It’s no secret that as we age things change with our nutritional needs and wants. Many women, including myself, have talked about not eating as much food, avoiding certain foods that may cause bloating or gas and a change sometimes in (yes we must talk about it) our bowel movements. The changes in our digestion and our appearance is often affected by our hormone production. Our hormones influence the look of our skin and hair, our metabolism, our ability to sleep well and focus. Hormones control our appetite and stimulate metabolism, it optimizes our digestion and helps to reduce inflammation.
Nutrition Ideas for Healthy Aging
Everyone is different and every body is unique, so there is no one size fits all collection of health data that will make us feel and look our best. Please don’t use any information as the only way to think or go…ideas, science and theories are shifting and improving every day. Start with simple things like improving what you eat or clearing out and organizing your pantry or trying a new recipe. Success happens when we listen to our body and take care of ourselves.
Create A Healthy Pantry
Take the time to clear your pantry of foods that are processed or artificial and fill it with ingredients that will nourish your body. Read the labels and check for high sodium levels, added sugar or colouring!
Grocery shopping Tips
Make a shopping list before going to the store. Shop around the outside of the store where most of the whole foods are – stock up on frozen vegetables to have access to at anytime.
Meals Full of Colour
Try to aim for 4 colours of whole foods on your plate at any time – the most important one is green. Most green vegetables are packed with building nourishment.
Your Whole Body Health
Nourishing the whole body is just as important as eating well. Find some time for a bit of self care – including good sleep, exercise, stress management, creativity etc..
- Some tips for your nutrition
- Simple ways to prevent bone loss
- Good digestion - how's yours?
Some tips for your nutrition
- Eating regularly in your day (every few hours) will help keep your blood sugar level stable, supporting your body and maintaining good weight and waistline
- Calcium can be found in green leafy vegetables as well as figs, beans, legums, oatmeal and sweet potato
- Our bones need Vitamin D to help absorb calcium - which can also come in the form of sunlight and fish (oysters, wild caught, salmon, cod)
- Walnuts can help support your brain health - just a little will do
- We need magnesium to metabolize calcium and Vit D which can be found in green vegetables, fish and nuts
Simple ways to prevent bone loss
- Resistance exercise can help to keep the structure and quality of your bones strong - aim for 4-5 half hours workouts a week using weight that is appropriate for you
- Calcium can be pulled out of our bones when we eat too much salt, processed foods and drink caffeine and pop
- Smoking can deplete nutrients from our bones, which can lead to Osteoporosis
- Stress management is important as we age...if our cortisol levels rise it can disturb our bones homeostasis as well as affecting our sleep, energy etc.
Good digestion - how's yours?
- We need good digestion to provide nutrients for all metabolic functions within the body – for our organs, muscles, tissues, bones etc..
- It is the essence of our immune system, supplying valuable proteins for our white blood cells to do their job of protecting, breaking down and eliminating foreign bacteria.
- If you get sick often, are very tired after eating or experience pain in the abdominal area you may have poor digestion! Other common symptoms of poor digestion include: gas, bloating, cravings for sugar and chocolate, bad breath, irregular bowel movements, extreme fatigue, yeast infections, mood swings, memory loss, headaches, constipation, diarrhea.
some Quick & easy Nutritious SNACKS...
ROASTED VEGGIES - rock it out!
- What can cause poor digestion?
- Prebiotic foods to improve your digestion
- Probiotic foods to improve your digestion
- Foods that support our immunity
What can cause poor digestion?
- stress
- eating quickly/eating too much
- too much liquid with meal
- smoking/pollution
- poor food choices
- poor sleep
- mercury fillings
- lack of fibre in food
- lack of exercise
Prebiotic foods to improve your digestion
Support your whole digestive system by adding in some of these foods to one daily meal to help prevent constipation/diarrhea and level blood sugars
- chicory
- Jerusalem artichoke
- honey
- asparagus
- cottage cheese
- eggplant
- garlic
- leaks
- green tea
- kefir
- legumes
- peas
- onions
- rye
- yogurt
Probiotic foods to improve your digestion
Friendly bacterial organisms can help to build a colony of friendly flora within the intestines, supporting our immunity, elimination, brain health and more.
- yogurt
- kefire
- kombucha
- sauerkraut
- pickles
- miso
- tempeh
- kimchi
- sourdough bread
- some cheeses
Foods that support our immunity
Good immunity begins with good digestion, so focus on eating clean whole foods, exercise regularly, take time for self care (sleep, stress) and include these foods...
- sauerkraut
- sweet potato
- dark green leafy vegetables
- broccoli
- mushrooms
- turmeric
- lemon
- garlic
- ginger
- dark berries
FOODS that nourish us
CLICK on the picture to get a great recipe!
– fresh herbs like peppermint and lemon balm offer some cooling properties when feeling warm and help to support digestion
– warming herbs such as basil, rosemary and cilantro help to can help promote good digestion and clear cold in the body
– has a cooling nature, it helps to clear heat in the body and satiate thirst – perfect for those who are feeling hot and need a little cool down
– these can also support digestion and elimination
Immune boosting meals – CLICK on the picture to get a great recipe!
Here is a PDF collection of recipes I put together that you can enjoy during the different seasons of the year.
