by Jane Fonda
Saturated Fats
The other bad fats, the saturated fats, are the ones that are solid at room temperature—such as butter, lard, and shortening, including shortening made with coconut or palm oil. Saturated fat increases the “bad” (LDL) cholesterol level in the blood and your risk of heart disease. However, it is not nearly as harmful as trans fat because it also tends to raise the “good” (HDL) cholesterol. Try to avoid fried foods, butter, ice cream, full-fat cheeses, cream sauces, processed meats such as cold cuts, sausages, and bacon, and most red meat. By the way, those of us over fifty don’t need to worry as much about cholesterol; it doesn’t carry as much risk for us as it does for younger people. Minimize your intake of saturated fats to less than 10 or 20 grams per day.
Good Fats
There are, however, good fats: the unsaturated kinds, which are liquid at room temperature. These come from vegetable oils such as olive, soy, canola, corn, and safflower and provide essential fatty acids. Typical vegetable oils, including those found in nuts and soybeans, lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Fat in fish provides omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect against heart attacks. While those oils are actually beneficial, they also contain calories, so don’t overdo them.
Good fats should account for about 20 or 25 percent of our daily calories, so getting those calories from an oil-and-vinegar salad dressing is a whole lot better than getting calories from 2 percent milk, cheese, or meat.
SALT
Too much sodium is a major cause of high blood pressure and water retention. High blood pressure, of course, is a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. As a nation, if we cut our sodium intake in half, it would likely save at least 100,000 lives per year. Enough said?
Most of the sodium we consume comes from packaged and restaurant foods, so check the “Nutrition Facts” labels carefully and either avoid high-sodium foods entirely or choose lower-sodium versions. The government classifies a food as “low sodium” if it contains less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving. Eating out can be treacherous. Restaurant meals are generally huge, and often very high in sodium—a meal at a place like IHOP or Denny’s may contain three or four times as much as you should eat in an entire day! Try to make your daily intake of sodium less than 2,300 milligrams—ideally, under 1,500 milligrams—and do not add salt to your food.
ALCOHOL
Excess alcohol interferes with healthy nutrition for several reasons. It reduces the intake of nutrient-dense foods, and it affects the metabolism and absorption of several key nutrients. In fact, malnutrition—otherwise rare in the United States—is common among alcoholics. Alcohol depletes our levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, the B vitamins folate and thiamine, and such essential minerals as iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. I write elsewhere about the damage oxidation does to our cells. Well, too much alcohol is a potent oxidant, and it stresses the digestive and hormonal systems, the kidneys, and the liver. As a result, alcoholics can suffer gastrointestinal distress, immune system disorders, nerve and brain damage, heart inflammation, osteoporosis, and fat malabsorption, contributing to deficiencies of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Moreover, one drink adds 100 to 400 nutritionless calories.
However, in moderate amounts (one serving a day for women, two for men) alcohol relaxes the blood vessels and raises the level of good (HDL) cholesterol in the blood by about 5 percent, which helps protect the heart. This is especially true in people who exercise, perhaps because exercise also raises the HDL level. Moderation and drinking with meals is the key! One serving is five ounces of wine, twelve ounces of beer, or one and a half ounces of spirits.
AND NO SMOKING
Smoking is the major cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Smoking—even exposure to secondhand smoke—harms nearly every organ of the body. Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. It is also responsible for many other cancers and health problems. These include lung disease, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, and cataracts. Women who smoke have a greater chance of certain pregnancy problems and of having a baby die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Your smoke is also bad for other people; those who breathe in your smoke secondhand can suffer from many of the same problems that smokers do. Quitting smoking can reduce your risk of these problems. The earlier you quit, the greater the health benefit.
Additionally, smoking depletes us of important nutrients. It is also a potent oxidant, accelerating the aging process, causing the cross-linking that can mean wrinkles and the stiffening of blood vessels and other connective tissues. Every study I have read cites smoking as one of the most dangerous health habits of all.
Essential Things to Add
Besides reducing our intake of these five destructive things, here is the number one positive thing to do: Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
We ought to base the bulk of our diets on fruits; vegetables; nuts; legumes, including lentils, peas, and beans; whole grains, such as brown rice, bulgur, and buckwheat; and whole grain products, such as whole wheat bread, multigrain and bran cereals, and non-instant oatmeal.
These foods should make up 50 to 60 percent or more of our daily calories. You don’t have to become a vegetarian, but we all ought to move much more in that direction.
Unfortunately, many people eat far too few fruits and vegetables, and the grain foods they choose are usually made with white flour. That’s a prescription for gastrointestinal disease, heart disease, diabetes, and maybe cancer, according to a preponderance of scientific research.
Five Basic Food Groups
These five food groups should provide our basic nutrition: 1) breads and cereals; 2) fruits and vegetables; 3) dairy products; 4) proteins; and 5) heart-healthy fats. Getting an appropriate daily amount of each of these is the key.
BREADS AND CEREALS
This category includes all of the whole grains (rice, barley, millet, cracked wheat, corn), whole grain breads and cereals (non-instant oatmeal, bran, etc.), and whole grain crackers, pasta, and tortillas. This food group should provide the primary daily source of our energy.
Just to be clear, by whole grains I am talking about foods that contain all the germ and fiber from the grains, not just the starch. Here’s why this is important: Before grains are refined, they contain the bran and the germ, which provide a wide range of nutrients, such as vitamin A and the B vitamins (thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid); minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, sodium, selenium, and iron); protein; essential oils; and phytonutrients, including antioxidants (the free-radical fighters), which appear to promote health. They also contain small amounts of sodium or sugar and a lot of fiber. When flour is refined, however, the nutrient-rich germ and the fiber-rich cell walls, the bran, of the grain are removed—and fed to livestock!
Fiber-Rich Foods
Fiber is found in whole grains, beans, peas, seeds, nuts (raw and unsalted is best!), lentils, fresh fruits and vegetables, and sprouted seeds such as soybeans, mung beans, and alfalfa, which you can sprout yourself at home. Besides being high in fiber, these foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Most plant foods are little factories of nutrients. When these phytochemicals are taken into your body’s tissues, they may have health-promoting properties. Almost everyone—including, probably, you—does not consume enough fiber-rich foods and, therefore, dietary fiber.
Not all fibers are the same. According to the excellent Nutrition Action Healthletter, soluble fiber from oats, barley, and fresh fruits and vegetables can lower a person’s cholesterol and reduce their risk of heart disease.1 On the other hand, insoluble fiber, like that from whole wheat (especially the bran part), is not broken down by bacteria in the gut and helps with bowel regularity. All high-fiber foods break down into glucose more slowly than simple or refined foods do. This means that they provide more sustained energy over a greater length of time than refined grains like white bread or white rice (or sugars) can.
(Which is why my breakfasts of oatmeal helped me perform well on tests as a youngster.) Dietary fiber is also important for people who want to lose weight, because it helps make meals more filling.
Highly refined carbohydrates like white flour are low in fiber; whole wheat bread—the kind that contains the wheat germ and the bran—has three times as much fiber as white bread. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed, so that’s about 22 to 39 grams of fiber every day, depending on your caloric needs. When you see that most whole grain foods have only have about 2 or 4 grams per serving, you realize that getting enough fiber takes work; you’ll need to consume numerous fiber-rich plant foods every day.
Food Labels
You may think you are buying whole grain breads when you see packages that say “whole wheat” or “multigrain,” but it’s not necessarily so. If you are shopping for bread, pancake mix, or other grain-based foods, you need “whole wheat” or “whole rye,” for example, to be the only grain listed in the ingredients. When you see the term “made with whole grain,” the food is not 100 percent whole grain. Don’t waste your money on foods made with “unbleached but refined flour.” And forget about the ice creams, yogurts, juice drinks, and even waters that claim to contain fiber. These are not the kinds of real fiber you get from whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. There is no solid scientific evidence that the mostly purified, processed, powdered versions of fiber that are being added to foods have the same benefits.
Food labels always list the ingredients in descending order of amount, so if sugar or refined, enriched flour is the first or second ingredient, you know that the food, whatever it is, is best avoided. You should also avoid products that contain such questionable additives as nitrites, saccharin, acesulfame potassium, artificial colorings (such as Red 40 or Yellow 5), and synthetic preservatives such as BHA and BHT.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruits and vegetables, which are excellent sources of dietary fiber, should be a major part of our daily supply of energy. In order to ensure that we are getting the necessary vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients we need at this stage of life, our supply of healthy carbs shouldn’t all be beige (that is, from the whole grains, nuts, breads, etc.).
Try to eat five to ten servings of different colored fresh fruits and vegetables every day. (Don’t freak! As Jane Brody points out, one serving consists of only “half a cup of cut‑up or cooked vegetables, one cup of fresh greens, half a cup of cooked dried beans, or, if you must, six ounces of vegetable juice.”2) Why is color important? Because colorful foods are usually rich in nutrients. Dark leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, and broccoli; dark purple fruits, such as blueberries and blackberries; and dark orange fruits and vegetables are among the richest in nutrients and antioxidants. Containing vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, and selenium, these foods are real scavengers of free radicals. Beta-carotene is the precursor of vitamin A, which is critical to healthy eyes and skin and can help fight infection. Since older people should not take vitamin A supplements because vitamin A builds up in the liver and can cause toxicity, it is especially important that we eat plenty of these foods. One study has shown that women who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables are at lower risk of obesity. Provided they are not loaded with butter or high-calorie dressings and sauces, the dietary bulk of fresh fruits and vegetables can fill your stomach and curb your appetite. They can also reduce your cholesterol level and help curb constipation.
Eating by Color
Look at this list of colors and think about how to get at least four or five of these foods—these colors—into yourself every day. (Please note that the foods themselves are far better, with fewer calories, than fruit juices or dried fruits and vegetables.)
RED: tomatoes, pink grapefruit, watermelon, red peppers, red apples, blood oranges, cranberries, red grapes, cherries, red pears, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, red onions, rhubarb, beets, radishes, radicchio
BLUE/PURPLE: purple grapes, purple plums, prunes, blueberries, blackberries, black currants, black olives, eggplant, purple Belgian endive, purple peppers, black salsify
YELLOW/ORANGE: yellow apples, apricots, gooseberries, cantaloupe, carrots, yellow figs, grapefruit, golden kiwifruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, papayas, peaches, yellow pears, persimmons, pineapples, tangerines, yellow watermelon, yellow beets, pumpkin, acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yellow peppers, rutabagas, yellow summer squash, yellow tomatoes, yellow winter squash
GREEN: avocados, green apples, green grapes, green olives, honeydew, kiwifruit, limes, green pears, artichokes, arugula, asparagus, broccoflower, broccoli, broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, green beans, green cabbage, celery, chayote squash, cucumbers, endive, kale, spinach, collards, mustard greens, leeks, lettuce, green onions, okra, fresh peas, green peppers, snow peas, sugar snap peas, watercress, zucchini
WHITE: garlic, onions, parsnips, shallots, turnips, cauliflower, ginger, jicama, kohlrabi, mushrooms, bananas, dates, white nectarines and peaches, brown pears
DAIRY OR CALCIUM-FORTIFIED SOY PRODUCTS
One to three cups daily of low-fat or fat-free dairy products such as milk, cheese, or yogurt is the goal. Skim milk contains more calcium for the calories than, say, yogurt. But for an aging intestinal tract, fermented dairy or soy products—such as yogurts or kefir that contain live, active cultures—may promote digestive health.3
If you’re not consuming dairy, calcium-fortified soy foods, or other calcium-fortified products (like some orange juices and cereals), you may not be getting an adequate amount of calcium—so check with your doctor about taking a supplement (probably one that contains vitamin D). Calcium absorption is most efficient in increments of 500 milligrams or less, taken between meals and as calcium citrate. Your maximum intake of calcium should be no more than 2,500 milligrams a day.
PROTEINS
Approximately 15 percent of your total calories should come from protein. If you are older, protein will help boost your more vulnerable immune system and slow the inevitable bone and muscle loss that comes with aging, according to experts in the field of aging at Tufts University and other respected research centers. Protein is what allows for growth and repair of our bodies, especially our muscles and bones. Without enough protein, our bone health, muscle function, strength, muscle mass, and immune function are all impaired.
There are nine essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce; therefore, we have to get them from the food we eat. Animal foods such as lean meat, chicken, fish, and eggs and dairy products and vegetarian sources such as soybeans and tofu contain all nine essential amino acids in the proportion that we need, and so are called “complete proteins.” Many vegetables, grains, dried beans, and nuts contain protein, but with lower proportions of some of the essential amino acids, which is why they are not considered complete proteins. Fortunately, a mixed diet featuring numerous sources of protein provides adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids.
Often older men and women—especially if they’re dieting—do not consume enough protein, but protein intake is important. This is especially true for those suffering from infections or recovering from surgery, since protein helps fight disease and heal wounds. Six to nine ounces of protein-rich foods, making up about 12 percent of our daily calories, is advised by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans put out by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy are the main protein sources for those who are not vegetarians. Try to eat non-fried fish two to four times weekly, as the American Heart Association recommends. Or, if your doctor approves, take omega-3 fatty acid supplements (preferably from fish oil). Start with a daily dose of 1,000 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids that include EPA and DHA. Vegetarians should get their omega-3 fatty acids from walnuts, ground flaxseed, flaxseed oil, or canola oil. But if you take an omega-3 fatty acid supplement, this will increase your
body’s requirement for vitamin E, an important antioxidant, so add a small dose of vitamin E along with your omega-3 capsules.
For vegetarians, tofu, which is made from soybeans, is an excellent source of high-quality, complete protein, healthy soybean oil, and calcium, while also being low in calories and carbohydrates, with no cholesterol. Legumes such as garbanzo beans (chickpeas), black beans, navy beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, and other mature, dried beans contain good amounts of protein, but they still need to be combined with a grain to be equivalent to a complete, high-quality soy or animal protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins—unlike protein, carbohydrates, and fat—are not a source of energy. They are catalysts for the biochemical reactions that take place in the body. Since vitamins are not manufactured by the human body, we must eat foods that supply them, or take vitamin supplements.
Like vitamins, minerals are needed for many bodily functions, especially as building blocks for tissue and as regulators of metabolic processes. We need different kinds of minerals for good health and growth, some in relatively large quantities and some, known as trace minerals, in minute amounts.
The minerals that are needed in higher amounts are calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorus. The trace minerals include iron, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium, vanadium, and molybdenum.