How to make your 50s and 60s enjoyable

How to enjoy your 50s

1) What is the metabolic truth?: Cut down on high-calorie fast-foods to prevent weight gain. Fill up on fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet along with exercise will help your metabolism run at a healthy rate and keep the weight in check. Double the intake of leafy green vegetables to build up your immune system.

2) Alarm bells: You have to watch out for stroke at this age. If you have not brought your diabetes under control, the complications can surface now, as also complications of cardio-vascular disease. For women, diseases like breast cancer and menopause will be of concern. Men at this age should watch out for prostate problems, heart disease, bladder cancer and impotence. Screening has to be done every two years.

3) What are the calorie requirements for men and women?: As we age, calories need to come from nutrient density and not from readily available energy sources that supply glucose. We want our metabolic pathways to work harder to process energy that best suits our needs and tissue health. The preferred fuel for energy is ketones from the breakdown of fats and our own energy storage. This happens beautifully overnight.

If you dip below a calorie level that is too low for your health, you will cause undue stress and alter your metabolism, possibly restrict essential nutrients and trigger a low grade cortisol response. High cortisol and insulin resistance is what tends to drive fat deposition to abdominal area where we least want it.

Food deprivation also diverts glucose requirements for energy from the breakdown of your hard earned muscle mass. Muscle is great to have as we age as it provides many more powerhouses for energy production, and we burn more fat. Men and women lose muscle mass as they age like ice cream melts in the sun if they do not do weight bearing exercise.

The same calorie calculation can be used as above, but change the ratio of energy sources and split them up over the day into smaller meals. The most important food to manipulate and find your tolerance to, is starchy and sugary carbs because of their insulin effect. Vegetables, dairy and pulses have a very low-grade insulin response as compared to white refined starches and sugar which includes brown sugar and honey.

4) What can you eat and get away with? Eat all fruit, but do not overdo it. All vegetables, all unprocessed meats, fish and chicken; plenty of eggs and you can eat them everyday if you want, raw nuts and seeds; wholegrain starches such as brown rice, bulgar wheat, rye bread, millet, quinoa, but in moderation; dairy; pulses and plenty of good fats to include omega 3’s from fish oil, flaxseed and nuts.

5) What can’t you eat? Refined, white starches everyday; artificial sweeteners; high salt foods; poor pro-inflammatory fats as discussed above.

6) Best dietary practices: Focus on looking after your digestion. Keep your stomach acid up by not drinking fluids with meals as it dilutes stomach acid and take a glass of water with either apple cider vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon half-an-hour before eating to prepare the acidity for digestion.

Ensure you are looking after your digestive bacteria by eating acidophyllus yoghurt, pickled cabbage and probiotic supplements if need be.

Women may benefit from additional phytoestrogens such as soy milk, and increasing consumption of pulses and flaxseeds. Other good foods are wheat germ and lecithin to boost anti-oxidants and liver function. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables. And drink adequate water.

7) Bad practices you need to ditch: Every bad habit has to be dropped, even staying up late. Exercise should be a combination of resistance training first to include yoga and pilates as good options, and some cardio.

How to enjoy your 60s

1) What is the metabolic truth? The number of people with Metabolic Syndrome increases. It is a collection of heart disease risk factors that increase your chance of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It affects more than than 40 percent of people in this age group. Stop eating junk food. Keep your BMI in the 20 to 25 range, which is normal. If your BMI is even 1 percent above, your chances of getting chronic disease double. Cut down on on the number of hours you watch TV, and get up and exercise.

2) Alarm bells: Watch out for neurological disorders, dementia and Parkinson’s disease. Women should be aware of severe osteoporosis and take care against fractures and limb trauma. Also get tests done for cardiovascular disease. Watch out for thyroid issues and vision problems.

3) What are the calorie requirements for men and women? The calorie formula above can be applied here but the activity factor may well be as low as inactive. This is simply day-to-day normal activities. A 70kg women could have 1,500 calories but food choices need to be wholesome choices.

Large meals should be avoided as you age and energy ratios are very important. Protein for growth and repair and good fats are the basis of the diet balanced with fruit, nuts and vegetables. Carbs should be additional to a balanced meal and contribute fibre for extra digestive support. A fibre supplement such as Fibre Gel may be added. High potassium foods such as tomatoes, white beans, melon can be consumed to manage high blood pressure.

If you are experiencing some cognitive issues, there is great research to support extra supplementation to boost the neurotransmitter pathways gently but effectively with no downside or risks.

4) What can you eat and get away with? Foods with cholesterol such as eggs and butter contribute valuable good cholesterol which you will make as LDL cholesterol if you do not consume it from foods in your diet. Cook eggs and fish in butter, eat a little cheese and don’t be scared of drinking full-fat milk. As well as providing some cholesterol, it will satisfy your appetite and stop you going for sugary foods.

5) What can’t you eat? White, refined starches and anything that you feel is not suiting you. Watch your salt intake and salty foods such as processed meats.

6) Best dietary practices: Enjoy eating across all food groups. If you are having food-related problems, keep in touch with your body and try to work out what you think is happening. There is always an answer to the underlying cause of issues that someone can help you work out. If weight is creeping on, and you don’t think you eat much, there maybe some imbalance that needs to be identified and supported.

7) Bad practices you need to ditch: Cigarettes and alcohol will not help you sleep well. If you don’t get sleep, the maintenance pahse of your body gets disturbed. Exercise at this age is better suited to more gentle resistance or strength training and some relaxing cardio such as walking for an hour or so or cycling.