Our nutritional needs change throughout our lives. From our 20's on, our energy requirements start to decline and you will need to adjust your food intake to ensure your diet remains healthy, balanced and meets your caloric needs.
For a healthy diet:
- aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. These can be fresh, frozen, dried or tinned (look for low salt and low sugar varieties) and fruit juice can also count as one portion per day
- try to eat starchy foods such as pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals and pulses (beans, peas and lentils) instead of foods high in fat and look for wholegrain or 'brown' versions
- choose lean meat for cooking, and trim off the fat and any skin
- aim to eat fish at least twice a week
- when cooking, try to grill, bake, poach, boil, steam or microwave instead of frying or roasting your food
- try to keep your intake of sugary foods to a minimum
- be aware of the salt content of your food- read nutrition and ingredients labels on food packs and compare brands to find versions lower in salt. Try not to add salt to your food when cooking or at the table. Herbs, spices, mustard and the like will give flavours a boost instead of salt
- aim to drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, or more if you exercise. If you don't like the taste of plain water, try sparkling water, or add some squash or fruit juice for flavour. You could also try adding a slice of lemon or lime.
Weight maintenance
Being overweight, particularly in the abdominal region, can increase your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Carrying extra weight can also place immense strain on your joints so make every effort to stay at a healthy weight by eating a well balanced diet and regular exercising.
Salt
It is recommended that we try to keep our daily salt intake below 6g, although our current average intake is about 9.5g of salt (sodium chloride) per day. The sodium component in salt can increase blood pressure, and high blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Remember our aim is to eat less than 6g of salt or 2.5g of sodium per day!
Fat
It's important to have some fat in your diet as it has many important functions – it provides fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, it is a good source of energy and also provides us with 'essential fatty acids' such as omega-3 and omega-6 fats that the body is incapable of making itself.
However, fat should make up no more than one third of the energy (or calories) in your diet, with less than 10% of energy coming from saturated fat. To keep your saturated fat intake in check, choose lower fat dairy products and lean meat, limit fatty meat products such as sausages and pies and try to cut down on cakes and biscuits. Instead, choose foods high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable oils (olive and sunflower oil, for example), oily fish (aim to eat at least one portion of oily fish a week such as salmon, sardines, mackerel and fresh tuna), nuts and seeds, and avocado.
Alcohol
Government recommendations advise that men should not regularly drink more than three to four units per day and women not more than two to three units per day, where one unit is:
- half a pint of standard strength beer, lager or cider
- a pub measure of spirit
- half a glass of wine
Alcopops provide about 1.5 units but they are exceptionally high in sugar so they are not the best choice if you are trying to stick with a healthy eating plan. Consistently drinking more than the recommended alcohol allowance can lead to health problems such as increased risk of some cancers, intestinal problems, liver damage and high blood pressure, as well as social and psychological problems.
Women's dietary needs – Iron & Calcium
Women require more iron in their diet than men, primarily because of menstruation, and so will need to include plenty of iron-rich foods such as meat, pulses (beans and lentils), bread, green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals. Vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron, so eating food high in vitamin C such as citrus fruit or spinach with an iron-rich meal is a good idea.
Women also need to ensure their diet is rich in calcium and vitamin D to help avoid the onset of osteoporosis after the menopause, a condition in which bone density is reduced. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt – remember to choose lower-fat varieties when you can as they contain the same amount of calcium as full fat versions, leafy green vegetables, soya beans, tofu and seeds.
Exercise activity, body shape and vitamin D also play a role in helping to keep bones healthy in later years. The best types of physical activity for good bone health are weight-bearing exercises such as brisk walking or climbing stairs. And while we get most of our vitamin D from the effect of sunlight on our skin, vitamin D is also found in oily fish, eggs, and foods such as breakfast cereals and margarines which have added vitamins.
