From a medical point of view, the aging process already begins at the age of 40. For many, the first signs are also noticeable externally. The reflection in the mirror shows fine wrinkles and isolated gray hairs, the scale a frightening tendency upwards. That’s when the topic of nutrition suddenly takes on a whole new dimension.
Every decade a kilo more?
With increasing age, the metabolism and body composition change. If the body was previously set to grow, it now switches to maintaining body mass. Thus, the metabolism is throttled and the energy consumption decreases. This is reflected in the body composition by less muscle mass and more fat, even if the weight remains the same. In addition, the bone mass decreases. It is assumed that bone mass decreases by about 1.5 percent per year. Hormones play a role in this, along with many other factors.
Are hormones going crazy?
The production of sex hormones decreases in both women and men already from about the age of 40. In women, progestin levels drop first, which is often associated with hot flashes, sleep disturbances and dizziness. Between the ages of 45 and 55, the ovaries also produce increasingly fewer estrogens. These have a variety of tasks in the body. From the monthly cycle to bone formation, fat metabolism and collagen formation to maintain skin elasticity, estrogens get involved. For example, estrogens have a stimulating effect on the formation of bones and, in their function in fat metabolism, exert a vascular-protective effect. If estrogen levels now slowly decrease, increased bone loss may occur, and the reduced influence on lipid metabolism is accompanied by reduced vascular protection.
Everything quite normal
These changes are quite natural, but are pronounced differently in each person. However, they can be decisively influenced by one’s own behavior and lifestyle, because hormones are only one link in this chain of changes. If, for example, you eat the same diet as before and hardly exercise, you will inevitably gain weight and often fight the extra kilos in vain. Those who are particularly fond of fatty foods are more likely to promote deposits in the blood vessels (arteriosclerosis). Those who don’t do something for a strong bone structure themselves will see their bones dwindle sooner (osteoporosis).
Get moving….
Today’s world is characterized by a lack of movement due to motorization and automation. Working life is spent mainly sitting and distances are covered by car. After work, in the dichotomy between fitness equipment and the couch, the latter is usually the more attractive alternative. Who isn’t familiar with the evening-long “do-I-still-do-something-or-squat-in-front-of-the-TV” conflict of conscience that often ends up with it being too late to get active after much deliberation?
….for bone augmentation
Your bones are meant to support you for a long time to come, so you should actively do something now to build your bones. Even if hormonal changes have already begun and the natural aging processes are underway, it is possible to stabilize your bones by providing them with important nutrients and preventing them from “rusting” through physical exercise. Exercise is positive for building bone because muscle work stimulates osteoblasts (cells in bone tissue) to build bone mass.
….and for fat loss
By curbing the metabolism, energy intake and consumption are no longer in balance. It is now necessary to restore the balance by reducing energy intake and increasing energy consumption. The fat pads that have already crept in, you will only get to tackle if you turn both cogs equally.
Personal 30 minute exercise plan
Just 30 minutes of exercise daily promotes bone development and affects energy balance. Therefore, set up your personal 30-minute exercise plan. Do this deliberately at the beginning of each week in writing on your calendar and then check off the exercise session. Initially, schedule 30 minutes of exercise three times a week. You don’t have to become a fitness guru in the process. Even regular walks, errands by bike or gardening have a positive effect. Increase this to 30 minutes a day.After a few weeks, dare to do more intensive exercise twice a week, such as swimming, Nordic walking or light running. Try to walk shorter distances as often as possible and take the stairs instead of the elevator. In this way, you will additionally increase your exercise account.
Eat a low-fat diet as much as possible
Fat is a flavor carrier, we hear that again and again. That’s why butter, cream and Co. are also often used to refine soups, sauces, casseroles and vegetable dishes. It doesn’t taste good without it! Is that true? Haven’t we perhaps adapted our taste senses too much to this subtlety? Aren’t we perhaps a bit too uncritical in our use of these fat additives? According to the 10 rules of the DGE for wholesome food and drink, an intake of max. 70-90 g fat per day is recommended. However, the actual average intake in the age group from 25 to under 51 years is about 92 g for females and about 102 g for males. This doesn’t sound that serious at first, but over the course of a year, too much fat adds up and makes itself felt on the hips.
Pay attention to the fat content of foods:
- Lean meats such as poultry without skin, pork cutlet or fillet, lean beef steak, game.
- Lean sausage varieties such as lean ham (raw and cooked), roast beef, poultry sausage.
- Lean dairy products such as low-fat cottage cheese, milk and yogurt with 1.5% fat, sliced cheeses with 30% fat in dry matter.
- Pay attention to the fat content in ready meals and snacks (the fat content should not exceed 40% of the total energy).
Save fat during preparation
- Choose low-fat cooking methods such as steaming, stewing and grilling.
- Look for cookware that requires little fat to prepare such as coated pans, clay pots, woks
- Let your creativity run wild in the preparation of sauces: Try instead of cream sauces to pasta dishes a tomato sauce with lots of basil, let you cook vegetables in the preparation of a roast, puree this afterwards and serve it as a sauce
- Go sparingly with fats and oils (for sautéing, for salad dressings, spreads, etc.)
- Rather than spreading fat on sandwiches, use lean cream cheese, cottage cheese or mustard. Spice up the breads, for example, with lettuce leaves, cucumber slice, radish, cress.
This amount of fats and oils should be enough per person per day:
- 1 – 1.5 tablespoons (10-15 g) vegetable oil (high-quality oils such as olive, canola,
Soybean oil prefer) - 30 g butter or margarine
