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Some of us only eat to live but most of us at our age also live to eat – having come to appreciate the pleasures of eating well. What we eat has connotations which are cultural, social and even sexual.
Food is very personal. The range of cuisines and food types available to most of us is extraordinary, compared to any other time in human history.
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Migration and cultural exchanges have put Asian foods in European cities, Italian restaurants in Japan. I’ve even come across a Japanese restaurant in Ulan Bator that serves mostly horse meat done in a “Japanese” style. An old saying has it that you are what you eat – a horrifying thought in some respects – but with a grain of truth.
For those of us of a certain age, the refinements of the palate are either very broad or very narrow. Some of us continue to be adventurous in what we taste and eat, while other have narrowed their nutrition down to a few trusty elements, condiments and dishes.
Whatever eating habits we’ve developed over the years, there are some realities of ageing which should cause all of us to reflect on what we eat, how often, how much, even with whom. This chapter will introduce you to some of the more healthy ways of eating. It will also provide guidance on how you can fashion your own, personalized cuisine, based on some sound principles about nutrition.
You’ll find there is no shortage of tips on which diet is best for proper nutrition. We’ll look at some favourites later. But common sense about healthy, wholesome diets always comes down to a few basics.
- Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables of different colours gives your body a wide range of valuable nutrients, including fibre, folate, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Some examples are green spinach, orange sweet potatoes, black beans, yellow corn, purple plums, blueberries, red watermelon, and white onions. Have them with meals or for a snack. Leave skins on your fruits and vegetables, if possible. For example, eat the skin when you have a baked potato, and snack on unpeeled apples, pears, and peaches. Don’t forget to rinse fruits and vegetables before eating.
- Eat a diet rich in foods that contain fibre such as dry beans, fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods. Breakfast is a good time to enjoy foods with fibre. For example, try unsweetened, whole wheat or bran cereals, and add fruit such as berries and bananas.
- Season your foods with lemon juice, herbs, or spices, instead of butter and salt.
- Look for foods that are low in cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat (mostly in foods that come from animals) and trans fats (found in many cakes, cookies, crackers, icings, margarines.). Saturated fats and transfats can increase blood cholesterol levels.
- Choose lean cuts of meat, but try to favour poultry. Trim away extra fat and remove the skin from chicken and turkey before cooking.
- Emphasize vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. We’ll see this is good later in the Chapter, and why you don’t have to be a vegetarian to appreciate fruits and vegetables.
- Balance the calories from foods and beverages with calories burned through physical activities to maintain a healthy weight.
- Keep your diet low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars. Try most of all to avoid fast or frozen foods with their additives and preservatives.
- Broil, roast, bake, steam, microwave, or boil foods instead of frying.
My own favourites
I can’t stress enough that eating is not only a pleasure but a practice for healthy living and that each of us, especially as we grow older, need to carefully consider not only was is “good” but what is good for us.
My own favourites accord with the cultures and regions of the world I have lived and worked in. I offer them up as options not only because they are good for me but because many specialists in nutrition subscribe to the benefits they provide. I caution everyone against “fad “ diets and miracle solutions to eating well.
Nutrition and ageing are serious concerns if you want to continue enjoying food. But I have found some approaches more appealing than others, because they not only please the palate but my health as well.
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