Eating well is essential to staying healthy, active, and connected as we age. Our aging well journey normally starts with the changes that occur in our 50s and 60s. We may notice a slowdown in metabolism as we lose muscle mass and gain fat. At the same time, our nutrient needs are just as high or higher than when we were younger. We may also feel the early signs of our blood vessels and arteries becoming stiffer. Our bones losing density and strength. our skin becoming thinner, drier, and wrinkled. Our senses like vision, hearing, smell, and taste may start to lose sharpness.

All these changes will require us to be more proactive and deliberate about what we eat and how much we eat in every meal of every day. In this article, I will explore some of the common biological changes associated with aging that impact our nutritional needs. I will also share the evidence behind the most scientifically proven diet to help aging well. The Mediterranean diet. and compare it with other popular diets. Such as the DASH diet, the Flexitarian diet, the MIND diet, and the Vegetarian diet.

Common Changes During Aging and Impact on Nutrition

Your calorie needs depend on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level. As you get older, your metabolism slows down and your muscle mass decreases. Which means you need fewer calories to maintain your weight. However, this does not mean you need less nutrients. You may need more nutrients per calorie as you age to prevent deficiencies and support your health. Therefore, in addition to exercising regularly and staying active. You should choose nutrient-dense foods that provide a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants for fewer calories. On your aging well journey, you may want to pay more attention to certain aspects of your health that may change over time. Some of these aspects are:

Cognition:

Your cognition refers to your mental abilities, such as memory, attention, learning, and problem-solving. They help you stay connected and in my view the most important health aspect to preserve for aging well. These abilities may change as you age due to various factors, such as brain aging, neurodegeneration, or vascular damage. To cope with this change from a nutrition point of view. You may want to carefully assess your intake of two key groups of nutrients omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that help maintain the structure and function of your brain cells and membranes. They also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that protect your brain from damage and inflammation. You can get omega-3 fatty acids from fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines. As well as from some plant foods, such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. B vitamins help support your energy production, DNA synthesis, and neurotransmitter function. They also help lower the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that can damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of stroke and dementia. You can get B vitamins from animal products, such as meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. As well as from some plant foods, such as leafy greens, whole grains, and legumes.

Metabolism:

As you age, your metabolism may slow down because of changes in your muscle mass, thyroid function, insulin sensitivity, or hormonal balance. This can make you burn fewer calories and have higher blood sugar levels. These changes can have a profound impact on physical and mental health and usually kick-start the aging well process.

To cope with this change from a nutrition point of view, you should eat foods that do not spike your blood sugar. And provide enough protein and healthy fats to keep you satisfied, energized, and staying active. Some examples are eggs, nuts, seeds, fish, olive oil, and whole grains. You should also include some thermogenic foods that can increase your metabolic rate and calorie burning. By stimulating heat production in your body. Some examples are turmeric, chili pepper, green tea, and coffee.

https://nutritionishealth.com/2023/09/11/can-thermogenics-help-you-lose-weight/: The Most Scientifically Proven Diet to Help Aging Well

You should also eat some hormone-balancing foods that can help regulate your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol levels by providing essential nutrients and phytochemicals. Some examples are cruciferous vegetables, salmon, avocados, eggs, and yogurt.

https://nutritionishealth.com/2023/09/18/hormone-balancing-foods-the-ultimate-guide/: The Most Scientifically Proven Diet to Help Aging Well

Immunity:

Your immune system helps protect you from infections and diseases, but it becomes weaker and less responsive as you age. This makes you more susceptible to illnesses, such as colds, flu, and pneumonia. Three key nutrients to help you boost immunity while you are aging are vitamin C, zinc, and probiotics. Vitamin C helps stimulate the production and function of white blood cells. Which are the main components of your immune system. You can get vitamin C from citrus fruits, such as oranges, grapefruits, and lemons. As well as from other fruits and vegetables. Zinc helps regulate the activity and communication of immune cells. As well as the production of antibodies and cytokines, which are substances that fight infections and inflammation. You can get zinc from animal products, such as meat, poultry, and seafood. As well as from some plant foods, such as nuts, seeds, and legumes.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live in your gut and help maintain your digestive and immune health. They can modulate your immune response and prevent or treat infections caused by harmful bacteria, viruses, or fungi. You can get probiotics from fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi. As well as from supplements that contain live cultures of specific strains of probiotics.

Bone health:

Your bone health refers to the density and strength of your bones. Your bones may become thinner and weaker with aging due to various factors. Such as hormonal changes, calcium loss, vitamin D deficiency, and physical inactivity. This can increase your risk of fractures, osteoporosis, and falls. It is therefore important to pay attention to your intake of calcium, vitamin D, and magnesium. Calcium helps build and maintain your bone structure and strength. It also helps regulate muscle contraction and nerve transmission. You can get calcium from dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese. As well as from some plant foods, such as broccoli, kale, bok choy, and fortified soy products.

Vitamin D helps absorb calcium from your food and deposit it into your bones. It also helps maintain bone health, immune system, and muscle function. Vitamin D is produced by your skin when exposed to sunlight, but this ability decreases as you age. It is also found in some foods, such as fatty fish, egg yolks fortified milk, yogurt, and cereals. Magnesium helps activate vitamin D in your body and regulate calcium balance in your bones. It also helps support your energy production, nerve function, and muscle relaxation. You can get magnesium from green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains.

Vision:

Your vision refers to your ability to see clearly and perceive colors, shapes, and movements. Your vision may decline or deteriorate as you age due to various factors. Such as eye aging, cataracts, glaucoma, or macular degeneration.

Key nutrients that can boost your vision are vitamin A, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Vitamin A helps maintain your retina, which is the part of your eye that converts light into nerve signals. It also helps prevent night blindness and dry eyes. You can get vitamin A from animal products, such as liver, eggs, and dairy products. As well as from some plant foods, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and mangoes. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that help protect your macula. Which is the part of your retina that is responsible for central and color vision. They also help filter out harmful blue light and reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. You can get lutein and zeaxanthin from green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, and collard greens. As well as from other fruits and vegetables, such as corn, peas, and oranges.

Skin health:

Your skin health refers to the appearance and function of your skin. Your skin may become thinner, drier, wrinkled, and saggy as you age. Due to various factors, such as sun exposure, smoking, pollution, and hormonal changes. Maintaining healthy skin is an important part of the aging well process. From a physical health perspective, skin is an integral part of our immune system. And from a mental health perspective, healthy skin boosts a positive self-image. Three key nutrients that can boost your skin health are vitamins C and E, as well as hyaluronic acid.

Vitamin C helps produce collagen, which is the protein that gives your skin its structure and elasticity. It also helps heal wounds and prevent infections. While vitamin E helps protect your skin from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Oxidative stress can damage your skin cells and cause premature aging and skin cancer. You can get vitamin E from nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, and wheat germ.

Hyaluronic acid is a substance that helps retain moisture in your skin and keeps it hydrated and plump. It also helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. You can get hyaluronic acid from animal products, such as bone broth, chicken skin, and fish roe, as well as from some plant foods, such as soybeans, potatoes, and seaweed.

Digestion:

Your digestion may change due to various factors, such as reduced stomach acid, enzyme production, intestinal motility, or bacterial balance. This can cause symptoms such as indigestion, heartburn, bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea. A well-functioning digestive system is important to aging well, especially at a time when we need to extract the most nutrients per calorie out of food. To cope with this change, you should try to eat foods that are easy to digest and avoid foods that are too spicy, fatty, fried, or acidic which can aggravate your digestion. You should also eat more fiber-rich foods and drink more water to prevent or relieve constipation. You should also take probiotics or eat fermented foods to restore your gut flora and improve your digestion.

These are some of the most common biological changes that you may experience as you age, but there may be others that are specific to your condition or situation. You should consult your doctor or a registered dietitian if you have any concerns or questions about your nutritional status or needs. While we might be aware of what nutrients we need to embark on our aging well journey, it might be hard to translate that into daily eating habits and patterns integrated into our lifestyles. This is why in the next section of this article, I will focus more on the various dietary patterns clinically shown to boost aging well. With an emphasis on the Mediterranean diet, which in my view comes on top from a scientific evidence point of view.

The Aging Well Benefits of the Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet is ranked as the best diet for overall health by experts. It is based on the traditional eating patterns of people living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Italy, Spain, and Morocco. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and olive oil. It also includes moderate amounts of dairy products, eggs, and poultry, and occasional servings of red meat and sweets. It also encourages drinking water and red wine in moderation and using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods.

The Mediterranean diet has been shown to prevent or delay chronic diseases that are common among older adults, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Dementia. For example: A 2018 large study involving more than 7,000 people (PREDIMED[i]) found that those who followed the Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke than those who followed a low-fat diet. Another study involving more than 16,000 people from 10 European countries (EPIC[ii]) found that those with high adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a 12% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who had low adherence.

Several systemic reviews[iii] and meta-analysis[iv] publications demonstrated the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet on global cognitive health for older adults as well as the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. A recent study published in March 2023 studied the relationship between diet and risk of dementia in more than 60,000 individuals from the UK Biobank cohort[v]. The study concluded that adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower dementia risk independent of genetic risks.

Learning The Mediterranean Diet

There are many internet resources that can help you follow and adhere to the Mediterranean diet. However, one of the best internet resources that I can recommend is Oldways, a non-profit organization that promotes the Mediterranean way of eating and living. Mediterranean Diet | Oldways (oldwayspt.org)

Oldways has a lot of useful information, tips, recipes, guides, and tools that can help you learn about and enjoy the Mediterranean diet. Some of the things you can find on their website are:

• A Mediterranean Diet Pyramid that shows you the foods and portions that you should eat every day, week, or month.
• A 4-week Mediterranean Diet Menu Plan that gives you an entire month plan of what you can eat every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
• A Mediterranean Diet Cookbook that contains easy and tasty recipes for every occasion.
• A Mediterranean Diet Newsletter that keeps you updated on the latest news, research, and events related to the Mediterranean diet.

How Does the Mediterranean Diet Compare with Other Popular Diets?

The Mediterranean diet is not the only diet that can help you age well. Other popular diets have similar or different features in terms of food choices, restrictions, and goals. Here are some of them:

The DASH Diet

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is designed to lower blood pressure and prevent or treat hypertension. It is similar to the Mediterranean diet in that it emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy products, fish, and poultry. It also limits salt, saturated fat, red meat, and sweets. However, it differs from the Mediterranean diet in that it does not include olive oil or red wine, and it has specific recommendations for daily servings of each food group based on calorie needs.

The DASH diet has been shown to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. It may also help prevent or delay cognitive decline and dementia.

The Flexitarian Diet

The flexitarian (flexible vegetarian) diet is a plant-based diet that allows occasional servings of meat, poultry, or fish. It is similar to the Mediterranean diet in that it emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and olive oil. However, it differs from the Mediterranean diet in that it has more restrictions on animal products, and it has specific recommendations for weekly servings of each food group based on calorie needs.

The flexitarian diet has been shown to lower body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It may also help prevent or delay cognitive decline and dementia.

The MIND Diet

The MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets that focuses on foods that are good for brain health. It is similar to the Mediterranean and DASH diets in that it emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and poultry. It also limits salt, saturated fat, red meat, and sweets. However, it differs from the Mediterranean and DASH diets in that it has more specific recommendations for daily or weekly servings of each food group based on cognitive benefits. For example, it recommends eating at least three servings of whole grains, six servings of leafy greens, two servings of berries, one serving of fish, and one serving of poultry per week.

The MIND diet has been shown to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 53% compared to those who did not follow the diet. It may also help slow down cognitive decline and improve memory and attention.

The Vegetarian Diet

The vegetarian diet is a plant-based diet that excludes all animal products, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products. It is similar to the Mediterranean, DASH, and Flexitarian diets in that it emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes. However, it differs from these diets in that it has more restrictions on animal products, and it may require supplementation of certain nutrients, such as vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and zinc.

The vegetarian diet has been shown to lower body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It may also help prevent or delay cognitive decline and dementia.

Aging Well Bottom Line

In conclusion, eating well is one of the most important factors for living a long and healthy life. As you age, your nutritional needs and challenges change, but you can still follow a healthy diet that suits your individual needs and preferences. You need to be aware and proactively manage the common biological changes associated with aging by adapting your nutrition. Pay attention to how many calories, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals you need, and what foods or supplements can boost your metabolism, cognition, immunity, bone health, vision, and skin health.

Consider dietary patterns and lifestyle changes to help you enjoy food, and socialize with others while maintaining a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet, the best scientifically proven diet to help you age well. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, and olive oil. However, you can also compare and contrast it with other popular diets, such as the DASH diet, the Flexitarian diet, the MIND diet, and the vegetarian diet.

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• [i] Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet Supplemented with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil or Nuts | NEJM
• [ii] Mediterranean Diet and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study | Diabetes Care | American Diabetes Association (diabetesjournals.org)
• [iii] Nutrients | Free Full-Text | The Association between the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern and Cognitive Health: A Systematic Review (mdpi.com)
• [iv] The Impact of the Mediterranean Diet on the Cognitive Functioning of Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – ScienceDirect
• [v] Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with lower dementia risk, independent of genetic predisposition: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study | BMC Medicine | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)