The bodies of senior women tend to work against them so it’s no longer a good idea to diet. If you fall within this age group, the best thing for you to do is to focus on healthy eating so you don’t experience mood swings and quickly start gaining weight. This is because your body can no longer use food’s calories as productively as it once did, your enzyme function is depressed, and you’re not as equipped to fight diseases or have your hormones function as well as they once did.
Healthy Eating Tips for Senior Women
The number of calories you should consume daily depends upon your activity level. If you’re inactive you only need 1,600 calories but if you’re active you need 2,000 – 2,200 calories while moderately active senior women should consume 1,800 calories. Knowing the number of calories senior women should consume is only half the battle though. There are several other things you should also remember, including:
- Focus on filling your plate with nutrient dense foods. These are foods that are high in either fiber or protein. This includes things like fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and dairy. Filling your plate with these foods will make you 20 – 40% less likely to develop diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
- At least half of the grains you consume should be whole grains.
- Healthy fats will help with the management of perimenopause and menopause. This is because they contain Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega 6. The foods that are rich in these things include salmon, sardines, tuna, flaxseed, seeds, and nuts. You can easily make a few changes like replacing your butter with nut butter or tahini and using flaxseed oil instead of salad dressing.
- Limit the amount of saturated and trans fats you consume as they make PMS worse. Foods that are high in these fats include meats, store bought baked goods, and margarine.
- Minimize the number of foods you eat that contain added sugars. Too much of this sugar can make your body produce more insulin, which also aggravates bloating. Since senior women are oftentimes already suffering with diabetes, it’s a good idea to avoid too much sugar anyway.
- Get plenty of calcium and vitamin D to aid in its absorption. Calcium is especially important during menopause for your bone health, improving your estrogen levels, and helping you avoid developing osteoporosis. Some of your best food options here include cow milk, goat milk, yogurt and cheese. For vitamin D you’ll need some sunlight or fish oil and fortified cereals.
- Reduce your salt intake to 6 – 9g per day so you don’t become bloated and retain water. This is especially important after menopause because hormonal changes make you more prone to developing salt-sensitive hypertension even if you’ve never had a history of high blood pressure before.
- Eat lots of different types and colors of fruits and vegetables. These have lots of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber in them. They’re also proven to help relieve menopausal symptoms. For instance, boron is a chemical that’s found in them that will help prevent you from losing estrogen. The best foods to concentrate on adding to your diet here include tomatoes, apples, oranges, strawberries, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, and onions.
Conclusion
Besides concerning yourself with healthy eating, senior women must also concern themselves with their auditory health. This is why you should consult Countryside Hearing Aids Services for a hearing test today and if they discover any issues they can promptly help you with those as well. Get in touch with them and schedule your appointment soon.
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