What Do We Need as we Age?

Nutrition is a big part of my life as a runner.

It took me a long time to get to the point that I was really paying attention to what I was putting in my mouth, learning to focus on good food instead of “diet” food.

I started running to lose weight in my late 30’s, and eating in a way that kept weight off meant drinking zero calorie soda (with lots of chemicals), eating zero fat yogurt…again with lots of chemicals to make it taste good, etc.

In my younger years, that was bad enough. Now that I am older, mid-50’s, I have learned what I need is real food.

As we age, there are several nutrients that we need in order to keep ourselves healthy and running strong.

Metabolism

Our metabolism slows 2-3% each decade, so having a good plan in place is essential.

But WAIT…the above information about a slowing metabolism was thought to be true when I was writing this post. Now there has been a huge study done on metabolism, and the findings have been a bit surprising.

The study was fascinating, but for the purposes of this post what I was interested in was that our metabolisms from age 20-60 actually hold steady. Decline doesn’t start until after age 60, when it slows by 0.7% a year.

Whatever studies tell us, though, keeping our running bodies strong is the goal.

A lot of us who aren’t scientists think of metabolism from a weight loss perspective, but it is actually related to all the chemical reactions in our bodies.

So what we do to keep our metabolism working in the most optimal way is of great benefit to us.

Nutrients as we Age

Protein

Nowadays, we are pretty educated when it comes to the role of proteins in an aging body.

We want to keep our strength (maintain the muscle we have), or build up more, so we know that our protein levels have to stay up.

Make sure you’re getting some protein soon after a workout. This helps the muscles recovery process.

Those of us who are older need to up the amount of protein in our diets just to stay somewhat steady.

This High Protein Whole Wheat Soft Bread from The Planted Runner is a great way to get more protein in your diet. Use the bread for toast in the morning with eggs, or slap some turkey breast in between two slices for lunch.

Fiber

I don’t know about you, but fiber is a big one for me.

Fiber keeps us “regular”, which can become an increasing problem as we age.

Since I like to use real food, instead of relying on supplements, I am always looking for good recipes to try.

This Super Greens Frittata from Taste Australia can be breakfast, lunch or dinner! If you like mushrooms, you will love this!

Calcium/Vitamin D

These two nutrients go hand in hand.

Vitamin D is needed to help absorb calcium. Calcium is, as most of us know, needed for strong bones.

As runners, if our bones are weak we may be plagued with stress fractures.

We may get a good amount of Vitamin D as we run in the summer, but if you live somewhere that has winter (like I do, here in Buffalo) it can be hard to get enough Vitamin D with just food.

Running early in the morning, in the dark, for months on end can deplete your Vitamin D which then hinders your Calcium.

Vitamin D also helps reduce inflammation. This can occur anywhere in our bodies, even where we don’t see it.

Need a Calcium boost? Drink milk or have some yogurt. You can also make baked figs stuffed with manchego cheese from La Yoga.

Omega 3 Fats

Inflammation issues can get worse as we get older, leading to mobility issues.

Omega 3 Fats, like those found in oily fish can help keep our joints from becoming inflamed.

It also is really good for our hearts. Running helps keep our cardiovascular system, so why wouldn’t we want to do everything to supplement all that exercise!

Salmon with Fennel, Citrus and Chili’s from Bon Appetit is delicious!

Zinc

When we sweat, we lose zinc. Those with a very high sweat rate, like my husband, need to make sure they are providing the body with enough zinc to counterbalance what is lost.

Zinc has been shown to increase our VO2max levels, which refers to how much oxygen our muscles are getting. The higher the number, the more “fit” you are thought to be.

Our bones and immune system are also improved with zinc, a good thing for those of us who are older.

This recipe uses your pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Mexican Beef from Eat This Much.