Nutritional needs change with age, here's a guide

As you get older, it's not just your physical appearance that changes. Nutritional needs change as the body ages to support these changes. Moreover, the older you are, the more susceptible to various diseases. Without the fulfillment of proper nutrition, your quality of life and health condition can deteriorate.

Therefore, it is very important to know what changes will occur with age related to the condition of the body and the nutrients it needs. Check out the reviews below.

Nutritional needs change as you age, like what?

During the first years of human life, the body craves high intake of minerals and vitamins to strengthen its immune system. As you get bigger, your nutritional needs will increase and must be met from a variety of sources, such as higher intake of carbohydrates and protein.

Foods containing low-fat protein are essential for maintaining muscles and bones as you age. In fact, the average adult will lose 3-8% of their muscle mass every 10 years after reaching the age of 30. This is the onset of bone health problems in adults. Research shows that those who consume enough protein daily will lose 40% less muscle mass compared to people who eat less protein.

Moreover, the older you are, the more prone to experiencing constipation. So, you also have to eat more fiber, especially for elderly people. Constipation in the elderly is affected by daily activities that do not move much (living in a coexistence) and the side effects of the drugs that are consumed. No wonder if you get older, the need for fiber is increasingly needed to prevent digestive problems. Fiber also functions to lower blood cholesterol, which has accumulated with age. The best sources of fiber are vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

On the other hand, the need for fat, sugar and salt must be reduced from productive adulthood to old age. As you get older, your total daily calorie needs will also decrease.

The need for micronutrients increases with age

Even though they need less calorie intake, older adults still need a higher intake of micronutrients. Therefore, it is very important to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meats as you age.

Some of the micronutrients that need to be increased as you age include:

Calcium

As adults get older, the ability to absorb calcium from food will decrease. In addition, hormonal changes can also increase the removal of calcium from the kidneys into the urine. So, the need for calcium must be increased as you get older.

Vitamin B12

This vitamin is important for making red blood cells and maintaining healthy brain function. Unfortunately, reported in Healthline, research estimates that 10-30% of people aged 50 years and over begin to experience the ability to absorb vitamin B12 from their diet. Therefore, some people are encouraged to take additional supplements containing B12.

This condition is associated with a decrease in stomach acid production, resulting in reduced absorption of vitamin B12 from food.

Magnesium

As you get older, you are at risk for magnesium deficiency due to the lack of intake, the effects of drug use, and also changes in bowel function.

Vitamin D

The older a person is, the less the ability of the skin to convert sunlight into vitamins. This condition will ultimately affect the body's ability to absorb calcium.

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