Foods to eat as you grow older

As we get older, nutrition rules change—or at least get stricter. Some vitamins, such as B12, become

even more important with time. But at what age do we need to make changes?

Dietary experts believe that these recommendations should be addressed at different stages of life,

and it's probably safe to start thinking about them in your 30s. "Why wait until it's too late?"

Here's how—and what—to include in your diet as you get older.

1. Seek out vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is often overlooked. Needed to make blood cells and improve cognition, vitamin B12

gets into the body along with animal proteins like eggs or meat.

Most young people easily get it in their diet. But for the body to use B12, it needs to dissolve it away

from the protein. This gets more challenging with age as the level of stomach acid decreases.

B12 not bound to protein is found in fortified cereal and supplements and is more readily absorbed

by the body. Starting at age 50, you should get most vitamin B12 from these types of fortified foods.

2. Eat more bananas

Blood pressure tends to rise as we age. To combat this problem and lower stroke and heart attack

risk, you should eat less sodium and more potassium.

Furthermore, many hypertension medications have a diuretic effect that lowers both sodium and

potassium levels in the body. Both of those electrolytes are necessary in a certain amount, but you

need more potassium than sodium. To replenish potassium, look to fruits and vegetables. A banana

is always a good choice, and baked potatoes too (with the skin).

3. Cut calories

As we get older, our metabolic rate slows down, so our calorie intake should drop accordingly.

We don't need as much to keep us moving. In general, people also tend to move less as they get

older. Extra calories may mean extra kilos, which ups heart disease and diabetes risk, as well as

osteoporosis and osteoarthritis risk. Every bite should be crammed full of as many nutrients as

possible.

4. Spice it up

With age, a drop in saliva and taste-bud power can leave some foods lacking 'pop'. Don't try to

fix the problem by reaching for the salt shaker; there are millions of other spices that don't have

sodium that you can enjoy.

Try new food flavours and textures, and avoid overcooking food to keep it from losing flavour. And

add more hot pepper or other spices like curry if you like them. It might make you drink more water

or milk, which is also good.

5. Drink more water

While your sense of taste can decline over time, so can your sensation of thirst. In addition, certain

medications—such as antihistamines and blood-pressure drugs—can make you more prone to

dehydration. That means making a greater effort to get enough fluids.In fact, dehydration is one of the main reasons older adults end up in the hospital.

It is recommended that women drink about 2.2 litres, or 9 cups, of water a day, and men drink

3 litres, or 13 cups. Try to limit coffee, tea, and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol are diuretics, which

increase dehydration risk.