If you are over 50, you can be as healthy, active, and fit as the younger guys. All you have to do is eat right, exercise, and get your health screening regularly.
Usually, as men grow old, they exercise less. This is because they do not have the same level of energy, or they have to take care of their family and career, limiting their physical activity.
Less exercise implies that fewer calories are burned, resulting in weight gain. Not only that, but they become more prone to a number of health diseases. Including Hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, Cancer, and Coronary heart disease.
Here is how to stay healthy after 50.
Best diet for over 50 years old
After the age of 50, the metabolism of the human body starts to slow. Therefore, you must add good foods to your diet and cancel out junk food.
Include the following in your diet:
1: B Vitamin
B Vitamins, specifically B12, help in the normal functioning of the nervous system and the formation of blood. A deficiency in B12 can lead to dementia in older people. Therefore, to retain good mental health, and memory, adding B vitamin to your diet is essential.
It is also suggested that consuming foods high in Vitamin B6, B9 and B12 can prevent migraine.
Higher levels of B6 are also connected with reduced depression symptoms in older people.
Foods that contain B Vitamin include:
- Beef
- Fish
- Pork
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Avocados
- Leafy greens
- Grains
- Legumes
- Nuts
2: Fiber
The best diet for over 50 years old must contain 28 grams of fiber, each day. It helps in improving digestion and lessening the chances of high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels, and constipation.
Foods that contain fiber include:
- Grains and cereals
- Fruits and vegetables
- Beans and Legumes
Here are some quick tips to add fiber to your food:
- Ditch white rice and use brown rice
- Add oats to your salads, yogurt, or cereal
- To cook, go for whole-wheat
- Add fruits to your cereals
3: Calcium
Calcium plays an important role in maintaining our bone health, muscle contraction, and cardiovascular system. Foods that are rich in calcium include:
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Green leaf vegetables (such as broccoli, and kale)
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Cornmeal
- Salmon
- Tofu
- Grains and legumes
People above 50 must intake 1000 mg of calcium every day to maintain their health.
Things that result in calcium deficiency include high consumption of alcohol, and soda, some cancers, kidney failures, lack of the parathyroid hormone, and phosphate deficiency.
4: Potassium
To lower the risk of blood pressure in older adults, it is important to consume adequate potassium. This should be followed by limiting the sodium intake on daily basis. To do so, you can select or prepare meals that have less or no amount of salt present in them. Instead, you can use herbs and other spices to enhance the flavors of your meals.
Foods that are high in potassium include:
- Fruits (such as oranges, bananas, grapefruit, and apricot)
- Low-fat dairy products
- Beans
- Vegetables
- Mushrooms
- Fish (Such as tuna)
It is suggested that men should consume 3,400 mg of potassium every day.
5: Vitamin D
Vitamin D is important for our bodies to absorb calcium, and ensure healthy bone strength, and mass. Men above 50 who have a deficiency of Vitamin D are more prone to health problems light osteoporosis, fatigue, joint pain, and osteoarthritis. For aging adults, a good dose of Vitamin D can help in supporting an active lifestyle.
Some other benefits of Vitamin D include:
- Lessens the risk of infections and certain cancers
- Helps in fighting against bone pain and weakness
- Improves mobility
- Enhances bone health and strength
- Reduces the chances of bone-related diseases like osteoporosis
Foods that contain Vitamin D include:
- Milk
- Cereal
- Orange juice
- Eggs
- Salmon
Another efficient way is to soak up the sunshine. However, it involves a risk of skin cancer and sunburns, therefore older people should avoid it.
Sample meal plan for 50 year-old
If you are on to losing weight, here are some sample meal plans for you:
1: DASH Diet
DASH diet is one of the best diet for over 50 years old. DASH is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The diet is aimed to cure or prevent high blood pressure levels.
This diet includes food that contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium as core ingredients. Moreover, it limits the use of foods high in sugar, salt, or fat.
Studies prove that the DASH diet is successful in lower blood pressure levels in time as short as two weeks. It also lowers the low-density lipoprotein (aka bad cholesterol). LDL and hypertension are responsible for health risks such as stroke and other heart diseases. Therefore, this diet can help older adults a lot.
What to eat in the DASH diet?
The DASH diet gives you a margin to eat balanced food for a heart-healthy eating style. You can easily find the required foods from the nearest grocery store. It requires you to eat vegetables, grains, and vegetables. Moreover, you can also eat fish, beans, nuts, poultry, and low-fat dairy products.
The diet limits the intake that is high in saturated fat.
The food that you should choose must:
- Contain potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, and magnesium
- Be low in saturated fat
- Low in Sodium (Salt)
Here is a sample meal plan for 50-year-old to follow in a 2000-calorie DASH diet (Per day):
- 6 to 8 servings of whole grains (it can include a slice of bread, pasta, cooked rice, or cereal)
- 4 to 5 servings of vegetables (such as one cup of kale or spinach would make one serving)
- 4 to 5 servings of fruit (examples include 1 medium-sized apple or a half-cup of canned apricots)
- 1 to 2 servings of dairy products (such as 1 cup of low-fat milk or 1 cup of yogurt)
- 4 to 6 servings of chicken (it can include 1 ounce of cooked chicken)
2: Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is associated with improving brain function, regulating blood sugar levels, and promoting a healthy heart.
The diet constitutes foods that were being consumed by countries located near the Mediterranean sea, such as France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. This diet does not have a strict rule list, but it encourages eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Foods that have added sugar or refined grains are to avoid.
How to follow the Mediterranean diet?
In order to follow the Mediterranean diet
- Eat fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, potatoes, legumes, herbs, fish, spices, seafood
- Eat eggs, poultry, yogurt, and cheese in moderation
- Eat red meat, refined oil, added sugar, processed meat, and refined grains rarely
What exactly to eat?
Your diet should contain the following:
- Fruits: Bananas, oranges, apples, dates, grapes, strawberries, peaches, melons, figs
- Vegetables: Kale, broccoli, tomatoes, turnips, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes
- Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, almond butter, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
- Whole grain: corn, brown rice, oats, pasta, whole wheat pasta
- Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck
- Dairy: Cheese, milk, yogurt
- Seafood: Trout, Salmon, tuna, shrimps, oysters
- Eggs: Duck, chicken, and quail eggs
3: MIND Diet
The MIND diet is specifically made for older people to prevent dementia in them. It is the intervention of the Mediterranean and DASH diets.
What to eat in a MIND diet?
MIND diet encourages to eat the following:
- Green vegetables: 6 or more servings must be consumed per week. The vegetables include kale, green salads, and spinach.
- Vegetables other than greens: In addition to green vegetables, aim to eat other non-starchy vegetables that contain fewer calories and more nutrients.
- Nuts: 5 servings per week are recommended. The diet does not specify any nuts but you can consume those with higher nutrients.
- Berries: Twice a week, use berries. You can eat strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries as they have antioxidizing properties.
- Fish: To be consumed at least once a week. To get higher content of Omega-3, use fish like tuna, salmon, or trout.
- Poultry: You can eat chicken or turkey at least once a week. Make sure that you do not eat fried chicken. It is not encouraged by the MIND diet.
- Beans: At least four servings per week are suggested. You can use beans, soybeans, or lentils.
What to avoid in the MIND diet?
The following items are not encouraged to eat in the MIND diet:
- Butter or margarine: If you are using butter or margarine, keep the quantity less than 1 tablespoon daily. You can also use olive oil to get your meals cooked or dip your bread in olive oil and then add some herbs to it.
- Cheese: In the MIND diet, you can consume cheese only once a week. Do not exceed that.
- Red meat: Not more than 3-4 servings of red meat are suggested. Red meat includes beef, lamb, pork, and other products made from them.
- Oily or fried food: This diet discourages the use of food that is deep fried in oil such as fried chicken or french fries. You can limit the consumption to once a week or less.
Above is a roundup of the best diet for 50 year olds. You can stick to one diet and see wonders happening. Adding these to your lifestyle can help you lose or maintain your body weight without getting tired.
