Consumption Of Yogurt, Leafy Greens, Others Critical At Age 20

• Sunflower Seeds, Fish Fights Arthriti

By Chioma Umeha

The essentials nutrients necessary for any individual can vary by the decade, so eating the right healthy food is always important. Here is a guide to what to eat and when from age 20 through 60 and beyond.

Yogurt

Yogurt is important for the bone-building calcium. Bone mass building stop around age 30, so the time for gaining bone strength is at age 20s. At this age, 1,000 mg of calcium per day is required to meet recommended intake – eight ounces of plain low-fat yogurt has 42 per cent of that.

Calcium is also present in other dairy products, like milk and cheese, but there are a lot of non-dairy options too, Kristin Kirkpatrick, the manager of wellness nutrition services at the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute said. Tofu, salmon and leafy greens like kale are all good sources.

Eggs: Their yolks have vitamin D, which helps the gut absorb all the calcium you are taking in. “You really need both to build up your bones,” Kathryn Sweeney, a dietitian in the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said.

Swordfish has lots of vitamin D, but it is also among the highest-mercury fish, so eat it sparingly. Sardines and canned tuna are high-vitamin-D foods to eat regularly.

Age 30

Sunflower Seeds: Arthritis does not usually strike until later in life, but the joint damage that can lead to it starts in your 30s, Kirkpatrick said. Seeds like sunflower seeds are packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which can minimize that damage by helping lubricate the joints and lowering inflammation.

Omega-3-rich foods include nuts, other seeds like chia seeds and flaxseeds and, of course, fish like mackerel and anchovies.

Asparagus is high in folate, “which is an important nutrient whether you are pregnant right now or just thinking about having children,” Jennifer McDaniel, , a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said. (Folate is the naturally occurring form of vitamin B9 – folic acid is the synthetic version that’s often added to fortify foods or used in supplements. There is no evidence that one form is better than the other.) Just four boiled asparagus spears have 22 per cent of your daily folate needs. (You need 400 mcg per day normally, but 600 if you’re pregnant and 500 if you’re breastfeeding.)

Folate is also found in beans, dark, leafy green veggies, avocados and nuts.

Age 40

Lentils: “Plenty of my patients have slowing metabolisms in their 30s, but it is more common after 40,” Kirkpatrick said. “That is when the weight, especially belly fat, starts coming on and it becomes really difficult to take it off.” With 15 grams of fibre in a one cup serving, lentils are among the highest-fiber foods, and can help you manage your weight in an easy way. In a small 2015 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, focusing solely on fibre intake (30 grams per day) was nearly as effective for weight loss as a more complicated diet that required followers to eat more fruits, vegetables, fish and lean protein plus cut back on salt, sugar, fat and alcohol.

Fruits like berries, apples and pears are excellent fibre sources, as are whole-wheat spaghetti, popcorn, beans and vegetables like peas and broccoli.

To Be Continued….