I don’t know about you, but planning healthy meals has become a serious source of confusion for me. I don’t cook, but my husband does. We plan together what we should eat for health, energy, and anti-aging. But what do healthy senior meals look like?
After reading a lot of longevity science and nutrition books, I’m only beginning to get some clarity. I talk with other healthy senior friends, and everybody seems to on a diet, either to lose weight, or because of heart issues, or a strong desire to remain alive and still enjoy meals.
Dietary Confusion Is Everywhere
I get a hit of anxiety every time I enter the grocery store:
- How much protein should I eat for my size, activities, and age?
- Which fats are healthy, which to avoid?
- Are there any foods we should eliminate? Dairy, red meat, potatoes and bread?
- What about carbohydrates? Should we go low-carb like everyone says, even if we don’t want to lose weight?
- How often should we eat, three meals a day, three meals and snacks? Two meals?
- Which should be our biggest meal of the day?
- Is breakfast truly the most important meal of the day?
- Which are better for anti-aging, animal or plant proteins?
One couple we know has gone vegan. That seems extreme, besides what can you eat in restaurants? Another couple is losing weight, and have gone ultra low-carb, mod protein, and healthy fats. That’s like the Ketogenic diet I tried it but lost too much weight. I found it hard to get enough calories in when one eliminates snacks and carbs (chips, etc.).
So what does one shop for if you’re not on a diet, and want healthy senior meals?
Seeking Dietary Solutions for Longevity
I think one of the best books to understand what food does for seniors—both how it can harm us and how it can help us live longer—is The Longevity Solution: Rediscovering Centuries-Old Secrets to a Healthy, Long Life by Dr. James Dinicolantonio and Dr. Jason Fung.
It investigates the dietary habits and practices of the healthiest, longest-lived humans on the planet, who live in regions known as Blue Zones, as a model for what and how we should eat.
This book outlines and supports these steps as “the Longevity Solution:”
- Aim for calorie restriction
- Intermittent Fasting
- Drink coffee, tea, red wine
- Moderate protein intake
- Eat healthy fats
- Include adequate salt and other minerals
- 50-50 plant and animal food
Although personally, I avoid all alcohol, the authors say 1 glass for women of red wine and 2 glasses for men is beneficial for longevity. Coffee or caffeine drinks and green tea are also linked to long life, but moderation is also key.
I was particularly intrigued about the benefits of intermittent fasting, which has been shown to slow the aging process, as long as there are proper ratios of animal and plant protein and healthy fats.
More about this in a future post, or you can also read about IF here. The problem of what to eat when not on a diet still remains for me. At least I’ll keep these guidelines in mind when I’m shopping.
I’ll continue to eliminate processed foods, all vegetable oils, lower carbohydrates and include quality protein from chicken and fish, and some plant protein sources. Saturated fats are not the demon they first thought and low fat is no longer a healthy way to eat.
So glad butter is back, as well as bacon and eggs. Moderation in all things, however. What about you? What do you shop for when planning healthy senior meals?
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