy and junk food as much as possible.

When using oil for cooking you can use healthy oils, such as olive and avocado, to reduce saturated fats.

◆ Moderate alcohol consumption

When you kick back with a glass in hand, make sure you drink in moderation. Alcohol is high in sugar and has no nutritional value so it’s recommended you shouldn’t have more than two standard drinks a day.

Taking charge of what you eat will not only help you to be healthy now but also in the future, as you will be able to reduce the likelihood of developing a chronic illness, keep your muscles and bones strong to help with mobility, and maintain your mental health and wellbeing.

Having a meal plan for the week can help you to put all of these tips into practice and make sure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to function as well as possible, for as long as possible.

If you are unsure where to start with meal planning or a healthy diet, talk to your doctor. You may also benefit from visiting a nutritionist or dietitian, who can help to develop meal plans that suit you and your lifestyle, making them easier to follow.

You should also complement healthy eating with exercise. For more information about keeping physically fit, see page 53.