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Healthy Habits for a Healthy Weight
By Diana Rodriguez You may struggle with the idea of giving up junk food and high-calorie snacks , but it ' s not too late to escape bad habits in favor of eating healthfully .
If you ' ve avoided healthy eating habits for most of your life , it ' s time to make a change . Even seniors — especially seniors , in fact — need to focus on nutrition and healthy eating to prevent health problems . Developing healthy eating habits means more than just choosing the right foods , though that ' s an important start . Calorie counting and portion control should be part of your strategy , too .
Why the Senior Diet Should Be Different
Your diet and nutrition needs change as you get older , and healthy eating becomes more important than ever . Aging alters many of your body ' s processes and functions , affecting how your body uses food , and how much you need .
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For starters , your metabolism slows down . Your body doesn ' t process or use food as quickly , and you just don ' t need as much . The digestive system also changes for seniors — with your intestines becoming a little more rigid and food moving through more slowly . Changing emotional needs may also affect some seniors ' diets : If you feel lonely , sad , or depressed , you may be more likely to eat too little or to dig into a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips for comfort .
Senior Nutrition Tip : Practice Portion Control
Portion control trips up people of all ages . It ' s tough to avoid huge portions when they ' re everywhere — in restaurants , grocery stores , and even on your plate at home . When was the last time you ate a piece of meat that was only the size of a deck of playing cards ? Most people eat several times that , but that ' s all a serving size , or a healthy portion , really is .
So whether it ' s pasta , rice , meat , or veggies , how do you know what a serving size actually is ? Use these approximations to help you figure it out :
• 1 / 2 cup of ice cream is about the size of a tennis ball .
• 1 serving of cheese is about the equivalent of six playing dice .
• 1 serving of fruit or veggies is about the size of a baseball .
• 1 / 4 cup of dried nuts or fruits is about the size of a golf ball .
• 1 baked potato should only be about the size of a computer mouse .
• 1 serving of waffles or pancakes is about the diameter of a DVD .
Most serving sizes are labeled in ounces , so invest in a food scale to measure your portions . Once you get used to how little portion sizes really are , you ' ll be better able to figure out what ' s appropriate .
Senior Nutrition Tip : Count Those Calories
Once you adjust your portion sizes , the amount of calories you consume will automatically be lower . But you still have to pay attention to foods that are high in calories and avoid or limit them .