Timing is everything. As a young buck, your body can more easily adapt to hoovering a plate of hot wings, half a pepperoni pizza and washing it down with a stein of beer. However, as you get older and your metabolism slows, the repercussions of such a gastronic train wreck are not as forgiving.
Eating healthy is important at all stages of life, but it becomes more critical as you grow older. So, what does it take to stay nutritionally healthy in your senior years? The American Dietetic Association recommends a well-balanced diet chock full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and heart-friendly fats.
Four Specific Guidelines
Regular exercise and a nutritious diet are all part of healthy lifestyle. Here are four guidelines for men as they grow older:
Source: Eatright.org.
What's the Count?
According to the American Dietetic Association, men over the age of 50 should follow the following daily calorie requirements based on their level of activity:
Try to schedule in at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. This can help keep up your metabolism while also building, toning, and strengthening your muscles.
Eating healthy is important at all stages of life, but it becomes more critical as you grow older. So, what does it take to stay nutritionally healthy in your senior years? The American Dietetic Association recommends a well-balanced diet chock full of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and heart-friendly fats.
Regular exercise and a nutritious diet are all part of healthy lifestyle. Here are four guidelines for men as they grow older:
- Say hello to calcium and vitamin D. To help maintain strong and healthy bones, older men should have three servings of calcium and vitamin D each day. Look for low-fat and fat-free dairy products such as milk and yogurt, fortified cereals and fruit juices, dark green leafy vegetables, and canned fish with soft bones.
- Fiber is your friend. Fiber helps keep bowel functions normal and is good for your heart. Men 50 and older need at least 30 grams of fiber each day. These include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
- Get plenty of potassium. If you increase your potassium intake while decreasing your daily amount of sodium (salt), you may lower your risk of high blood pressure. Good sources of potassium are fruits such as bananas, vegetables, and low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt.
- When fats come a callin'. You should limit your fat calories to 20 percent to 35 percent of your diet, and make sure they're heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Healthy older men without heart disease should limit their intake of saturated fat, which comes from meat, full-fat dairy, and fried foods, to 10 percent of your total fat calories. If you have high cholesterol, you need to cut more saturated fat from your diet; limit it to 7 percent of total fat calories.
Source: Eatright.org.
What's the Count?
According to the American Dietetic Association, men over the age of 50 should follow the following daily calorie requirements based on their level of activity:
- Not active: 2,000 calories per day.
- Moderately active: 2,200 to 2,400 calories per day.
- Active: 2,400 to 2,800 calories per day.
Try to schedule in at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. This can help keep up your metabolism while also building, toning, and strengthening your muscles.
