All those years of rushing around just trying to get a meal on the table, are hopefully over and there is just a little more time to consider and enjoy the food we eat. Diets, fad or otherwise, at least get us thinking about what we are eating and how it affects our health. My interest in cooking encompasses good nutrition too!
A diet specifically designed for the over 50 age group? there's not much out there, and nutrition can seem like a war zone, with different “expert” opinions over what’s the best way to eat at any age!
One of the latest is the "Palaeolithic Diet"; its followers say we need a diet that’s as close as possible to that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors: lean animal foods like meat, birds and fish, along with vegetables and nuts, but not too much fruit. Dairy foods, legumes and grains are out. These last three weren’t part of our diet until the dawn of agriculture 10,000 years ago, and the “Paleo” opinion is these foods can cause health problems because, we haven’t adapted to eating them.
A diet based on lean protein and lots of vegetables, which gets rid of highly processed food, is hard to argue. It would also be hard to disagree, that there are some people who can’t tolerate wheat and gluten and are healthier without them. But while the Paleo Diet gets the “thumbs up” for being based on whole food, its reliance on meat, fish and poultry doesn’t tick many boxes for "environmental sustainability" or "animal welfare" – or indeed, anyone on a "snug budget". You would also have to consider whether taking grains out of your diet along with lentils and beans will deliver enough fibre?
All these diets have one thing in common "they make money" for the inventors/writers. Common sense nutrition is just that: "Common Sense" and if you follow some basic guidelines your health should improve. So this is the "moderate diet", moderation is everything:
reduce portion sizes
limit "trans" fats
limit dairy
eat lots of colourful vegetables
limit carbohydrates
limit alcohol
only eat when you are hungry
walk daily
One thing I do know is that our bodies "crave" what is bad for them. "Cravings can be conquered" with time. If you want a piece of pie, chocolate etc. make it both small and very infrequent! Learn to say "No"!
...and remember...have a fabulous retirementLIFE!
