Eat protein at every meal, and whatever you weigh now, don’t go losing any more. That’s part of the recipe for successful, healthy ageing, writes Ngaire Hobbins*, especially after age 65.
I’m on a mission to help seniors continue to enjoy productive, independent lives and most days that means saying, “STOP LISTENING to most popular health advice!”
That’s because so much of it – even what comes from many health professionals – may well be ideal for those who are 30, 40 or 50, but instead can be anything from unhelpful to harmful if you are moving away from 60 towards 90 or beyond.
I absolutely love specialising in ageing wellness and gerontology, but became immensely frustrated seeing people who had become physically and mentally frail merely because they didn’t realise their needs change with age.
I knew I could have helped them avoid that, so I spent years researching the science of nutrition in ageing and wrote a book, Eat To Cheat Ageing.
Mind your muscle tone
I often hear “Oh, I don’t do as much now so I don’t need to eat as much,” but the science begs to differ. In fact, while appetites may decline, nutrition needs stay the same for most things. More than that, people from their mid 60s on need more protein than do younger people and they need extra antioxidants to combat oxidative damage that accumulates with the decades.
The secret to independence in so many ways is all about muscle. Your muscles do much more than move you around – they are vital to an effective immune system; to keeping every body organ functioning; to repairing wounds from cuts and scratches to the trauma of a major accident; to keeping diabetes under control and to keeping up critical brain fuel supplies.
To do all those things muscles need two things: protein supplied throughout the day from food and activity so they are reminded they are needed. Under-supply either and they can dwindle, taking all those essential body functions with them.
The protein factor
I suggest putting a protein food at the centre of every meal: most of us do well with that in the evening, less well at lunch but too often fail at breakfast when muscles – especially those dealing with the challenges of ageing – really need that protein boost. Protein foods are meat, fish, poultry, cheese, soy foods and other vegetarian alternatives, legumes, nuts and seeds and to a lesser extent, grain foods. Add protein to breakfast by enjoying eggs, having savoury mince or cheese on toast, eating a good handful of nuts, or even adding milk powder or a high protien supplement to your breakfast cereal.
Then at each meal surround the protein food with as many different colours as you can – that gives you a wide variety of the antioxidants needed to protect cells from oxidative damage.
And to the joy of many, from your 70s onwards the advice is, “whatever you weigh now, don’t go losing any”. That’s because weight loss in later age will always mean you lose some muscle. You can hold that at bay by doing good, targeted exercise and getting enough protein, but dieting to lose weight from now on will do more harm than good.
Its not uncommon for older people to lose weight without intending to. And while that might seem to be a bonus – especially if you struggled to keep your weight in check in your younger days – instead its a warning sign. Even a few kilos lost unintentionally can impact your immune system and your ability to repair wounds.
What’s more, the science proves that people who are a bit heavier in later years fare better health and independence-wise than those who are thin so its worth relaxing a bit. Staying active is always essential, but don’t think you have to also diet to lose weight.
I want to see everyone late 60s plus travelling the world or hanging out with their grandkids – enjoying independent, productive lives! Understanding what’s worth listening to and what’s not when it comes to eating will help you do that.
* Ngaire Hobbins is a fully qualified and widely experienced dietitian passionate about encouraging people to relish great food in order to get the most out of life. She has specialised in nutrition needs and diet of older people and this became the subject of her book, ‘Eat to Cheat Ageing’ (2014)
