Living longer is one thing. Staying healthy enough to enjoy those extra years is another. In this episode of Varsity’s Roundtable Talk, Derek sits down with Dr. Joan Salge Blake, a registered dietitian, Boston University nutrition professor and nationally recognized expert on nutrition and wellness, to explore how what we eat can influence our health and quality of life as we age.
In their conversation, Derek and Dr. Blake discuss how nutritional needs change with age, why frozen and canned foods deserve more credit and how to separate sound nutrition advice from the latest food fads. They also explore the Mediterranean approach to healthy living and why enjoying meals with others may be just as important as what’s on the plate.
Check out the full episode here.
HOW MUCH INFLUENCE DOES WHAT WE EAT HAVE ON OUR HEALTHSPAN, NOT JUST OUR LIFESPAN?
We’re lucky with medicine that we can be kept alive for a long time, and that’s wonderful. But you want to be healthy for a long time. That’s where good diet and nutrition throughout your life can help you do that. The projected lifespan now is around 79, and back in the 1970s, it was only around 70. So we just got a decade going on here, and that’s great. A lot of that is because of good medicine, good nutrition and good lifestyle.
IF SOMEONE REACHES THEIR 60S OR 70S AND HASN’T ALWAYS EATEN WELL, CAN THEY STILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
A lot. Go for it! It’s never too late to start eating more healthfully. As you get older, things change in your body. Your metabolism slows down. What you could eat at 30, you can’t eat at 40. What you could eat at 40, you can’t eat at 60. Mother Nature is just not nice! So you have to be very savvy to make sure you’re getting enough good nutrition into your life and maybe change it. Changing at 60 or 70 is a really, really good thing. It’s never too late to make that plate more healthy.
DO OUR NUTRITIONAL NEEDS CHANGE AS WE GET OLDER?
Because your metabolism is slowing down, you don’t need as many calories as you did when you were 20 or 30. So you’ve got to make sure every calorie counts. There’s not a lot of room in the diet for sweets and treats because I’ve got to get these fruits and vegetables, grains, vitamins, minerals and fiber in there. I have to make each bite count.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have sweets, but small amounts. In addition to your calorie needs being reduced, some of your nutrient needs go up as you age. Your calcium needs go up, your vitamin D needs go up. So your diet really needs to be balanced based on your age, medical history and lifestyle.
HOW CAN SHARING MEALS WITH OTHERS CONTRIBUTE TO HEALTHY AGING AND LONGEVITY?
Being with other people, talking, going out and most importantly, dining with other people is so important. That connection with other people is a really important part of longevity. Let’s go back to Italy and the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. There’s a community of family and neighbors, and that helps with longevity. Make the dates. Set up dates. On Thursday, you eat with somebody. On Friday, you eat with somebody else. Get that calendar filled so you’re around people. You’re going to find that it’s so supportive. It helps lower your stress and helps you feel happier, which is great for longevity.
