Diets for Women Over 60

Sixties are the time when you seriously start thinking about your health issues. Even those who never thought twice before eating anything in their life, suddenly start counting calories in their food as soon as they are on the wrong side of fifty. Women especially should be more careful about what they eat and how they lead their lifestyle after 60. They become susceptible to many disorders such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, which result from brittle bones and loss of muscle mass. Other lifestyle disorders such as hypertension and diabetes also raise their ugly head. In addition, women also have to fight certain other health issues which may originate from lack of female hormones after menopause. A healthy diet for women can help take care of most of the problems that may surface as a result of aging. 

What are the Effective Diets for Women Over 60

Elderly people usually require more proteins, calcium and other nutrients. The nutritional requirement of elderly and children is often the same. You need adequate amounts of starchy carbs, proteins, fats etc., for your body to function properly. Eating everything in moderation is the key to staying healthy in this age. Do not opt for any fad diets or low carb diets in order to lose weight. Remember, the weight loss at this age may come from muscles rather than fat. Hence, it is best to avoid any extreme weight loss program even though you might be on a heavier side. 

Nonetheless, you still need to keep a watch on your calorie intake. You may never had any trouble with weight until now. Hence, you might not have paid any particular attention to the calories in your diet. However, as you age, your body does not need the same number of calories that it needed when you led an active lifestyle. Hence, all these excess calories may now get converted into fat. Thus, you might wonder why you have suddenly started putting on weight even though you haven't made any significant changes to your diet. In short, you may need about 200 calories less than what you required during your active lifestyle. However, the same does not apply to women, who lead a very active lifestyle, even at 60. 

If you are already into eating healthy, you may not have to alter your diet significantly. However, there are some considerations regarding diet that you should take into account. You may want to increase your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meat, whole cereals, pulses and dairy products. Opt for low fat dairy products, as they are a good source of protein and calcium. Increase your intake of foods rich in iron and calcium. Besides, eat fibrous foods as fibre can get rid of problems such as constipation. In addition, you can also refer to the following healthy diet over 60 to get some cues. 

Breakfast

• 1 sliced tomato, cucumber
• 1 boiled egg
• 1 slice of brown bread
• 1 serving of cottage cheese
• 1 small pot of fat free yogurt
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 small piece of fruit

Lunch

• Steamed vegetables
• A slice of grilled salmon/ tuna/ swordfish
• Chicken breast
• 2 tbsp of steamed brown rice/ wholemeal pasta
• 1 piece of fruit

Snacks

• 1 apple
• Carrot sticks
• 2 pieces of dark chocolate
• Apricots

Dinner

• Sliced cucumber, tomato and lettuce
• Cubes of low fat cheese
• Boiled chicken
• Tinned tuna/ sardines
• 1 small pot of fat free yogurt
• 1 piece of fruit

As much as you want to be careful about your diet, you also need to let go of certain bad habits such as smoking, drinking etc. Besides, maintain a strict schedule of moderate exercises to stay fit.

Monitoring the Fat in Your Diet

Very little disagreement exists among scientists and researchers about the need to limit fat intake! Everyone agrees that you should eat no more than 30 per cent of your diet as fats. As with protein, the type of fat that you eat needs to be considered as well as the quantity.

Dietary fat comes in several forms

• Saturated fat is the kind of fat that mainly comes from animal sources. For example, butter is made up of saturated fat. Bacon, cream, cheese, pastries, cakes, biscuits and chocolate are other examples that contain saturated fat. Two non-animal sources of saturated fat exist: Palm oil and coconut milk. Eating a lot of saturated fat increases the blood cholesterol level.
• Unsaturated fat comes from vegetable sources such as nuts and seeds. It comes in several forms.
• Monounsaturated fat doesn’t raise cholesterol. Avocado, olive oil, canola oil, olive and canola spreads are examples. The oil in nuts like almonds and peanuts is monounsaturated.
• Polyunsaturated fat also doesn’t raise cholesterol but does cause a reduction in the good or HDL cholesterol. Examples of polyunsaturated fats are soft fats and oils such as sunflower, soybean, sesame oil, oily fish (trout) and sunflower spread.

Protection against heart disease comes from including essential fatty acids, found in fish oils, in your diet. If you dislike fish or just can’t eat the required two to three serves of it each week, fish oil capsules are a good substitute. Just make sure when buying the capsules that they contain sufficient quantities of the two active ingredients (EPA) and (DHA). Diabetologists recommended you take between 1,200 milligrams and 3,000 milligrams of a combination of these active ingredients each day. To make it easier, many formulations of fish oil are now concentrated, meaning you only need to take one or two capsules per day to reach the 1,200 milligrams per day target.

Getting Enough Vitamins, Minerals and Water

Your diet must contain sufficient vitamins and minerals for good health, but the amount you need may be less than you think. If you eat a balanced diet that comes from different foods, you generally get enough vitamins for your daily needs.

• Vitamin A: Needed for growth and development, immune function, bones and healthy skin; helps with night vision. Found in eggs, oily fish, dairy products, orange and green vegetables and orange fruits.
• Vitamin B1: Converts carbohydrate into energy. Found in wholegrain cereals, meat, fish, nuts and yeast extract.
• Vitamin B2: Needed to release energy from food. Found in milk, cheese, fish, almonds, eggs, green vegetables and fortified cereals.
• Vitamin B12: Keeps the red blood cells and the nervous system healthy. Found in Animal foods only; for example, meat, seafood, eggs.
• Vitamin C: Helps maintain supportive tissues. Found in Fruit and some vegetables; for example, tomatoes and capsicum.
• Vitamin D: Helps with absorption of calcium. Found in oily fish, egg yolk and fortified milk. Also made in the skin when exposed to sunlight, although this process declines as you age.

Minerals are also key ingredients of a healthy diet. Most are needed in tiny amounts, which, with a few exceptions, are easily consumed from a balanced diet. These essential minerals are as follows:

• Calcium, phosphorous and magnesium build bones and teeth. Milk and other dairy products provide plenty of these minerals, but evidence suggests that people aren’t getting enough calcium. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should have 1,000 milligrams, particularly in the final three months of the pregnancy and throughout the breastfeeding period.
• Iodine is essential for production of thyroid hormones. Iodine is often added to salt in order to ensure that people get enough of it. In many areas of the world where iodine is not found in the soil, people suffer from very large thyroid glands known as goiters.
• Iron is essential for red blood cells. Iron is obtained from red meat and iron-fortified breakfast cereals. Green leafy vegetables provide small amounts of iron; however, it’s not in a form that’s easily absorbed by the body. 

Water is the last important nutrient but it’s by no means the least important. Your body is made up of 60 per cent water and all the nutrients in your body are dissolved in it. You need to drink about six to eight glasses, or one and a half to two litres, of fluid per day — more if the weather is very hot or you’re exercising a lot. Your thirst will tell you how much you need.