The Proper Diet for Middle Age

As we age, our bodies go through drastic changes so looking at a proper diet for middle age could come in handy for a lot of us, especially the baby boomers. If health, alertness and clarity of mind is your goal for life, then avoiding middle age weight gain, taking a calcium supplement for brittle bones, eating foods high iron, taking multivitamin supplements and eating foods high in fiber should be on your list.

Doing just one or two of the above listed suggestions will make a great difference in your life, and barring all illnesses, will help keep you active so you can enjoy the lifestyle and activities you are accustom to.

It's never too late if you want to change the way you eat, and if you are middle age, your metabolism is slower, so now is a good time to implement changes in your diet if you want to avoid that middle age weight gain.

Here are some things you need to do to maintain the proper diet for middle age...

Choose Healthy Alternatives:
Your concern here is the relationship between high fat intake, coronary disease and colon cancer, which middle age people are prone to. So the suggestion is to add more chicken and fish to your diet, and leave the steak for special occasions.

Calcium Supplement For Brittle Bones:
As we age, especially after the age of 30, our bones start to become more brittle. The calcium your body absorbs from food can be reduced when you drink carbonated drinks that contain phosphorous and when you eat protein meats.

It is suggested that taking a calcium supplement of 1 gram daily will go a long way toward preventing brittle bones.

Foods High In Iron:
Middle age and older people begin to secret less hydrochloric acid, so they can't absorb iron very well, and this problem can lead to another problem... mainly pernicious anemia. To avoid this, you could increase your intake of meat, especially liver, which is very high in iron.

But the recommendation is to eat foods high in iron. Food like iron-fortified cereals. You can also take vitamin C, which is excellent for helping your body absorb iron. So increase your vegetable intake also. Vegetables like broccoli, kale, red peppers, brussels sprouts and fruit filled with vitamin C are all good. If this isn't enough, then check with your physician about taking an iron supplement.

Multivitamin Supplements:
As we age, our bodies don't absorb vitamin B-12 like it did when we were younger. Another problem is that if you take B-12 while increasing your vitamin C intake. The vitamin C will completely destroy the B-12. But a deficiency of B-12 will lead to anemia, and if you're a vegetarian, it's even worse.

Since B-12 is found only in liver and shell fish, the solution is to take a multivitamin supplement
which will insure you are getting the proper amount of each vitamin.

Eat Foods High In Fiber:
Eating foods high in fiber is important to all of us, but particularly for those of us over the age of 45. If you have digestion problems, then adding more fiber to your diet not only helps with your digestion, but it can also help you avoid middle age weight gain or even help you loose weight. If nothing else, it will keep you regular, which is another important issue.

You know that your metabolism slows as you ages. If you're not going to exercise to burn those extra calories, but you continue to eat like you did as a teenager, then it's all too possible to gain 10 pounds a year. The best solution is to match your calorie intake with your activity or lack of.

You cannot continue to consume a huge amount of calories if your lifestyle consist of sitting on the couch. Another thought is this... don't act on any diet changes and supplement programs without consulting your physician first. Let him advise you on the best track to take toward a proper diet for middle age.

You probably can't go wrong with the foods high in iron and the foods high in fiber, but when it comes to taking multivitamin supplements and a calcium supplement for brittle bones, then you do need the advice of your doctor.